How redefining the term "mistress" can illuminate other Essay

How redefining the term "mistress" can illuminate other confusing aspects of the poem "Sonnet 130", and potentially also, provide evidence about the poet's unknown identity - Essay Example However, the author has not specified this; his use of the term is ambiguous. The word mistress has three identified meanings. The word can be used in reference to a woman that has an ongoing- extra marital relationship, in many cases, with a man that is married. The second meaning of the term is as a prefix to the title that is bestowed upon a married woman – MRS. Lastly, it is used to refer to a woman who holds a position of authority or who exercises control over something or someone. This paper’s focal point is to establish how various statements within the poem could be more sensible should be it taken to mean that his intention for using the word mistress was in the latter regard. From the language used, the author refers to someone that he did not fancy to be in relationship with. The line, â€Å"And in some perfumes there is more delight than in the breath that from my mistress reeks (Shakespeare "Sonnet 130", 7-8),† is the best illustration of this. Had Shakespeare, been referring to a lover, his description would not have been as blunt. This could be the true quality of a lover, due to the romantic regard lovers hold to each other; one is more likely to withhold this kind of information. Furthermore, lovers rarely concentrate on the negative attributes that their counterparts have, but rather chose to focus on the positive. Therefore, this disqualifies the notion that the author could have been using the word to refer to a person that he had for a romantic relationship. If one is in a romantic relationship, they are usually very fond of their counterpart. Therefore, they speak of them only in the most alluring and appealing fashion. However, from the poem, the author appears afraid of the person that they are referring. â€Å"My mistresses eyes are nothing like the Sun (Shakespeare "Sonnet 130", 1).† the statement itself illustrates that the author does not feel fond of the person in question. He does not feel