Have you seen the “why I need feminism posts” lately? They show people holding signs saying why feminism is important. Here is mine in response to Shakespeare's sonnet 130:
I need feminism because women were viewed as inferior for far too long.
In sonnet 130, Shakespeare claims that he does not care if his woman is ugly, she is still special to him. By saying this, he is implying that it is ok for him to comment on a woman’s appearance in any manner he would like. He can insult her as much as he wants, so long as he says "but I loveee youuuu" at the end. This is not ok. Shakespeare is an influential writer. His works are still read to this day. He should have thought about the impact his works may have on future generations. We are still seeing the effects of the degrading statements in his works. Men think it is acceptable to tell their girlfriends "Honey, you shouldn't eat that. Those jeans are already too tight," so long as they love her even though she is fat.
In sonnet 130, Shakespeare insults this woman by saying she is ugly, her breath smells, her breasts are an ugly color...
Yes, perhaps these are trivial things and women should not worry about them, but the fact is they do. To women, criticism of outward appearance not only makes them self-conscious about their appearances, but also makes them feel as if they are not beautiful on the inside. If there is one thing men should know it is that they cannot take away the bad things they have said with a mere "sorry." The woman may reply with a "that's ok," but it is not. She will never forget those words. At least not for a while. Every time she looks in the mirror she will see the qualities you criticize.
Not to mention it will hurt your relationship. She will never feel comfortable around you again.
Every woman deserves to feel beautiful. Don't take advice from Shakespeare when it comes to your relationship. Make her feel beautiful AND special. Not one or the other.
Now, I am no poet, but here is my attempt to make a woman feel special.
I cannot imagine a woman so fine;
So beautiful, so bright, so smart.
My love you shine like the sun-
No, brighter-you light up the universe, not only the world.
Your eyes show your kindness,
Your lips tell me you are mine.
There are a million wonderful women in the world,
But in my heart you are the most beautiful,
Inside and out.
Doesn't every women want to feel special? And don't they deserve it? Shakespeare seems to have loved the dark lady described in many of his sonnets including sonnet 130, but as far as we can tell she wasn't treated very well. No wonder she cheated with the earl.
As a self proclaimed feminist I have to disagree. Almost all contemporaries of Shakespeare wrote Sonnet's portraying women in the most conventional style, as angelic and physically perfect, but there love for these women was entirely superficial, they never looked beyond physical appearance, reflecting the objectification of women and the limited representation of women in a patriarchal society. In Sonnet 130 Shakespeare professes a love that goes beyond the physical. He admits that she is not beautiful, and yet, in the Volta, declares that he loves her nonetheless, a 'rare' love that goes beyond the superficial. The narrator does not love this woman for her looks, but for something more profound, almost inexplicable. In doing so Shakespeare expands what it is to be a woman, that it goes further than just appearance. Of course this is still not entirely feminist, it still portrays women only in the role of a love object, and to that extent I agree, but when putting this poem in it's context with contemporaries I would say it is radically altering the one dimensional view of women. This can therefore be another reason to proclaim Shakespeare's timeless genius and importance on culture.
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