"My mistress' eyes" ~by William Shakespeare

(#8)
The satirical tone of this poem is created through the various comparisons the author uses. The author mocks other poets who make false comparisons between their lovers and other aspects of nature or beauty. "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; coral is far more red than her lips' red." Although this poem could be easily misinterpreted as the speaker insulting his lover, this is not the message he is saying. He is simply being realistic in describing her beauty rather than using false comparisons like many other poets. In the end, he says that she is beautiful and wonderful, but she cannot be compared realistically to these other things like the sun and roses. The tone is not insulting and negative as it may initially appear. Instead, it is satirizing and mocking the false comparisons commonly used by poets. While his mistress may have beautiful eyes, they are nothing like the sun. This does not mean they are not still bright and beautiful; it means that they can not be compared to it realistically.