Which author is associated with the line 'My mistress' eyes' in classic poetry?

Which author is associated with the line 'My mistress' eyes' in classic poetry?

• A. Keats
• B. Shakespeare
• C. Shelley
• D. Milton

Answer: (D)

That line belongs to William Shakespeare, found at the start of Sonnet 130. In this sonnet, Shakespeare rejects the era’s lavish, hyperbolic praise of a beloved and instead describes his mistress in plain, human terms. The opening line—“My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun”—signals a playful, realist tack that sets up the rest of the poem, which goes on to say that real beauty isn’t about idealized, over-the-top comparisons. This contrasts with the Petrarchan tradition many poets of Shakespeare’s time mocked. That’s why Shakespeare is the best match for this line. Milton, Keats, and Shelley come from different periods and styles—Milton as an epic poet, and Keats and Shelley as Romantic lyric poets—so they aren’t associated with this particular line.

That line belongs to William Shakespeare, found at the start of Sonnet 130. In this sonnet, Shakespeare rejects the era’s lavish, hyperbolic praise of a beloved and instead describes his mistress in plain, human terms. The opening line—“My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun”—signals a playful, realist tack that sets up the rest of the poem, which goes on to say that real beauty isn’t about idealized, over-the-top comparisons. This contrasts with the Petrarchan tradition many poets of Shakespeare’s time mocked. That’s why Shakespeare is the best match for this line. Milton, Keats, and Shelley come from different periods and styles—Milton as an epic poet, and Keats and Shelley as Romantic lyric poets—so they aren’t associated with this particular line.