Olive
"in my opinion. Also, another thing that came to my mind is when he says "As any she belied with false comparison" is that he is comparing his mistress to other women, hence "as any she"...saying that she does not look as good as other women N she fails to be compared with them, but he loves her regardless. "
I doubt he was comparing his mistress to other women. In fact, i still maintain he was in a mocking tone voice.
If he could only have said-- and yet, by heaven, i think my love as rare,as any she belied'
and ended there---it would have seemed as if he was truly presumptious, possessing and thinking that his love for her was rare and special as any love she has ever experienced. But no he went one step ahead and added---with false compare, which brings back to how the poem began. Through out the poem, He was false comparing, and using mocking or unflattering....'false compare' to descripe his supposed mistress. Even though sometimes he goes over board by saying....
"And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks."
That is just uncalled for. I have seen poems that go ga ga on the subject of love. This is a total opposite.Here he is saying, perfumes are more delightful than his mistress breath.Unless...the perfumes is metarphor for women.In that sense you might be right Olive. if what he is saying here is--my mistress does not compare to other perfumes(women), that his mistress is ugly but unique, then thats a different story.
(i still will find it offensive, i dont want any man calling me his special ugly thang, mascarading it for a compliment)It is possible that this is a boyish love.Immature and teasing. It is as if the poet is reciting a boyish poem of mockering, a school boy poem of teasing his subject of crush---- he wants to remain cool--he doesnt want to be too over romantic--BV is correct is saying---the repitition of ' My, my and My --clearing is an indication a posessive terms of indearment. Where in the end---he assumes his mistress doth love him---the same, that is ---his love is as rare as any she had experienced(belied) with false compare--meaning--his love is rare just as hers is for him, especially when she falsely compares him to other men or other unflattering objects.
Or....Shakespeare could very well be talking about a man mistress. Her voice less pleasing than melodic soft voice of music( a woman), the not so perfumish breath lol, you know---something dirty.
