Question

read shakespeare’s “sonnet 130.”
my mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun;
coral is far more red, than her lips red:
if snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
if hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
i have seen roses damask’d, red and white,
but no such roses see i in her cheeks;
and in some perfumes is there more delight
than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
i love to hear her speak, yet well i know
that music hath a far more pleasing sound:
i grant i never saw a goddess go,—
my mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:
and yet by heaven, i think my love as rare,
as any she belied with false compare.
what is the central idea of the first quatrain?
○ my mistress is unattractive.
○ my mistress is beautiful.
○ my mistress has a natural beauty.
○ my mistress is not as beautiful as nature.

Explanation:

The first quatrain of "Sonnet 130" compares the mistress to natural elements (sun, coral, snow, wires) and shows she doesn't match their idealized beauty. The lines "My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun; Coral is far more red, than her lips red; If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head" highlight that she isn't as beautiful as nature's idealized forms. Option A is incorrect as the speaker later shows love, not that she's unattractive. Option B is wrong as the quatrain emphasizes she doesn't match ideal beauty. Option C is incorrect as it's about her not matching natural beauty standards, not having natural beauty. So the correct idea is she's not as beautiful as nature.

Answer:

My mistress is not as beautiful as nature.