E X T E N S I O N SHAKESPEARE S DARK LADY Twenty-four of Shakespeare s sonnets are addressed to a mysterious lady who has puzzled1 scholars and readers for the last four hundred years! The poet is helplessly 2 in love with her. In his day, a beautiful woman was sweet and gentle with very pale, white skin and rosy cheeks, soft, fair hair and blue or green eyes: In olden times black was not attractive, Or if it was, it never was called beautiful (Sonnet 127) This lady, however, has dark eyes: So my mistresse s eyes are dark, raven3 black (Sonnet 127) She has dark skin: If snow is white, then her breasts are golden beige (Sonnet 130) She has coarse4, dark hair: If hair is compared to wires, then hers is black wire (130) She has no healthy, pink cheeks: But I can see no roses in her cheeks (130) Her character is not sweet and gentle: You are a tyrant in your way of being The blackest part of you are the things you do (131) Because I have called you fair, and thought you were bright, You, who are black as hell, and dark as night. (147) Perhaps he is parodying the classic love sonnets of Petrarch or maybe some unknown person asked Shakespeare to write the lines for him. In any case, she is not conventionally attractive and has a very strong character, but the poet cannot stop himself from loving her. Who could this lady be? Scholars have suggested Queen Elizabeth herself, or even Anne Hathaway, William s wife. Anthony Burgess, the 1. puzzled: confused, perplexed. 2. helplessly: being unable to control a strong feeling. 3. raven: a dark,shiny black bird like a crow with a loud call. 4. coarse: not soft. 95