Sonnet 20: A woman's face with Nature's own hand painted

William Shakespeare 1564 (Stratford-upon-Avon) – 1616 (Stratford-upon-Avon)



A woman's face with Nature's own hand painted
Hast thou, the master-mistress of my passion;
A woman's gentle heart, but not acquainted
With shifting change, as is false women's fashion;
An eye more bright than theirs, less false in rolling,
Gilding the object whereupon it gazeth;
A man in hue, all hues in his controlling,
Which steals men's eyes and women's souls amazeth.
And for a woman wert thou first created,
Till Nature, as she wrought thee, fell a-doting,
And by addition me of thee defeated,
By adding one thing to my purpose nothing.
    But since she pricked thee out for women's pleasure,
    Mine be thy love and thy love's use their treasure.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 22, 2023

36 sec read
75

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABCBDEDEADADFF
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 652
Words 115
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's greatest dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon". more…

All William Shakespeare poems | William Shakespeare Books

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    "Sonnet 20: A woman's face with Nature's own hand painted" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 18 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/41466/sonnet-20:-a-woman's-face-with-nature's-own-hand-painted>.

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