Irony

In My misstress' eyes, author William Shakespeare is mighty tricky (suprise, surprise).  Initially, reading the title of the work, one assumes that the poem is written by a lover who wishes to express all the aspects of his mistress that he adores, such as her eyes (typical, right?). However, reading the first few lines, I found myself stopping, confused. Was I really reading things such as "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun", "And in some perfumes is there more delight Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks", and "I grant I never saw a goddess go, -My mistres, when she walks, treadson the ground" (Shakespeare, 885)? I had to go back and reread to make sure that I was comprehending correctly, and I was! What kind of love poem was this? The speaker was in no way expressing the perfect attributes of his lover. Thus, at this point, I assumed that the poem would end with a conclusion of frustration by the speaker as he made a wish to somehow rid himself of his mistress. However, I was surpised once again when the speaker said, "And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare As any she belied with false compare" (Shakespeare, 885). Despite all of his mistress' seemingly terrible qualities, the speaker truly loves her. The entire poem consists of many ironic moments, keeping the reader on his toes. Ironic even is the fact that this poem is written in sonnet form, a form usually used for the expression of love. Though this is essentially a love poem, it is definitely not what I expected. Shakespeare certainly keeps his readers second-guessing.