8-1DarkLady

Who is the Dark Lady? //Answer prepared by Lucy S.// Shakespeare’s Dark Lady is the woman who is being addressed in 24 of Shakespeare’s sonnets. According to the website __Shakespeare Birthplace Trust__, she is thought to be one of three ladies: Mary Fitton, a lady in waiting to Queen Elizabeth; Lucy Morgan, a former maid of Queen Elizabeth; or Emilia Lanier, the mistress of Lord Hundson, who was a patron of Shakespeare’s theatre. The only information we have about the Dark Lady is what Shakespeare has written in his sonnets. Shakespeare describes her as “a woman color'd ill, with black eyes and coarse black hair”. According to Nigel Davies’ section “The Dark Lady of Shakespeare’s sonnets” on the website __Geocities__, “woman color’d ill” means a woman with a dark complexion. Black eyes and coarse black hair obviously can be interpreted as dark, giving her the nickname Dark Lady. In Sonnets 130 and 144, Shakespeare describes his feelings for the Dark Lady. Sonnet 130 entitled “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun,” shows that Shakespeare thinks she’s ugly and that he’s seen better. However, the last two lines suggest otherwise: “And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare, As any she belied with false compare.” In the first line above, Shakespeare says, even though she has many flaws, he loves her and that appearances do not matter in true love. His words describe a black woman: “If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.” This shows that she has black hair, which must be the Dark Lady.

In Sonnet 144, Shakespeare is describing the relationship among himself, a male friend, and the Dark Lady. Helen Vendler says that “When Shakespeare wrote, ‘Two loves I have,’ reader, he was //not kidding//” (605). His two loves must only be his male friend and the Dark Lady. Shakespeare refers to the male friend as an angel and the Dark Lady as a devil. According to Amanda Mabillard, author of the website __Shakespeare Online__, in the section “Analysis of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 144,” Shakespeare says he favors the love of his male friend, who is believed to be the Earl of Southampton, but the Dark Lady is tempting the Earl away from him. Shakespeare then places all the blame on the Dark Lady for the affair between his male friend and the Dark Lady. Sonnets 130 and 144 show that Shakespeare has great love for the Dark Lady, but she has flaws and he often is angered by her. As previously mentioned, the Dark Lady could be Mary Fitton, Lucy Morgan, or Emilia Lanier. The case for Emilia Lanier being the Dark Lady is quite strong, but there is no solid evidence for this possibility. According to the section “Emilia Lanier (the Dark Lady?)” on the website __PBS__, she was dark and on her way to becoming an influential Elizabethan lady. Emilia certainly was part of Shakespeare’s circle as the mistress of Lord Hundson. Later on, she would visit Simon Foreman, a doctor, astrologer, analyst and part of Shakespeare’s circle for advice. Using her connections to Lord Hundson and Foreman, Emilia mixed well in Shakespeare’s circle. Shakespeare later had an affair with her after his son and heir died, but he was the last man in a love triangle with Emilia at the center. If Shakespeare was rejected by Emilia, his emotions for her would be ones of anger and annoyance. He may have used this experience as inspiration in Sonnets 130 and 144. In Sonnet 130, he insults the Dark Lady’s physical appearance by writing “ And in some perfumes is there more delight, Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.” This means that the Dark Lady’s breath smells awful. In Sonnet 144, Shakespeare is describing his anger and fury at the Dark Lady. “The worser spirit a woman colour’d ill” means that the Dark Lady can be compared to a devil. Emilia has strong connections to Shakespeare, but there are no concrete facts.

Rumors, although weak, have suggested that Mary Fitton is the Dark Lady. One website, __BBC__, is firmly convinced that Mary is the Dark Lady. This claim is refuted by Michael Dobson and Stanley Wells in __The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare__ (106). They say that she actually had fair skin, so she could not be the Dark Lady. From the website __RSC__ section //Historical Background//, “Mary had a wild reputation.” Shakespeare could have caught her eye and had an affair with her. There is not much evidence to show why Shakespeare wrote the things he did about the Dark Lady if it were Mary. There is even less evidence that Lucy Morgan is the Dark Lady-no rumors or even fictional stories. The Dark Lady of Shakespeare’s sonnets is certainly a controversial and a hot topic in the world of Shakespeare. Works Cited Davies, Nigel. "The Dark Lady of Shakespeare's Sonnets." __Geocities__. 7 Apr. 2009 .

"Emilia Lanier (the Dark Lady?)." __PBS__. 2003. PBS. 12 Mar. 2009 .

"Gwyrch Castle." __BBC__. 2 Dec. 2008. 7 Apr. 2009 .

"Historical Background." __RSC__. 6 Apr. 2009 .

Mabillard, Amanda. "Analysis of Shakespeare's Sonnet 144." __Shakespeare Online__. 29 July 2003. 7 Apr. 2009 .

"Who was Shakespeare's 'dark lady' mentioned in connection with the sonnets?" __Shakespeare__. Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. 6 Mar 2009 .