This sonnet is an anti-love poem that ironically shows how a woman's fairness depends on the blessings of nature and its external manifestations. The Spenserian style brings unity to this sonnet, in that its theme and rhyme are interwoven throughout, but the emphasis of its "equity" is divided into an octave and a seset. The first eight lines praise his physical features (hair, cheeks, smile), while the last six lines praise his inner features (words, mind, heart). This sonnet intentionally hides the speaker's ridicule behind counterfeit love language, using phrases such as: "fair and golden hair" (line 1), "rose in her red cheeks" (line 3), and " in his eyes, the fire of love sparkles.” " (line 4). This traditional love language fills pages of literature and song and is traditionally used to extol a lover's attributes; but this sonnet betrays such language by presenting criticism rather than praise. This sonnet seems to praise a lady's beauty but ironically ridicules her by stating that her "righteousness" depends on nature, physical characteristics, and the display of a gentle spirit, which hides one's pride. The first line begins: “Fair is my love, when” (line 1), and it is an idea that appears five times in the sonnet (see lines 1,3,5,7,9). At first glance, many readers will find this phrase quite endearing, but the speaker's real intention is to prove again and again that her "fairness" depends on "when" certain events occur. For example, she is blonde “when her fair and golden hair...[is] abandoned” (lines 1-2); and “when the rose appears in her red cheeks” (line 3); and “[w]hen his eyes, the fire of love sparkles” (line 4). The poet is very precise in the use of the term "just" which... middle of paper ... seems more surprising. This sonnet mocks this woman by pretending to praise her, while proving that her fairness depends on certain external manifestations. The fact that the beloved has a “gentle spirit” does not matter much because she is proud. The sonnet's subtle language hides the speaker's ridicule, just as her smile hides her pride. The author uses economic, oceanic, and nautical imagery to show how her fairness is simply revealed by temporal circumstances, and never mentions that she is "fair" alone. The ridiculous nature of this sonnet is greatly revealed by the repeated term "Fair, when" and by the central phrase: that its "cloud of pride, which often makes dark" (line 7). Edmond Spenser http://www.bartleby.com/331/122.html