In Sonnet 130 ('My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun'), what traditional poetic convention is Shakespeare satirizing?
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Correct answer: The Petrarchan Blazon
Shakespeare parodies the 'blazon,' a convention where poets compared their beloved's features to idealized natural objects (eyes to suns, lips to coral). By stating his mistress is ordinary, he argues that his love is 'rare' and more honest than those based on false comparisons.
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