The tone of Shakespeare's - Sonnet is satirical humorous and realistic The poem mocks the exaggerated praise found in traditional love poetry Instead of glorifying his mistress the poet presents her as an ordinary woman However the tone shifts in the final lines to show genuine affection Mocking and Playful Tone In the first twelve lines the poet humorously rejects traditional poetic comparisons He states that his mistress' eyes are not bright like the sun and that her lips are not as red as coral This playful tone exposes the false beauty standards used by other poets Honest and Realistic Tone The poem is also deeply honest despite the mocking tone The poet does not insult his mistress However he presents a truthful image of her He does not compare her to a goddess because he has never seen one This realism makes the poem different from traditional love poetry