The speaker in sonnet 131 addresses the persona that is responsible for this group of sonnets (127-154) being labeled “the dark lady sonnets.” Clearly, the speaker is addressing a person who has a “face” and a “neck,” unlike the supposed “young man sonnets” (18-126), which never offer any evidence of referring to a human being.
First Quatrain: “Thou art as tyrannous, so as thou art”
In the first quatrain, the speaker accuses the lady of tyrannical behavior that resembles that of those beautiful women who become cruel because of their beauty. She thinks she has the upper hand in the relationship, because she knows that he is captivated by her beauty and holds her in high regard.
The speaker admits that he has a “doting heart” and that to him she is “the fairest and most precious jewel.” Such a position leaves him weak and vulnerable, making him accept her cruel behavior out of fear of losing her. Because she is aware of his vulnerability, she is free to cause him pain with impunity.
Second Quatrain: “Yet, in good faith, some say that thee behold”
Even though the speaker has heard other people say that there is nothing special and particularly beautiful about this woman, he continues to think otherwise. He has hard people say that she does not have “the power to make love groan.” According to others, she is incapable of motivating the kind of reaction that other really beautiful woman may engender.
And the speaker does not have the courage to argue with those who hold those negative opinions. Yet even though he will not rebut those complaints to the faces of those who hold them, he “swear[s]” to himself that they are wrong and thus continues to hold his own view as the correct one.
Third Quatrain: “And to be sure that is not false I swear”
To convince himself that he is right in thinking his lady a beauty, he insists that when thinking of “[her] face,” he may groan with love a thousand times. He refers to her blackness as the “fairest in [his] judgment’s place.”
He holds the dark features of the “dark lady” in highest regard, despite the prevailing standard of beauty reflected in the opinions of other people who criticize her negatively. As he compares the complexion and hair of lighter skinned women to his “dark lady,” he finds that he remains more intrigued by her coloring.
The Couplet: “In nothing art thou black save in thy deeds”
The speaker then declares that the negativity associated with blackness exists only in the woman’s “deeds.” Her physical beauty does not suffer when compared to blondes and other fair-haired woman, but her cruelty and her tyrannical behavior make her deserve the “slander” she receives. He cannot defend her ugly deeds, even if he is drawn to her natural, dark beauty.
