In Sonnet 130, Shakespeare rejects the traditional, exaggerated comparisons of beauty found in love poetry. Instead, he celebrates a more realistic and genuine view of love, emphasizing that true affection is built on authenticity rather than idealized beauty.

Sonnet 115 is an introspective reflection on the evolving nature of love. The speaker admits that his earlier statements about the constancy of his love were not entirely accurate, acknowledging that love, like time, changes and grows.

In Sonnet 114, the speaker contemplates whether his admiration for the beloved is genuine or merely a result of flattery and illusion. He reflects on the power of his own perception: does his eye see the beloved as truly perfect, or is he simply seeing through the lens of desire and flattery?