Essay They Flee From Me - Poem PDF

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Melissa Zouaoui “They Flee From Me” by Thomas Wyatt CHECK AND RE-READ EVERYTHING ** MAKE SURE TO HAVE ALL THE QUOTATIONS DONE RIGHT “They Flee From Me,” written by Thomas Wyatt in the 16th century, is a poem pervading the obstacles met throughout the speaker’s affairs with women. Wyatt ultimately presents how love can go from delightful and passionate to rather cynical and suspicious. It also renders the idea that love is a game of hunt, where the predator sometimes fails to catch its prey. At first, these women who “seek” him, are pictured as pleasant and gentle. The portrayal then evolves when these women “flee” from him, meaning actively avoiding him. The shift in their behaviour presents a great insight on the bitterness of relationships. Essentially, this poem captures how complicated relationships are and how drastic changes can happen quickly. The rhythmic structure of the poem helps settles its setting and gives further insight on the emotions of the speaker. In fact, the poem is written in a common meter in poetry entitled iambic pentameter. Iambic refers to the type of foot, in this instance, unstressed-stressed and pentameter describes the number of feet per line, in the present case five. A good example is “They flee from me that sometime did me seek”. Utilized in English poetry, the regular rhythm given by this meter provides Wyatt a vehicle for his conflicting feelings. For instance, “In thin array after a pleasant guise, —When her loose gown from her shoulders did fall” (line 10–11), the speaker recalls one “special” time, intensifying a climate of sexual excitement. Although the poem conforms to a certain pattern, the speaker also uses variations in the meter that help establish the atmosphere. Indeed, some lines end with an unstressed syllable which is also named a “feminine ending”. “With naked foot, stalking in my chamber,” follows a stressed-unstressed

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pattern called trochee. It highlights the tightness between soft terms such as “naked foot” and pejorative ones such as “stalking”. Thus, it emphasizes the contrast of the good and bad within relationships. Furthermore, the speaker varies the meter by changing the number of syllables in the line. The iambic pentameter has to have ten syllables, but Wyatt differs it in some lines. For example, “I have seen them gentle, tame and meek” (line 3) contains nine syllables. By using shorter descriptive words, he spotlights the great qualities of his preys, the women who once sought for him. In short, the iambic pentameter and variations used by Thomas Wyatt strengthen the sentiment of the speaker. Muffled alliteration is utilized throughout the poem, creating a dangerous, yet passionate atmosphere that help elucidate the poet’s thoughts and feelings. Often used in poetry, alliteration is a stylistic device in which nearby words have the same first consonant of a stressed syllable. Wyatt employs alliteration to establish a musical effect that enhances the ambiance of the poem. The first two lines are a great instance of alliteration. “They flee from me that sometimes did me see—With naked foot, stalking in my chamber.” (line), here, the “f” sound is visible throughout the poem which promotes the quiet and tensed tone of the poem. Another example would be, “And she me caught in her arms long and small; —Therewithall sweetly did me kiss—And softly said, ‘Dear heart, how like you this?’” (Line 12, 13, 14). The speaker then uses the “s” and “h” consonances which also contributes to the hushed yet erotic scene. In the second stanza, the speaker says he remembers a time when life was “Twenty times better” (line) which intensifies his grief of a time when his lovers did not disregard him. The sound “t” employed twice makes the line stand out. Hence, the alliteration in “They Flee From Me” gives a clearer image of the experiences the speaker goes through.

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All things considered, Thomas Wyatt’s poem “They Flee From Me” voices the disappointment that comes with fading relationships. He conveys how the same women who once lurked and sought for his attention, now take no notice of him. The speaker talks through gritted teeth of the sudden change in their behaviour and remembers happier times when his liaisons weren’t so baffling. Wyatt writes this poem making sure that the meter and alliteration help the reader better understand what is going on in his tumultuous affairs. His selection of words up to the choice of the syllables plays an important role in the display of the situation; he presents himself as a hunter who has lost his prey and doesn't seem to seize why.

Word count: 741

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