Sonnets written by Spenser, Unimi 2020-2021 PDF

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A very brief and not so thorough summary of spenser's sonnets....

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Sonnets - Spenser Sonnet 34

Summary The poet says my position is like a ship that sails through the wide ocean with the help and guidance of some star; but when that star is dimmed by a storm, the ship wanders astray from her course and thus loses the true direction. My condition is similar; the bright star that used to direct my way is now overcast with clouds, and I wander in darkness and dismay with hidden dangers surrounding me all around. Yet I am hopeful that when this storm is over, my Helice, the pole star of my life will shine again and look on me with lovely light and the clouds of grief will disappear. Till then I wander, full of worries, comfortless in secret sorrow and pensiveness

Analysis Spenser draws heavily on Petrarch as regards the metaphors of sea voyages, sea storms and ships. As the ship goes astray when the pole stars disappears behind the clouds, so is the condition of the lover whose guiding star has disappeared leaving him in the stormy seas. Clouds of doubts, indecision and indifference have dimmed her sight. Perhaps she has lost all interest in him. The ship of his life is now in turbulence caused by desire and greed. He is surrounded by darkness and frustration. Through the images of the sea and the storm Spenser tries to present sensual temptations that separate the lover from his beloved and destroy the bodily ship. Spenser uses the traditional allegory of the tempted ship of the body. Hidden perils recall Homer’s Odyssey where Scylla and Charbydis endanger the passage of Odysseus’s ship. The beloved is the bright star, God-figure or Christ who guides the lover, ennobles him so that he can attain divinity and be united with his beloved—with his God. There are many temptations which do not enable the lover-ship to see the guiding star. Like storm-ridden ship, the lover is surrounded by doubts, despair and dismay and thus has drifted away from her and finds himself in a precarious situation. Here the poet combines or mixes the Platonic concept of an ideal woman (as the courtly lovers believed and presented their beloveds as angels, goddesses etc.) and the Christian concept of the union of the Christ and the Church. In order to attain divinity, the lover must check his passions and desires and become pure and virtuous. The hidden perils that now checkmate him will disappear as the guiding star reappears

with the same glory and splendor. He hopes that the storm will soon blow over and his Helice will shine again as brightly as it did. Thus there is note of optimism with which the poet consoles himself. However till the storm lasts, he has to bear with the tragic and miserable situation, full of cares and worries. The sonnet has religious connotations too. The sea stands for sensual pleasures. As long as the lover is engrossed in Worldly pleasures and is guided by stormy passions, he cannot be unified with his God—the beloved. He must, like a true Christian, bear with suffering, and should not complain or grieve. Patience is the need. His guiding star will reappear and shine on him once again. But before that the lover has to undergo the ritual of purification—of all base and low sensual desires and appetites. Once his heart and mind are purified, his soul will be purified—and this ritual will pave the way, clear the storm, and bring his Helice once again original brilliance.

Sonnet 54 Sonnet 54 is part of Spenser’s Amoretti, an eighty-nine sonnet cycle. Amoretti was published in 1595, and it depicts Spenser’s courtship and eventual marriage to Elizabeth Boyle. In Sonnet 54, Spenser uses the theatre to describe his situation as a lover; the lyrical voice is the actor who plays various roles and his loved one is the unmoved spectator. Thus, Sonnet 54 is a conceit that relates the lyrical voice’s actions to that of the theatre. Sonnet 54 is a Spenserian sonnet, formed by three interlocked quatrains and a couplet. The rhyme scheme is ABAB BCBC CDCD EE and it has iambic pentameter. The main theme in Sonnet 54 is unreciprocated love and the tone of the poem shows the lyrical voice’s frustration passing through annoyance and anger. Analysis of Sonnet 54 Lines 1-4

Of this worlds theatre in which we stay, My love like the spectator idly sits Beholding me that all the pageants play, Disguising diversely my troubled wits.

The first quatrain of Sonnet 54 sets up the metaphor that the lyrical voice is going to use to talk about his love. The lyrical voice starts by saying: “Of this worlds theatre in which we stay”. This sets the scene of the sonnet, the theatre, and the central element of the metaphor used throughout the sonnet (the theatre works as a metaphor for life: “this worlds theatre in which we stay”). This first line can also be an allusion to a line in As You Like it (“All the world’s a stage”), a play by William Shakespeare. Then, the lyrical voice furthers on this theatrical metaphor by constructing a simile between his loved one and a theatre spectator (“My love like the spectator idly sits). The lyrical voice tries to be a desirable gentleman and gain the attention of his lover by doing several things and trying to impress her constantly (“Disguising diversely my troubled wits”). Notice the alliteration on the third and fourth line (“pageants play” and “Disguising diversely”) that emphasize the lyrical voices attempt to win his lover’s attention.

Lines 5-8 Sometimes I joy when glad occasion fits, And mask in mirth like to a comedy: Soon after when my joy to sorrow flits, I wail and make my woes a tragedy.

The second quatrain of Sonnet 54 describes how the lyrical voice can demonstrate a range of emotions in order to win his lover’s attention. The lyrical voice explains how he acts in different situations. He can be happy: “Sometimes I joy when glad occasion fits,/And mask in mirth like to a comedy:”. The lyrical voice hides his feelings to portray a comedy scene. Notice the accentuation on his pretense at happiness with the alliteration of the letter “m” (“mask in mirth”). But, the lyrical voice can also express sorrow: “Soon after when my joy to sorrow flits,/I wail and make my woes a tragedy”. He shows his grief and turns it into a tragedy. Again, there is an alliteration to emphasize his sadness (“I wail […] my woes”). The lyrical voice can move quickly from comedy to tragedy, but his lover remains unmoved by his actions.

Lines 9-12 Yet she, beholding me with constant eye, Delights not in my mirth nor rues my smart: But when I laugh she mocks, and when I cry

She laughs and hardens evermore her heart.

The third quatrain shows how this girl is not impressed by the lyrical voice’s actions. At the beginning of this stanza, there is a volta, the turn of thought or argument, which introduces the girl’s reaction. The girl watches the lyrical voice without any amusement, and she doesn’t recognize his talents (“Yet she, beholding me with constant eye,/Delights not in my mirth nor rues my smart”). Instead, the girl mocks him (“But when I laugh she mocks”) and reacts the opposite way of what he expected (“and when I cry/She laughs and hardens evermore her heart”). Notice, in the third line, the repetition of “when I” in order to stress the lyrical voice’s rejection.

Lines 13-14 What then can move her? if nor mirth nor moan, She is no woman, but a senseless stone.

The final couplet provides a resolution to the matter. The lyrical voice seems frustrated as he doesn’t know what to do in order to amuse the girl (“What then can move her?”), as he tried everything to get to her emotions (“if nor mirth nor moan”). The alliteration of the “m” sound accentuates his frustration (“move […] mirth […] moan”). The lyrical voice comes to a conclusion: “She is no woman, but a senseless stone”. Sonnet 54 presents a continuing logic, without a paradox, that culminates in the rhyming resolution of the final couplet. This resolution presents the conclusion of the logic that has been presented throughout the stanzas.

Sonnet 67

Summary The lover says earlier my condition was like a hunter (chasing his beloved to trap her) who after a weary chase and having ultimately realized that the prey (beloved) has escaped away, sits down to rest in some shady place with hounds tired and panting. So after a long pursuit when I was tired and had given up or forsaken the game, I saw the gentle deer (beloved) returned the same way to quench her thirst at the next brook. There she looked at me with gentle looks, did not fly away, but remained there without any fear till I caught hold of her and firmly tied her with her own goodwill. It seemed quite strange to me that so wild a beast was won over by me so easily; perhaps she was beguiled by her own will (desire).

Analysis The lover compares himself to huntsman who has been in pursuit of his prey (lady-love) but this chase has completely exhausted him, because his game has escaped. Thus his chase

or hunt has been a vain exercise. He describes the ‘chase’ as ‘heavy chase’, using a transferred epithet, to mean that the chase has made him heavy, tired and exhausted, because it has proved to be a vain attempt: In a dejected mood, the lover-hunter feels desperate and tired and sits down to relax in a shady place along with his ‘hounds who are panting because of their failure to capture the prey. The ‘hounds’ should not be interpreted literally but understood metaphorically, for they allude to his desires, thoughts and even strategies to ensnare the beloved, for both in thought and action. the poet has been pursuing his suit. The lover has pursued the lady for a considerable time now, but all his attempt have been futile and of no avail. His beloved is proud and arrogant and she would not surrender to his desires. The lover gives up the chase having realized the futility of his assay. The word ‘assay’ could also mean that he had attempted to drink and taste rather prematurely and did not realize the fact that hunting and killing the deer were not appropriate measures. It only means that he failed to comprehend the true meaning of lover-beloved relationship, their significance and value. He had acted like a greedy huntsman who tries to capture his beloved by using force. But the use of force turns out to be a vain exercise. The beloved cannot be won by passion, greed and force.

Now that the huntsman (the lover) has realized his folly, sits down. He has decided to forsake the hunt and the prey. No sooner does the realization dawn on the lover-hunter, than a miracle happens. He observes the same gentle deer returning the same way without any fear looking for the next brook where she could quench her thirst, for she could also be equally thirsty. The deer’s drinking at the brook is an indication of her longing for God; water is emblematic of godliness and purity. Love implies purity and godliness. The lover had forgotten this when tried to chase his beloved, for which he might have been punished but for the quick and mild response of the deer (beloved). The beloved’s mood undergoes a change when the poet realizes his folly. She returns, she is a gentle, forgiving and loving, a Christ-figure. She looks at him gently and mildly without any sign of fear or hatred. The lover holds her trembling hand and she gently yields or surrenders. Alluding to Christ, Spenser’s deer submits perhaps like Christ. As Christ forgives his worshipers and yields his selfless love, the deer (beloved) likewise surrenders to the lover. In fact it is the Christian values—self-realization and repentance followed by patience and perseverance which are rewarded. In the surrender of the beloved the Church and Christ are united only when Church becomes an abode of patience. The lover repents his hasty and foolish action, and God (or Beloved) who had forsaken him ultimately forgives him and surrenders.

About Edmund Spenser Edmund Spenser was born between 1552 and 1553, and died in 1599. He was an English poet. Spenser’s best-known work is The Faerie Queene, an epic poem that celebrates the Tudor dynasty and Elizabeth I. The Faerie Queene is one of the longest poems in the English language and it originated the Spenserian sonnet form. The Faerie Queene’s first books (1-3) were published in 1590 and the rest of the books (4-6) in 1595. The poem can be read on a literal level, but also in a fantastical allegorical level. Spenser was deeply

influenced by Irish faerie mythology. With the Faerie Queene, he intended to build an English national literature, following the examples of the great epic writers (such as Homer and Virgil). Moreover, Edmund Spenser is considered to be one of the greatest English poets of all time. He wanted to create poetry that was strictly English, and he had Chaucer as his main figure of reference. Between 1579 and 1580, Spenser got directly involved in Sir Philip Sidney’s literary circle. This set him on the literary course that he pursued throughout the rest of his life. Around that time, Spenser wrote The Shepheardes Calender, his first major poetic work. The Shepheardes Calender is a series of pastorals that are greatly influenced by Virgil’s Eclogues. He used archaic spelling to relate his work with medieval literature and, particularly, Chaucer’s works. In 1591, Complaints, Containing Sundrie Small Poemes of the Worlds Vanitie was published, and some years later, in 1595, Amoretti and Epithalamion were published....