Who so list to hount..... Flashcards
AO1 – Key Themes
Love&Loss, Sexuality&Violence , Unrequited love
AO2 – Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts
Wyatt wanted to civilise the English language so he often imitated Petrarch the itallian to elevate English poetry to highter status
AO3- the significance and influence of the contexts in which literary texts are written and received
Wyatt was diplomat in the court of Henry VII, powerful position, poet in the early renaissance era. Renewed appreciation for the arts. Wyatt came from respected family. The church was collapsing and political correction was ambiguous so many poets used conceit and extended metaphors to create allegories to protect their position. Metaphor in poem- Deer represents a woman suspected to be Anne Boleyn.
AO4– Explore connections across literary texts
“Sonnet 116” – William Shakespeare
Theme: Idealized Love vs. Unattainable Love
“Ae Fond Kiss” – Robert Burns
Theme: Pain of Separation / Lost Love
AO5–Explore literary texts informed by different interpretations
Similal/Different to Sonnet 116 and Ae fond kiss
Who so list to hount I knowe where is an hynde,
Offers a lady to the reader, almost as a challenge. This reflects the poem’s patriarchal social context, in which women were property of men and passed between them (usually from father to husband-to-be).
But as for me, hélas, I may no more;
Helas meaning ‘Alas’, negative connotations such as sadly, unfortunately. Wyatt appears to pity himself or seem to be reflecting in dismay. Caesura starts here; could represent breaks in telling his story as he contemplates his past. Assonance on the ‘m’ syllables makes them appear longer and the tone weary.
The vayne travaill hath weried me so sore,
‘Travaill’ meaning ‘to work’ in French, combined with ‘vayne’ suggests it was a waste of work / hopeless love, and did not benefit him. Thus he deters other suitors. Anne Boleyn was raised in France so these linguistic details perhaps indicate she is the ‘hunted’
I am of them that farthest cometh behind.
He is losing the race or hunt.
The vayne travaill hath weried me so sore,
More assonance,”so sore” combined with the verb “wearied” emphasises his pain - the harsh assonance of the ‘so’ sound and creates a literary raw pain. Suggestion that heart ache has become physical.
Yet may I by no means my wearied mind Drawe from the deere, but as she fleeth afore
Suggests he is still enchanted by her, as though under a spell. ‘D’ sounds are long and drawn out, reflects almost the dreamy state (dreaming of her captivating beauty?). This is supported by the verb ‘fainting’ he is struggling to maintain consciousness thinking about her.
but as she fleeth afore
Faynting I followe
Alliteration of ‘f’ sounds link the deer to the speaker, nevertheless they are separated by the line break. Mirrors how connected he is to her mentally (a compulsion) versus how she is not his.
This follows on from the third line - love is making him ail / suffer physically.
I leave off therefore,
Attempts to convince himself or free himself from his obsession.
Since in a net I seke to hold the wynde.
This comparison of the deer to wind is oxymoronic - the wind cannot be held. Reflects the futility of the hunt; the deer will never be captured.
Who list her hount,
Title repeated, yet there is a change of tone and discussion. Here lies the volta; the sestet begins.
I put him owte of doubt, As well as I may spend his time in vain.
The speaker reveals the futility of the hunt for any other potential hunter, thus the challenge posed in the first line closes.
And graven with diamonds in letters plain There is written, her faier neck rounde abowte:
‘Graven with diamonds’ the verb ‘graven’ is a harsh verb describing indenting something, such as an object - this implies that the ‘hynde’ is an object/pet/possession and has a diamond collar. This shows she belongs to someone of high status. The phrase ‘graven with diamonds is contradictory that something seemingly beautiful is being suppressed and indented.
We get the sense she is in a beautiful cage.
Noli me tangere,
This warning letter ‘plainly’ around her neck yet in spelled out in beautiful diamonds. While plainly may mean clearly, this phrase is contradictory and could reflect the speaker’s prior disorientation and confusion.
The fact that the diamonds embellish and highlight the deer’s beauty (drawing people to her) yet warn captors off her is contradictory
for Cesar’s I am,
Poet does not literally mean Emperor / Julis Caesar but Wyatt cannot openly state ‘Henry’. The similarities in status between the monarch Henry and the Emperor Caesar / the general and statesman Julius Caesar make it likely Wyatt is alluding to him.
And wylde for to hold, though I seme tame.
Appears domestic but is really wild and therefore difficult to make one’s own. Another contradiction here.
