Whoso List To Hunt Flashcards
Sir Thomas Wyatt
Author of ‘Who so list to hount’ (WSLTH)
Courtier and diplomat of Henry VIII
Ambassador to France and Italy - gave him insight into different forms of poetry (e.g. sonnets) and also Romance languages were considered to be Italian and French
WSLTH title
Hunting was a social sport for upper class men
This is him describing his pursuit of a woman and using the analogy of him as a hunter and her as his prey. This shows the dominance of men and the submissiveness of women at the time - how women were treated during the 1530-40s
WSLTH Context
The poem was said to be about the poet and Anne Boleyn’s affair (as he was Henry VIII’s courtier) which reveals his own personal desires.
It was one of the first sonnets written in English
It was written at a time of political turmoil - especially in the monarchy (Henry VIII was excommunicated from the Catholic Church)
WSLTH Themes
Love and loss
Sexuality/violence
Unrequited love
WSLTH Form
A sonnet (as it has 14 lines)
The final 2 lines make a couplet (frustrated structure)
WSLTH Structure
Split into 2 parts:
- lines 1-8 are an octave (8 lines) where the speaker lays out the problem
- lines 9-14 are a sestet (last 6 lines in sonnet) that show that the speaker has accepted defeat within his pursuit
The personal pronoun “I”
Poem - WSLTH
It emphasises the personal injury that the speaker faces by not catching the “deer”
“Who so list to hount I know where is an hynde / But as for me, helas, I may no more.”
Poem - WSLTH
Suggests the poet is unable to achieve love (unrequited)
The speaker is now going to let others pursue her.
“Noli me tangerine for Cesars I ame”
Poem - WSLTH
In Latin it means “touch me not”
He is clearly referring to Henry VIII and the fact that he cannot have Anne Boleyn as she is married to Henry (unrequited love)
WSLTH links to Gatsby
Lust as a priority - Myrtle and Tom
Love is imperfect - Daisy and Tom
False hope within love and unrequited love even after a long time pursuing - Gatsby and Daisy
