Cavalier Poets

Poetic Literary Context (AO3)

A Song (Absent From Thee) John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester

The Scrutiny Richard Lovelace

They wrote in the 17th century.

Key Quotes

King Charles I, a connoisseur of the fine arts, supported poets to create art for him.

The poets then grouped themselves with the King and his service, becoming Cavalier Poets.

A Cavalier is usually a mounted solider or knight but then the term was applied to those who supported King Charles I and portrayed them as roistering gallants (boisterous and attentive to women).

Cavalier Poets try to express the joy of celebratory things in a livelier way than traditional works and the intent was to promote the crown.

The Cavaliers intended to make poetry where pleasure and virtue thrived.

Cavaliers embody a carpe diem (seize the day) lifestyle.

To live life to the fullest for a Cavalier normally involved gaining material wealth and having sex with women.

Loss

Structure

Marriage

Context

Sex and Passion

Structure

Truth and Deception

Context

Social Convention ~ Gender

Was an actual Cavalier and in the army.

Had a reputation for hard drinking and being promiscuous.

Writing for the King.

Oxford educated.

Showy offy and interested in luxury.

Embodies carpe diem lifestyle like a true Cavalier

Dramatic Monologue - It's a man addressing a woman in conversation but the woman's voice is never heard.

Use of Iambic Tetrameter to show Lovelace is bored and he wants to move on and seize this day as well, which most likely involves having sex with more women.

Alliteration to mimic the ticking of a clock to emphasise Lovelace's boredom.

'Why should you swear I am forsworn'

'And 'twas last night I swore to thee'

'A tedious twelve hours' space'

'Rob thee of a new embrace'

'But I must search the black and fair'

'For treasure in un-plowed-up ground'

'With spoils of meaner Beauties crowned'

'Ev'n sated with variety'

Lovelace is claiming that he didn't tell this woman that he would marry her just to have sex with her because it's impossible. He says that she should be grateful that he even loved her for a small amount of time which shows his sexual bravado. He tries to tell this woman that if he continued to love her he would take away all the other men wanting to have sex with her and he wouldn't be able to sex with other women. He then compares himself to a mineralist who is looking for treasure, which is a phallic symbol for a woman's virginity and he wants to have sex with many other women just to see if this person is the best at sex. If she does prove to be the best at sex, Lovelace will come back to her once all his sexual needs are checked.

Lovelace has deceived this woman into having sex with him by the promise of marriage, however, he has lied about marriage and only wanted this woman for sex. Because he wants to continue his carpe diem lifestyle, he is already bored and tells the woman once he has gone and had sex with more women, if she's the best at sex he will come back to her. Which is most likely deceiving her again so he can leave her fully.

Because Lovelace is a man, he has more sexual freedom than women because in puritan society, a woman's virginity is extremely valued and the only way for women to acquire good marriages. Due to Lovelace's class and status, this woman can't do anything about Lovelace and has just ruined her chances of marriage because Lovelace deceived her into having sex with him.

Writing for Charles II.

He was part of the second wave of Cavaliers.

Kicked out of the court 3 times.

He was an aristocrat, a member of the elite.

He dies from an STD (syphilis).

Married to Lady Rochester who was hurt by his infidelity and that he had other lovers.

This poem was found in his room after he died so most likely was never meant to be published.

Maybe an apology to his wife for his promiscuity outside of wedlock.

Iambic Tetrameter to show his urgency to get his apology out before it's too late and he never has the chance or willpower to apologise again.

Dramatic Monologue which emphasises his sincerity and that he's talking to just his wife and no one else.

Use of religious imagery but it could be satir.

'The straying fool'

'The torments'

'The tears'

'To thy safe Bosom I retire'

'Where love and peace and truth does flow'

'Expire'

'Wandring from that Heav'n'

'Faithless to thee, false, unforgiv'n'

'And lose my everlasting rest'

He feels stupid for straying from his wife to other women like his just a jester of entertainment for the court. He feels tormented from being away from his wife for so long even though he couldn't help it and he just wants to go back to his wife and retire where he's safe with her. He feels that being with his wife is like being in heaven but he's lost his place with her and is confessing his sins to her like she's a confessor or even God and wants to apologise about everything before he dies.

It's a marriage based on class because of the status of Wilmot as an Earl and that he embodies the carpe diem lifestyle which makes him like a 'straying fool' because he'd rather have lots of promiscuous relationships than successful marriage. However, this marriage does offer him a lot of security which he doesn't want to lose and begins to think that his wife would actually be his redemption of all the sins against marriage he has committed.