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Poetry anthology: Whoso list to hunt Sir Thomas Wyatt - Coggle Diagram
Poetry anthology: Whoso list to hunt
Sir Thomas Wyatt
Summary: The poem presents the failed ‘hunt ’of a woman who is loved by another man. Focuses on the theme of love as a despairing and vicious pursuit
Structure:
Petrarchan sonnet - Wyatt introduced it to England
Conceit - extended metaphor - hunting for a deer is likened to courting an unattainable woman
Rhyme scheme is ABBAABBA CDDCEE
Separated into an octave and sestet and ends with a rhyming couplet
Iambic pentameter
Rhyme scheme is repetitive and controlled and ordered suggesting the speaker is writing in a reflective position
The first octave uses mainly monosyllabic words which gives the section a factual and consistent tone
The repetition also reflects the speaker's obsession and numerous attempts to catch the deer
Volta - represents change, explains why the woman is unobtainable and anyone else wanting to chase her is wasting their time
Change in last 6 lines - close proximity to each other and ends with finality
Meter - metrical ambiguity in first line which has 11 syllables rather than 10. Irregular stress pattern gives the sense of a tripping motion mirroring the way the speaker has fallen for the woman
The comma in the middle of the first line disrupts the expected pentameter creating a pause - confusion in speaker's heart and mind
The irregularity also suggests Wyatt is still grappling with the sonnet form/does not come fluently to him
Enjambment and caesura: First 4 lines use caesura and end-stopped lines which create a matter of fact tone
The direct address in line 7 suggest an attempt to push off the emotions in which he has become subsumed
Context
Love poetry in the Renaissance era was typically about courtly and unrequited love
The surrender of the female and the victory of the male in winning his female prize through heroic acts
Wyatt was inspired by Petrarch whose poetry idealised Laura
Whoso is partly a translation and imitation of one of Petrarch's sonnets 'Sonnet 190'
Many of Petrarch's sonnets included complaints about love and men suffering, often feature an animal to symbolise the object of love
Wyatt was a courtier in the court of Henry VIII - he was given a powerful position and this era appreciated art and abundance of artistic and cultural change
Many poets used conceit and extended metaphors to create allegories to protect their position and status
It is suspected the poem is based on an affair Wyatt had with Anne Boleyn and was imprisoned
The sport of hunting was very popular during Henry's reign and spent lots of time hunting in the grounds near the palace
Quotes
'Whoso list to hount, I know where is an hynde' - Repetition of the title - formal address like a traditional letter. First person - personal experience. Offering a woman to the reader through the conceit of the deer - patriarchal context in which women were property of men and passed between them (father to husband)
'Yet may I by no means my wearied mind Drawe from the deere' - Volta - he is losing the hunt but suggests he is still enchanted by her. 'D' sounds are long and drawn out, reflecting the dreamy state. The verb 'faynting' shows he is struggling to maintain consciousness thinking about her. Assonance creates internal unity countering the irregularity
'Graven with diamonds' - the verb 'graven' is harsh describing indenting something such as an object - the 'hynde' is a possession with a diamond collar showing she belongs to someone of high status (Henry VIII)
'Noli me tangere' - This warning letter around her neck means 'do not touch' reinforcing her as a possession. However, the diamonds attract people to her beauty yet warn captors off is contradictory
Links to other poems
Love appears violent which is not romantic like 'At an Inn'. The enchantment compares to the fairy elements in 'La Belle Dame Sans Merci'
Sonnet 116: Both speakers appear devoted to the person they write about and are in sonnet form, Shakespeare was rumoured to be bisexual and had an affair with his patron and Wyatt had a forbidden love affair with Boleyn
Shakespeare focuses on purity and idealised love while Wyatt presents love as obsessive and futile
Wyatt's poem has sexual undertones while Shakespeare's love is primarily mental or spiritual
Ae fond kiss: Both written about an unattainable woman, speak from personal experience (Anne Boleyn and Nancy McLehose)
Wyatt had a physical barrier to love and Burns only societal disregard, Burns wrote in song format and is emotional while Wyatt wrote in Petrarchan sonnet and displays frustration
Gatsby
Gatsby's obsessive pursuit for Daisy reflects the repetitive hunt for the 'hynde' - both describe the woman as possessions and objects
Daisy is objectified as the object of perfection. the 'Golden Girl' , she is a prize, a prize to be won by Gatsby and Tom. Could also be seen as a game or sport like in the poem.
Both woman are higher status than the men - The men may be using the woman to climb the social ladder
The diamond collar in the poem could reflect the wealth of 'old money' characters like Tom who exploit it to get what they want - Henry VIII
Obsession can also be seen through Gatsby and his American dream. "He stretched out his arm towards the dark water in a curious way... distinguished nothing accept a single green light minute and far away" - focus for his yearning, green light is symbolic of the American dream.