Whoso List To Hunt
Whoso list to hunt, I know where is an hind,
But as for me, hélas, I may no more.
The vain travail hath wearied me so sore,
I am of them that farthest cometh behind.
Yet may I by no means my wearied mind
Draw from the deer, but as she fleeth afore
Fainting I follow. I leave off therefore,
Sithens in a net I seek to hold the wind.
Who list her hunt, I put him out of doubt,
As well as I may spend his time in vain.
And graven with diamonds in letters plain
There is written, her fair neck round about:
Noli me tangere, for Caesar's I am,
And wild for to hold, though I seem tame.
Whoso List To Hunt
Whoso list to hunt, I know where is an hind,
But as for me, hélas, I may no more.
The vain travail hath wearied me so sore,
I am of them that farthest cometh behind.
Yet may I by no means my wearied mind
Draw from the deer, but as she fleeth afore
Fainting I follow. I leave off therefore,
Sithens in a net I seek to hold the wind.
Who list her hunt, I put him out of doubt,
As well as I may spend his time in vain.
And graven with diamonds in letters plain
There is written, her fair neck round about:
Noli me tangere, for Caesar's I am,
And wild for to hold, though I seem tame.
Whoever
Whoso List To Hunt
Whoso list to hunt, I know where is an hind,
But as for me, hélas, I may no more.
The vain travail hath wearied me so sore,
I am of them that farthest cometh behind.
Yet may I by no means my wearied mind
Draw from the deer, but as she fleeth afore
Fainting I follow. I leave off therefore,
Sithens in a net I seek to hold the wind.
Who list her hunt, I put him out of doubt,
As well as I may spend his time in vain.
And graven with diamonds in letters plain
There is written, her fair neck round about:
Noli me tangere, for Caesar's I am,
And wild for to hold, though I seem tame.
wants; likes
Whoso List To Hunt
Whoso list to hunt, I know where is an hind,
But as for me, hélas, I may no more.
The vain travail hath wearied me so sore,
I am of them that farthest cometh behind.
Yet may I by no means my wearied mind
Draw from the deer, but as she fleeth afore
Fainting I follow. I leave off therefore,
Sithens in a net I seek to hold the wind.
Who list her hunt, I put him out of doubt,
As well as I may spend his time in vain.
And graven with diamonds in letters plain
There is written, her fair neck round about:
Noli me tangere, for Caesar's I am,
And wild for to hold, though I seem tame.
female deer
Whoso List To Hunt
Whoso list to hunt, I know where is an hind,
But as for me, hélas, I may no more.
The vain travail hath wearied me so sore,
I am of them that farthest cometh behind.
Yet may I by no means my wearied mind
Draw from the deer, but as she fleeth afore
Fainting I follow. I leave off therefore,
Sithens in a net I seek to hold the wind.
Who list her hunt, I put him out of doubt,
As well as I may spend his time in vain.
And graven with diamonds in letters plain
There is written, her fair neck round about:
Noli me tangere, for Caesar's I am,
And wild for to hold, though I seem tame.
alas!
(an expression of regret
or unhappiness)
Whoso List To Hunt
Whoso list to hunt, I know where is an hind,
But as for me, hélas, I may no more.
The vain travail hath wearied me so sore,
I am of them that farthest cometh behind.
Yet may I by no means my wearied mind
Draw from the deer, but as she fleeth afore
Fainting I follow. I leave off therefore,
Sithens in a net I seek to hold the wind.
Who list her hunt, I put him out of doubt,
As well as I may spend his time in vain.
And graven with diamonds in letters plain
There is written, her fair neck round about:
Noli me tangere, for Caesar's I am,
And wild for to hold, though I seem tame.
difficult effort
Whoso List To Hunt
Whoso list to hunt, I know where is an hind,
But as for me, hélas, I may no more.
The vain travail hath wearied me so sore,
I am of them that farthest cometh behind.
Yet may I by no means my wearied mind
Draw from the deer, but as she fleeth afore
Fainting I follow. I leave off therefore,
Sithens in a net I seek to hold the wind.
Who list her hunt, I put him out of doubt,
As well as I may spend his time in vain.
And graven with diamonds in letters plain
There is written, her fair neck round about:
Noli me tangere, for Caesar's I am,
And wild for to hold, though I seem tame.
since
Whoso List To Hunt
Whoso list to hunt, I know where is an hind,
But as for me, hélas, I may no more.
The vain travail hath wearied me so sore,
I am of them that farthest cometh behind.
Yet may I by no means my wearied mind
Draw from the deer, but as she fleeth afore
Fainting I follow. I leave off therefore,
Sithens in a net I seek to hold the wind.
Who list her hunt, I put him out of doubt,
As well as I may spend his time in vain.
And graven with diamonds in letters plain
There is written, her fair neck round about:
Noli me tangere, for Caesar's I am,
touch me not (don’t touch me)
And wild for to hold, though I seem tame.
Whoso List To Hunt
Whoso list to hunt, I know where is an hind,
But as for me, hélas, I may no more.
The vain travail hath wearied me so sore,
I am of them that farthest cometh behind.
Yet may I by no means my wearied mind
Draw from the deer, but as she fleeth afore
Fainting I follow. I leave off therefore,
Sithens in a net I seek to hold the wind.
Who list her hunt, I put him out of doubt,
As well as I may spend his time in vain.
And graven with diamonds in letters plain
There is written, her fair neck round about:
Noli me tangere, for Caesar's I am,
And wild for to hold, though I seem tame.
Julius Caesar
(by extension, any king)
 What’s the poem about?
modernized by Michael R. Burch
Whoever longs to hunt, I know the deer;
but as for me, alas!, I may no more.
Pursuit of her has left me so bone-sore,
I'm one of those who falters far to the rear.
Yet friend, how can I draw my anguished mind
away from the doe? Thus, as she flees before
me, fainting I follow. I must leave off, therefore,
since in a net I seek to hold the wind.
Whoever seeks her out, I relieve of any doubt,
that he, like me, must spend his time in vain.
For graven with diamonds, set in letters plain,
these words appear, her fair neck ringed about:
Touch me not, for Caesar's I am,
And wild to hold, though I seem tame.
 What’s the poem about?
 Let’s start by using the punctuation to break it down into
smaller chunks.
Whoso List To Hunt
Whoso list to hunt, I know where is an hind,
But as for me, hélas, I may no more.
The vain travail hath wearied me so sore,
I am of them that farthest cometh behind.
Yet may I by no means my wearied mind
Draw from the deer, but as she fleeth afore
Fainting I follow.
I leave off therefore,
Sithens in a net I seek to hold the wind.
Who list her hunt, I put him out of doubt,
As well as I may spend his time in vain.
And graven with diamonds in letters plain
There is written, her fair neck round about:
Noli me tangere, for Caesar's I am,
And wild for to hold, though I seem tame.
Whoso List To Hunt
Whoso list to hunt, I know where is an hind,
But as for me, hélas, I may no more.
Words like “yet” and “but” are
important: they signal a
transition.
The vain travail hath wearied me so sore,
I am of them that farthest cometh behind.
Whoso List To Hunt
Whoso list to hunt, I know where is an hind,
But as for me, hélas, I may no more.
The vain travail hath wearied me so sore,
I am of them that farthest cometh behind.
The syntax of a lot of poems can be confusing. Try rearranging the words to make more sense out of the
line.
Try this:
I am farthest behind of them that cometh.
Whoso List To Hunt
Yet may I by no means my wearied mind
Draw from the deer, but as she fleeth afore
Fainting I follow.
I leave off therefore,
Sithens in a net I seek to hold the wind.
Notice that these lines
contain both “yet”
AND “but.”
Try rearranging the
words again.
What does it
hemean
plan
to “leave off ”?
Is he really talking
about the wind?
Who list her hunt, I put him out of doubt,
As well as I may spend his time in vain.
What advice is he giving other
hunters?
Whoso List To Hunt
And graven with diamonds in letters plain
There is written, her fair neck round about:
Noli me tangere, for Caesar's I am,
And wild for to hold, though I seem tame.
What is the deer
wearing around her
neck?
A little historical
background: it was a
big deal if you poached
deer from the nobility
or upper class.
People caught doing it
could be executed.
As in, have their heads
chopped off.
Sonnets of
Shakespeare &
Spencer
Poetry of the English Renaissance
Terms & Vocabulary
 Sonnet—14 line lyric poem, written in iambic pentameter
 Sonnet Sequence—a group of sonnets linked by their
common theme or addressed to the same person
 Iambic Pentameter—10 syllable line of poetry, unstressedstressed (“heartbeat”)
 Stanza—a division or section of a poem
 Rhyme Scheme—pattern of rhymes in a poem
 Quatrain—a four line stanza
 Couplet—a pair of rhyming lines
Before We Read
Decide whether you agree or disagree with each statement
below. Be prepared to defend or explain your answer.
1. Love is more important than money.
2. People often have a hard time expressing their feelings.
3. True love lasts forever.
4. It’s better to see people for who they really are rather than
“to put them on a pedestal.”
Shakespeare’s Sonnets
 Plague closed London theatres 1592-1594
 Gave Shakespeare time to write some of his 154
sonnets
 Shakespearean Sonnet:
 Three quatrains (4 lines each)
 A couplet (2 lines) that re-states or redefines the
poem’s theme.
 Rhyme scheme
abab
cdcd
efef
gg
Sonnet 29
When, in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself, and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featur'd like him, like him with friends possess'd,
Desiring this man's art and that man's scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate;
For thy sweet love remember'd such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
Let’s start by breaking
the sonnet down into
smaller chunks.
Remember that a
Shakespearean sonnet
is constructed with 3
quatrains and a
couplet at the end.
The couplet usually
sums up the message
or meaning of the
sonnet.
Sonnet 29
When, in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself, and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featur'd like him, like him with friends possess'd,
Desiring this man's art and that man's scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate;
For thy sweet love remember'd such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
a
b
a
b
c
d
c
d
e
f
e
f
g
g
How does the speaker
describe his “state”?
Sonnet 29
When, in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself, and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featur'd like him, like him with friends possess'd,
Desiring this man's art and that man's scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate;
For thy sweet love remember'd such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
a
b
a
b
c
d
c
d
e
f
e
f
g
g
How does the speaker
describe his “state”?
Sonnet 29
When, in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself, and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featur'd like him, like him with friends possess'd,
Desiring this man's art and that man's scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate;
For thy sweet love remember'd such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
a
b
a
b
c
d
c
d
e
f
e
f
g
g
What kinds of things
does he wish he had?
Sonnet 29
When, in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself, and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featur'd like him, like him with friends possess'd,
Desiring this man's art and that man's scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate;
For thy sweet love remember'd such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
a
b
a
b
c
d
c
d
e
f
e
f
g
g
What kinds of things
does he wish he had?
Sonnet 29
When, in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself, and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featur'd like him, like him with friends possess'd,
Desiring this man's art and that man's scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate;
For thy sweet love remember'd such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
a
b
a
b
c
d
c
d
e
f
e
f
g
g
How does he seem to
feel about his life?
How would you
describe the tone of
the first two quatrains?
Sonnet 29
When, in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself, and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featur'd like him, like him with friends possess'd,
Desiring this man's art and that man's scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate;
For thy sweet love remember'd such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
a
b
a
b
c
d
c
d
e
f
e
f
g
g
The word yet signals a
change or shift in tone.
What causes a shift in
the speaker’s attitude?
Sonnet 29
When, in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself, and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featur'd like him, like him with friends possess'd,
Desiring this man's art and that man's scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate;
For thy sweet love remember'd such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.
a
b
a
b
c
d
c
d
e
f
e
f
g
g
What causes a shift in
the speaker’s attitude?
How does the final
couplet sum up the
speaker’s changed
attitude?
Sonnet 116
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no; it is an ever-fixed mark,
That looks on tempests, and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
Sonnet 116
Let me not to the marriage of true minds a
What is the speaker
Admit impediments. Love is not love
b saying about love in
Which alters when it alteration finds,
a
the first two quatrains?
Or bends with the remover to remove:
b
What extended
O no; it is an ever-fixed mark,
c
That looks on tempests, and is never shaken; d metaphor does he use
in Quatrain 2?
It is the star to every wandering bark,
c
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken. d
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks e
Within his bending sickle's compass come;
f
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
e
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
f
If this be error and upon me proved,
g
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
g
Sonnet 116
Let me not to the marriage of true minds a
What is the speaker
Admit impediments. Love is not love
b saying about love in
Which alters when it alteration finds,
a
the first two quatrains?
Or bends with the remover to remove:
b
What extended
O no; it is an ever-fixed mark,
c
That looks on tempests, and is never shaken; d metaphor does he use
in Quatrain 2?
It is the star to every wandering bark,
c
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken. d
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks e
Within his bending sickle's compass come;
f
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
e
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
f
If this be error and upon me proved,
g
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
g
Sonnet 116
Let me not to the marriage of true minds a
What is the speaker
Admit impediments. Love is not love
b saying about love in
Which alters when it alteration finds,
a
the first two quatrains?
Or bends with the remover to remove:
b
What extended
O no; it is an ever-fixed mark,
c
That looks on tempests, and is never shaken; d metaphor does he use
in Quatrain 2?
It is the star to every wandering bark,
c
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken. d
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks e What does Time do to
Within his bending sickle's compass come;
f
“rosy lips and
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
e
cheeks”?
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
f What effect does this
If this be error and upon me proved,
g
have on love?
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
g How does the final couplet sum
up or reinforce the poem’s theme?
Terms & Vocabulary
 Sonnet—14 line lyric poem, written in iambic pentameter
 Sonnet Sequence—a group of sonnets linked by their
common theme or addressed to the same person
 Iambic Pentameter—10 syllable line of poetry, unstressedstressed (“heartbeat”)
 Stanza—a division or section of a poem
 Rhyme Scheme—pattern of rhymes in a poem
 Quatrain—a four line stanza
 Couplet—a pair of rhyming lines
Before We Read
 What are some of the ways poets / writers describe
beautiful women?
 Think about the way poets / writers describe the following
features. To what do they often compare these features?






face
lips
hair
skin
cheeks
voice
Sonnet 130
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damask'd, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.
Sonnet 130
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damask'd, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.
a
b
a
b
c
d
c
d
e
f
e
f
g
g
Sonnet 130
What does the speaker
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
say about his mistress’
Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
eyes, lips, and other
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; physical features?
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damask'd, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.
Sonnet 130
What does the speaker
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
say about his mistress’
Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
eyes, lips, and other
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; physical features?
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damask'd, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.
Sonnet 130
What does the speaker
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
say about his mistress’
Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
eyes, lips, and other
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; physical features?
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damask'd, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.
Sonnet 130
What does the speaker
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
say about his mistress’
Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
eyes, lips, and other
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; physical features?
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damask'd, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.
Sonnet 130
What does the speaker
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
say about his mistress’
Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
eyes, lips, and other
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; physical features?
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damask'd, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.
Sonnet 130
What does the speaker
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
say about his mistress’
Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
eyes, lips, and other
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; physical features?
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damask'd, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Why does the speaker
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. say his mistress “treads
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
on the ground” when
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
she walks?
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
What does the final
couplet say about the
As any she belied with false compare.
speaker’s feelings?
Sonnet 130
What does the speaker
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
say about his mistress’
Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
eyes, lips, and other
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; physical features?
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damask'd, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Why does the speaker
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. say his mistress “treads
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
on the ground” when
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
she walks?
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
What does the final
couplet say about the
As any she belied with false compare.
speaker’s feelings?
Sonnet 130
What does the speaker
My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
say about his mistress’
Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
eyes, lips, and other
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; physical features?
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damask'd, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Why does the speaker
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. say his mistress “treads
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
on the ground” when
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
she walks?
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
What does the final
couplet say about the
As any she belied with false compare.
speaker’s feelings?
Edmund Spenser
 The Faerie Queen





Spenser’s most important literary work
Adventures of several knights, each representing a virtue
Purposely written in an outdated, antique style
Allegory of good and evil
Dedicated to Queen Elizabeth I (she is the Faerie Queen)
 Sonnets
 Created a new sonnet form, named for him (Spenserian
sonnet)
 Amoretti—sonnet sequence that is addressed to his wife,
rather than some idealized, unreachable beauty
Sonnet 30
My love is like to ice, and I to fire: How comes it then that this
her cold so great Is not dissolved through my so hot desire, But
harder grows the more I her entreat? Or how comes it that my
exceeding heat Is not allayed by her heart-frozen cold, But that I
burn much more in boiling sweat, And feel my flames augmented
manifold? What more miraculous thing may be told, That fire,
which all things melts, should harden ice, And ice, which is
congeal’d with senseless cold, Should kindle fire by wonderful
device? Such is the power of love in gentle mind, That it can
alter all the course of kind.
Sonnet 30
To what does
My love is like to ice, and I to fire:
a How
Spenser
comes it then that this her cold so great
b Is
not his
compare
dissolved through my so hot desire,
a But harder
grows
love?
To what
the more I her entreat?
b Or how comes it that mydoes he
exceeding heat
b Is not allayed by her heart-frozen
cold,
compare
c But that I burn much more in boiling
himself ?
sweat,
c
c
d
c
d
e
e
b And feel my flames augmented manifold?
What more miraculous thing may be told,
That fire, which all things melts, should harden ice,
And ice, which is congeal’d with senseless cold,
Should kindle fire by wonderful device?
Such is the power of love in gentle mind,
That it can alter all the course of kind.
Sonnet 30
To what does
My love is like to ice, and I to fire:
a How
Spenser
comes it then that this her cold so great
b Is
not his
compare
dissolved through my so hot desire,
a But harder
grows
love?
To what
the more I her entreat?
b Or how comes it that mydoes he
exceeding heat
b Is not allayed by her heart-frozen
cold,
compare
c But that I burn much more in boiling
himself ?
sweat,
c
c
d
c
d
e
e
b And feel my flames augmented manifold?
What more miraculous thing may be told,
the
That fire, which all things melts, should harden Paraphrase
ice,
And ice, which is congeal’d with senseless cold,question that
he is asking in
Should kindle fire by wonderful device?
stanza 1.
Such is the power of love in gentle mind,
That it can alter all the course of kind.
Sonnet 30
My love is like to ice, and I to fire:
a How
comes it then that this her cold so great
b Is not
dissolved through my so hot desire,
a But harder grows
the more I her entreat?
b Or how comes it that my
Paraphrase
exceeding heat
b Is not allayed by her heart-frozen
cold, the
question that
c But that I burn much more in boiling
Spenser asks
sweat,
b And feel my flames augmented manifold?
in stanza 2.
c What more miraculous thing may be told,
c That fire, which all things melts, should harden ice,
d And ice, which is congeal’d with senseless cold,
c Should kindle fire by wonderful device?
d Such is the power of love in gentle mind,
e That it can alter all the course of kind.
e
Sonnet 30
My love is like to ice, and I to fire:
a How
comes it then that this her cold so great
b Is not
dissolved through my so hot desire,
a But harder grows
the more I her entreat?
b Or how comes it that my
Paraphrase
exceeding heat
b Is not allayed by her heart-frozen
cold, the
question that
c But that I burn much more in boiling
Spenser asks
sweat,
b And feel my flames augmented manifold?
in stanza 2.
c What more miraculous thing may be told,
c That fire, which all things melts, should harden ice,
d And ice, which is congeal’d with senseless cold,
What
c Should kindle fire by wonderful device?
“miraculous”
d Such is the power of love in gentle mind,
idea does he
e That it can alter all the course of kind.
describe in
e
stanza 3?
Sonnet 30
My love is like to ice, and I to fire:
a How
comes it then that this her cold so great
b Is not
dissolved through my so hot desire,
a But harder grows
the more I her entreat?
b Or how comes it that my
Paraphrase
exceeding heat
b Is not allayed by her heart-frozen
cold, the
question that
c But that I burn much more in boiling
Spenser asks
sweat,
b And feel my flames augmented manifold?
in stanza 2.
c What more miraculous thing may be told,
c That fire, which all things melts, should harden ice,
d And ice, which is congeal’d with senseless cold,
What
c Should kindle fire by wonderful device?
“miraculous”
d Such is the power of love in gentle mind,
idea does he
e That it can alter all the course of kind.
describe in
e
stanza 3?
Sonnet 30
My love is like to ice, and I to fire:
a How
comes it then that this her cold so great
b Is not
dissolved through my so hot desire,
a But harder grows
the more I her entreat?
b Or how comes it that my
exceeding heat
b Is not allayed by her heart-frozen cold,
c But that I burn much more in boiling
sweat,
b And feel my flames augmented manifold?
c What more miraculous thing may be told,
c That fire, which all things melts, should harden ice,
d And ice, which is congeal’d with senseless cold,
What is the
c Should kindle fire by wonderful device?
“power of
d Such is the power of love in gentle mind,
love” that he
e That it can alter all the course of kind.
describes in
e
How is this poem an example of a paradox?
the final
couplet?
Sonnet 75
One day I wrote her name upon the strand,
But came
the waves and washed it away:
Again I wrote it with a
second hand,
But came the tide, and made my
pains his pray. "Vain man," said she, "that dost in vain assay.
A mortal thing so to immortalize,
For I myself shall like to this decay,
and eek my name bee wiped out likewise.”
"Not so," quod I, "let baser things devise,
To
die in dust, but you shall live by fame:
My verse your
virtues rare shall eternize,
And in the heavens write
your glorious name.
Where whenas death shall all the
world subdue, Our love shall live, and later life renew."
Sonnet 75
One day I wrote her name upon the strand,
a But came
the waves and washed it away:
b Again I wrote it with a
second hand,
a But came the tide, and made my
pains his pray. b "Vain man," said she, "that dost in vain assay.
b A mortal thing so to immortalize,
c For I myself shall like to this decay,
b and eek my name bee wiped out likewise.”
c "Not so," quod I, "let baser things devise,
c To die in dust, but you shall live by fame:
d My verse your virtues rare shall eternize,
c And in the heavens write your glorious name.
d Where whenas death shall all the world subdue,
e Our love shall live, and later life renew."
e
Sonnet 75
Where does
One day I wrote her name upon the strand,
But
came
the
speaker
the waves and washed it away:
Again I wrote write
it with
his a
love’s
second hand,
But came the tide, andname?
made my
pains his pray. "Vain man," said she, "that dost in vain assay.
A mortal thing so to immortalize,
What happens
For I myself shall like to this decay,
to it?
and eek my name bee wiped out likewise.”
"Not so," quod I, "let baser things devise,
To
die in dust, but you shall live by fame:
My verse your
virtues rare shall eternize,
And in the heavens write
your glorious name.
Where whenas death shall all the
world subdue, Our love shall live, and later life renew."
Sonnet 75
Where does
One day I wrote her name upon the strand,
But
came
the
speaker
the waves and washed it away:
Again I wrote write
it with
his a
love’s
second hand,
But came the tide, andname?
made my
pains his pray. "Vain man," said she, "that dost in vain assay.
A mortal thing so to immortalize,
What happens
For I myself shall like to this decay,
to it?
and eek my name bee wiped out likewise.”
"Not so," quod I, "let baser things devise,
To
die in dust, but you shall live by fame:
My verse your
virtues rare shall eternize,
And in the heavens write
your glorious name.
Where whenas death shall all the
world subdue, Our love shall live, and later life renew."
Sonnet 75
One day I wrote her name upon the strand,
But came
the waves and washed it away:
Again I wrote it with a
second hand,
But came the tide, and made my
pains his pray. "Vain man," said she, "that dost in vain assay.
A mortal thing so to immortalize,
What does the
For I myself shall like to this decay,
woman say? What is
and eek my name bee wiped out likewise.”
her point of view? To
"Not so," quod I, "let baser things devise,
die in dust, but you shall live by fame:
My verse your
virtues rare shall eternize,
And in the heavens write
your glorious name.
Where whenas death shall all the
world subdue, Our love shall live, and later life renew."
Sonnet 75
One day I wrote her name upon the strand,
But came
the waves and washed it away:
Again I wrote it with a
second hand,
But came the tide, and made my
pains his pray. "Vain man," said she, "that dost in vain assay.
A mortal thing so to immortalize,
What does the
For I myself shall like to this decay,
woman say? What is
and eek my name bee wiped out likewise.”
her point of view? To
"Not so," quod I, "let baser things devise,
die in dust, but you shall live by fame:
My verse your
virtues rare shall eternize,
And in the heavens write
your glorious name.
Where whenas death shall all the
world subdue, Our love shall live, and later life renew."
Sonnet 75
One day I wrote her name upon the strand,
But came
the waves and washed it away:
Again I wrote it with a
second hand,
But came the tide, and made my
pains his pray. "Vain man," said she, "that dost in vain assay.
A mortal thing so to immortalize,
For I myself shall like to this decay,
and eek my name bee wiped out likewise.”
"Not so," quod I, "let baser things devise,
To
die in dust, but you shall live by fame:
MyHow
versedoes
your
the
virtues rare shall eternize,
And in the man
heavens
write
respond?
your glorious name.
Where whenas death shall all the
world subdue, Our love shall live, and later life renew."
Sonnet 75
One day I wrote her name upon the strand,
But came
the waves and washed it away:
Again I wrote it with a
second hand,
But came the tide, and made my
pains his pray. "Vain man," said she, "that dost in vain assay.
A mortal thing so to immortalize,
For I myself shall like to this decay,
and eek my name bee wiped out likewise.”
"Not so," quod I, "let baser things devise,
To
die in dust, but you shall live by fame:
MyHow
versedoes
your
the
virtues rare shall eternize,
And in the man
heavens
write
respond?
your glorious name.
Where whenas death shall all the
world subdue, Our love shall live, and later life renew."
Sonnet 75
One day I wrote her name upon the strand,
But came
the waves and washed it away:
Again I wrote it with a
second hand,
But came the tide, and made my
pains his pray. "Vain man," said she, "that dost in vain assay.
A mortal thing so to immortalize,
For I myself shall like to this decay,
and eek my name bee wiped out likewise.”
"Not so," quod I, "let baser things devise,
To
die in dust, but you shall live by fame:
My verse your
virtues rare shall eternize,
And in the heavens write
your glorious name.
Where whenas death shall all the
world subdue, Our love shall live, and later life renew."
Whose point of view
was correct?
What theme does the
final couplet express?