Amoretti, Sonnet 57 by Edmund Spenser summary and analysis

 

Sweet warriour! when shall I have peace with you?

High time it is this warre now ended were,

Which I no lenger can endure to sue,

Ne your incessant battry more to beare.

So weake my powres, so sore my wounds, appear,

That wonder is how I should live a a bit,

Seeing my hart through-launced every where

With thousand arrowes which your eies have shot.

Yet shoot ye sharpely still, and spare me not,

But glory thinke to make these cruel stoures.

Ye cruell one! what glory can be got,

In slaying him that would live gladly yours?

Make peace therefore, and graunt me timely grace,

That al my wounds will heale in little space

 

Amoretti, Sonnet 57 by Edmund Spenser is a Petrarchan sonnet that revolves around the theme of love as a battleground.

The speaker addresses his beloved as a "sweet warrior" and expresses a desire for peace in their relationship. The speaker emphasizes that it is long overdue for their love conflict should come to an end. The speaker cannot bear to continue pleading or seeking resolution in the ongoing love struggle. The speaker pleads to no longer endure the continuous and relentless attacks or challenges from the beloved. The speaker describes the condition, weak and wounded, both emotionally as well as physically. The intensity of the suffering is such that the speaker wonders how he can continue to live even a little bit. The speaker's heart is metaphorically wounded everywhere, indicating the widespread pain caused by the beloved. The beloved's eyes are compared to arrows that have caused numerous wounds to the speaker's heart.

The speaker suggests that the beloved might find glory or pride in causing such cruel and challenging situations. The speaker questions the beloved's pursuit of glory through cruelty and highlights the contradiction in seeking honor through unkindness.

The speaker pleads for reconciliation and asks the beloved to grant him grace or mercy in a timely manner. The speaker believes that if peace is made and grace is given, all the wounds inflicted by love will heal quickly.

 

Edmund Spenser’s Sonnet 57 “Sweet Warrior” from Amoretti is a request of the lover to his beloved to end the war that is going on between them as the lover cannot anymore deal with the refusals from the beloved and asks the beloved to accept him so that he can be at peace with her. The lover calls the beloved as “Sweet Warrior” – an oxymoron of a sort, as warriors are usually brave and cruel to their enemies. But the beloved is a “sweet” warrior as she carries on battling the patience of the lover who pursues her all the time and she merely carries on refusing him and his proposals.

The lover feels that he cannot take the refusals anymore and submits to the beloved. His desperation and frustration is very much evident in the sonnet where the poet-lover presents himself to be a tormented soul because he is not able to deal with his heart breaks. He appeals to the beloved to end the war that she has waged against him and to accept his love.

In the next part of the poem, the poet lover speaks how from the eyes of the beloved she had short thousand arrows which have pierced through his heart. It is not that she has stopped shooting such arrows; she is still continuing to do that. The lover again makes pleas to the beloved to spare him now and to stop doing such ‘sweet violence’ on him as he cannot carry on living like this in pain forever. The lover calls these acts of the beloved to be very cruel – “Ye cruel one” – as she carries on wounding the lover again and again. The lover further asks the beloved what “glory” she is achieving in wounding the lover in such a fashion. It is usually in wars that the warriors are cruel to their enemies and carry on wounding the enemy till the enemy dies. The lover appeals to the beloved not to think of him as an enemy, but as a lover and further to accept him so that he can live peacefully with the beloved.

The poem this uses the imagery of war – prevalent in medieval age – to manifest the ways in which the beloved is treating the beloved. The lover seems to be constant in his pursuit of the beloved as even if the beloved carries on hurting him, he carries on living the beloved. Even though the beloved is cruel to him, it appears to be “sweet” to the lover as his love for her has made him accept the beloved the way she is and he is more than happy to get her in his life. Therefore, in spite of continuous refusals, the lover carries on loving her and hopes that she will someday realize his love for her.

In what sense is The Wife of Bath’s Prologue dramatic? Explain.

The Wife of Bath is a character in Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales," specifically in the General Prologue. Chaucer's work is a collection of stories told by a group of pilgrims on their way to the shrine of Thomas Becket in Canterbury. The Wife of Bath is one of these pilgrims, and she is one of the most memorable and interesting characters in the collection.

 

Appearance and Clothing:

The Wife of Bath is described as a woman with a gap between her front teeth, a distinctive feature that is often associated with sensuality. She is fashionably dressed, wearing bright and elaborate clothing that suggests her desire for attention and status.

 

Occupation and Social Standing:

The Wife of Bath is a skilled cloth-maker and businesswoman. She has been married five times and is financially independent due to her successful enterprises. Her status as a businesswoman challenges traditional gender roles, as women in medieval society were often expected to be dependent on men.

 

Marital History:

The Wife of Bath has had five husbands. She has been married at the church door multiple times, emphasizing her active pursuit of marriage and her desire for the social status associated with being a wife. She believes in taking the initiative in relationships and uses her charm and wit to manipulate her husbands.

 

Philosophy of Marriage:

The Wife of Bath is known for her strong opinions on marriage and her humorous, yet candid, views on the subject. She openly discusses her experiences in marriage and challenges conventional ideas about female submission. She argues in favor of women having control in marriage and criticizes the notion of male dominance. She uses Biblical examples to support her views, particularly referring to King Solomon, who had many wives.

 

Religious Views:

Despite her strong opinions on marriage, the Wife of Bath is depicted as someone who is familiar with the Bible. However, she interprets the Scriptures in a way that aligns with her views on marriage and relationships. She has a materialistic view of religion and believes that the primary purpose of marriage is to fulfill physical desires.

 

Character Traits:

The Wife of Bath is a complex character with both positive and negative traits. She is confident, outspoken, and independent, challenging the traditional roles of women in her society. However, her prologue also reveals her manipulative and cunning nature. She uses her sexuality and wit to gain control in her marriages, which can be seen as both empowering and morally questionable.

She is somewhat deaf but compensates for it with a bold and assertive demeanor. She wears scarlet stockings, signaling her flamboyant and attention-seeking nature. Her hat is large, indicating her desire to stand out and be noticed.

The Wife of Bath is portrayed as well experienced and worldly woman. She has been married five times, now in search of the sixth one. She was very bold and assertive. She is not afraid to speak her mind and express her opinions. She is confident, independent, and unapologetic about her views on love, marriage, and relationships. Her boldness challenges traditional gender roles and expectations.

Wife of Bath is well-versed in the art of love and marriage. She draws on her personal experiences to offer a critique of conventional wisdom about the roles of men and women in relationships. Wife of Bath freely admits that she married her husbands for their wealth. She believes that women should have control in marriage, especially when it comes to financial matters. She believes that women should have dominance in marriage, and she supports her argument by citing examples from the Bible of women who gained control in relationships. Her marriages are seen as a means of acquiring wealth, and she is unapologetic about using her feminine nature to gain power.

 

In what sense is The Wife of Bath’s Prologue dramatic? Explain.

The Wife of Bath's Prologue in Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales" is dramatic in several senses, as it involves the lively and expressive performance of the Wife as she narrates her experiences, opinions, and views on marriage and relationships.

The Wife of Bath openly discusses her personal life, including her five marriages, her views on sexuality, and her manipulative tactics in relationships. This confessional tone adds a dramatic element as she unveils intimate details about herself, challenging social norms and expectations.

The Wife of Bath frequently addresses her fellow pilgrims and the implied audience of readers. She actively seeks their attention, reactions, and approval, creating a dynamic and interactive atmosphere. This engagement with the audience enhances the dramatic quality of her prologue.

The prologue is infused with humor, often satirical in nature. The Wife of Bath uses wit, sarcasm, and irony to convey her perspectives on marriage, gender roles, and relationships. This comic element contributes to the overall dramatic effect, keeping the audience entertained and engaged.

The Wife of Bath's character is rich in contradictions, and her prologue showcases the complexity of her personality. She challenges conventional norms while simultaneously embodying certain stereotypes. This complexity adds depth to the drama, creating a character who defies easy categorization.

The Wife of Bath boldly challenges the authority of traditional texts, including the Bible, and opposes the prevailing views on women and marriage. Her defiance and assertiveness contribute to the dramatic aspects as she confronts established norms and expectations.

 The prologue engages in a moral and philosophical debate about the nature of marriage, power dynamics between men and women, and the role of sexuality. The Wife of Bath presents her arguments passionately, creating a sense of intellectual and emotional drama in the exploration of these themes.

In fact, The Wife of Bath's Prologue is dramatic through its vivid narrative voice, confessional tone, engagement with the audience, humor, complexity, challenges to authority, and the exploration of moral and philosophical aspects. The character's lively storytelling transforms the prologue into a dynamic and theatrical performance within the larger framework of The Canterbury Tales.

 

The Wife of Bath’s Prologue contains social criticism, particularly with respect to marriage, in a substantial manner. Discuss.

The Journey of the Magi by T. S. Eliot summary and analysis

 

 

The Journey of the Magi

by T. S. Eliot 1927

 

‘A cold coming we had of it,

Just the worst time of the year

For a journey, and such a long journey:

The ways deep and the weather sharp,

The very dead of winter.’

And the camels galled, sore-footed, refractory,

Lying down in the melting snow.

There were times we regretted

The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces,

And the silken girls bringing sherbet.

Then the camel men cursing and grumbling

And running away, and wanting their liquor and women,

And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters,

And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly

And the villages dirty and charging high prices:

A hard time we had of it.

At the end we preferred to travel all night,

Sleeping in snatches,

With the voices singing in our ears, saying

That this was all folly.

Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley,

Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation;

With a running stream and a water-mill beating the darkness,

And three trees on the low sky,

And an old white horse galloped away in the meadow.

Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel,

Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver,

And feet kicking the empty wine-skins.

But there was no information, and so we continued

And arriving at evening, not a moment too soon

Finding the place; it was (you may say) satisfactory.

All this was a long time ago, I remember,

And I would do it again, but set down

This set down

This: were we led all that way for

Birth or Death? There was a birth, certainly,

We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death,

But had thought they were different; this Birth was

Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.

We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,

But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,

With an alien people clutching their gods.

I should be glad of another death.

 

 

The poem Journey of the Magi by T.S. Eliot reflects on the difficult and transformative journey of the Magi (wise men) to witness the birth of Jesus Christ. The Magi, or wise men, were members of the priestly caste of the Zoroastrian religion. They were thought to be knowledgeable about astronomy and able to interpret dreams. (The word Magi is plural; the singular form is Magus.)

 

The Magi begin by describing the harsh conditions of their journey to Bethlehem, emphasizing the cold and challenging circumstances.  The journey took place during the most unfavorable season, making it even more difficult due to its length.  The roads were difficult, and the weather was harsh, indicating that they traveled during the harshest part of winter.  The camels, essential for their journey, suffered from sores and exhaustion, lying down in the snow. The Magi reminisce about the comforts of their homes, the luxurious palaces, and the pleasant memories of summer. The difficulties increase, with the camel handlers their tone was like a curse, the challenges of finding shelter, and the inhospitable nature of the places they pass through.  Frustrated and fatigued, the Magi choose to travel at night, but doubts and voices questioning the purpose of their journey. They felt it like not appropriate.  


The mood shifts as they arrive at a more hospitable place with a temperate climate, nature, and signs of life. They encounter a tavern with people engaged in mundane activities, suggesting life going on despite their extraordinary journey.  They persist in their quest despite the lack of guidance and finally reach their destination in the evening, finding it satisfactory.

Reflecting on the journey, the Magi question whether it was for the birth or death. They witnessed the birth of Christ, but it was a difficult and agonizing experience, akin to death.

Having returned to their respective kingdoms, the Magi find themselves uneasy in their old way of life, surrounded by people with different beliefs. The speaker expresses a desire for another death, possibly longing for a spiritual rebirth or transformation.

The poem explores themes of sacrifice, spiritual awakening, and the profound impact of encountering the divine in the midst of hardship.

 

Critical analysis

The poem is written in the first person, with one of the Magi narrating the account of their journey to see the birth of Christ. This narrative approach allows Eliot to delve into the internal thoughts and reflections of the Magus.

The poem draws on the biblical narrative of the Three Wise Men or Magi who traveled to Bethlehem to witness the birth of Jesus. The journey serves as a spiritual  transformation and the encounter with the divine.

The title, The Journey of the Magi, sets the tone for the poem and indicates that it is not just a historical account but a metaphorical journey of spiritual significance. The Magi's physical journey becomes a symbol of the spiritual quest for meaning and understanding.

The tone of the poem is contemplative. The Magus recounts their experience with a mix of nostalgia, disillusionment, and a sense of spiritual transformation.

Eliot employs vivid sensory imagery to convey the physical and emotional aspects of the Magi's journey. Descriptions of the cold, the camels, and the landscapes create a tangible atmosphere, while the use of "sweating" and "dying" evokes a sense of discomfort and hardship.

The Magi undergo a spiritual transformation during their journey. The encounter with the divine has a profound impact on them, and the birth of Christ is described as a "hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death." This suggests that true spiritual rebirth often comes with sacrifice and a breaking away from the old self.

Eliot weaves religious symbolism throughout the poem, drawing attention to the spiritual significance of the journey.

 

The Second Coming by W. B Yeats summary and analysis

 

The Second Coming is a poem by William Butler Yeats, written in 1919 in the aftermath of World War I and during a period of significant social and political upheaval. The poem is known for its rich symbolism, vivid imagery, and apocalyptic themes.

 

The Second Coming

By William Butler Yeats

Turning and turning in the widening gyre   

The falcon cannot hear the falconer;

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,

The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere   

The ceremony of innocence is drowned;

The best lack all conviction, while the worst   

Are full of passionate intensity.

 

Surely some revelation is at hand;

Surely the Second Coming is at hand.   

The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out   

When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi

Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert   

A shape with lion body and the head of a man,   

A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,   

Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it   

Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.   

The darkness drops again; but now I know   

That twenty centuries of stony sleep

Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,   

And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,   

Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?

 

The opening line suggests a cyclical or rather spiraling motion, possibly represent the chaos of the time.  This line introduces a disconnection between the falcon and its falconer, symbolizing a breakdown in communication or control. As a result ‘things fall apart’, through this phrase speaker expresses a sense of disintegration and the loss of a stabilizing force, creating an atmosphere of chaos destruction.  Anarchy, disorder, and lack of control are unleashed globally. ‘The blood-dimmed tide is loosed’, poet states that a violent and chaotic period, where bloodshed and turmoil are widespread. Hence, the destruction of innocence and the disruption of traditional values happened.  poet paradoxically expresses the fact that, the people with good intentions lack determination, while the more destructive forces are fervent and active.  The destructive forces are characterized by strong, intense passion.

Speaker anticipates a significant revelation or event, can be connected to religion and spirituality. The mention of the Second Coming brings forth a profound thought. Spiritus Mundi refers to a collective unconscious or world spirit, and an image arises from it. The speaker envisions a troubling image in the desert, suggesting a location that might be bleak and barren. Poet describes a mysterious creature with symbolic attributes, possibly representing a force of destruction or change. the creature's unkind and relentless nature is described. The creature is described in motion, possibly approaching a destination.

The surroundings react with disturbance, as indicated by the shadows of agitated desert birds. After the vision, darkness returns, but the speaker gains understanding or insight. ‘That twenty centuries of stony sleep’ Refers to a long period of stagnation, possibly alluding to the Christian era was disturbed by a troubling force, symbolized by a rocking cradle. poet  introduces the concept of a powerful and primal entity, ready to emerge after a long wait.

The poem concludes with an unsettling image of this mysterious creature heading towards Bethlehem, evoking biblical connotations and leaving the reader to ponder its implications.

 

 

 Critical analysis

The poem was written during a tumultuous period marked by the aftermath of World War I, the Russian Revolution, and the Irish War of Independence. Yeats witnessed a world in chaos, with traditional values and structures crumbling, giving rise to uncertainty and fear.

The title, "The Second Coming," alludes to the Christian belief in the return of Jesus Christ. However, Yeats uses this religious concept metaphorically to describe a transformative event.

"Turning and turning in the widening gyre" refers to a spiral motion, suggesting a descent into chaos and disorder. "The falcon cannot hear the falconer" symbolizes the breakdown of communication and control.

The Gyre is a powerful symbol in the poem, it represents the cycles of history and the recurring patterns of rise and fall in civilizations. The widening gyre symbolizes increasing chaos and disintegration.

The Falcon Represents humanity's aspirations or ideals. The inability of the falcon to hear the falconer suggests a disconnect between people and the guiding principles that once directed them. Yeats presents a vision of a world in crisis, where anarchy and disorder intensify. The second coming is not a positive event but a descent into chaos, symbolizing a transformative moment with destructive consequences.

The vivid and violent imagery throughout the poem reflects the brutality of the times. Phrases like "blood-dimmed tide" and "mere anarchy is loosed upon the world" convey a sense of impending doom and social breakdown. "rough beast" slouching towards Bethlehem is a central image in the poem, embodying the destructive force that emerges from the chaos. The identity of the beast is open to interpretation, but it is often seen as a symbol of tyranny, totalitarianism, or a dark force that arises in times of crisis.

 

The Second Coming is often considered a quintessential modernist poem, reflecting the characteristics and themes associated with the modernist movement in literature. Modernism emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as a response to the profound changes in society, technology, and culture.

Modernist works often depict a fragmented and dislocated world, mirroring the disorienting effects of technological advancements and the aftermath of World War I. In The Second Coming, the image of the "widening gyre" symbolizes a world spiraling out of control and disintegrating into chaos.

Modernist writers frequently used symbolic and mythic imagery to convey complex ideas. Yeats employs symbols such as the gyre, the falcon, and the sphinx to represent larger themes related to history, social collapse, and the cyclical nature of human experience.

Modernism often explores the loss of traditional values and the instability of contemporary life. In the poem, the breakdown of communication between the falcon and falconer symbolizes the loss of control and certainty. The "centre cannot hold" suggests a world unraveling and lacking a stable core.

Modernist works frequently draw on a wide range of sources, including mythology, history, and literature. Yeats combines Christian references with mythological elements, such as the sphinx, to create a layered and complex narrative. The poem's title itself, "The Second Coming," alludes to a biblical event but takes on a more ominous, transformative meaning in the modernist context.

Modernist literature frequently explores existential themes, including anxiety, disillusionment, and alienation. The violent and apocalyptic imagery in the poem reflects the anxiety of a world in crisis.