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Summary and analysis notes of the poem Whoso List To Hunt by Thomas Wyatt
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Summary and analysis notes of the poem Whoso List To Hunt by Thomas Wyatt from Anthology of Love Poetry through the Ages: Pre-1900
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Whoso List to HuntThomas Wyatt
A renaissance poet, believed to be one of the lovers of Anne Boleyn, who was
accused by Henry VIII, or at least those around him, of adultery. The truth of this will
never be known, but this poem is thought to be about his hopeless pursuit of her. For
a while he was in terrible danger, imprisoned in the Tower of London, but was released
while others accused were executed. He went on to a successful diplomatic career.
Structure
Petrarchan sonnet form, typically 14 lines. First 8 lines, or octet, introduces a
question or issue and the remaining six lines, or sestet, offers a resolution. The meter
is iambic pentameter each with the stress on the second syllable. It is close to
ordinary speech but has a regular rhythm. The rhyme scheme is ABBA, ABBA, CDDC,
EE. The last couplet may have rhymed in the time of Wyatt when pronunciation
differed to today.
Sonnets
A sonnet is a poem that expresses a thought or idea and develops it, often cleverly
and wittily. It is made up of 14 lines, each 10 syllables long. Its rhymes are arranged
according to one of the following schemes:
Italian: eight lines consisting of two quatrains make up the first section of the sonnet,
called an octave. Will open the poem with a question or an idea. It is followed by the
next section of six lines called a sestet, that forms the ‘answer’ or a counterview. This
style is also sometimes called a Petrarchan sonnet, after the Italian poet of that name.
English: three quatrains, twelve lines, followed by a rhyming couplet. Shakespeare’s
sonnets follow this pattern. Edmund Spenser’s sonnets are a variant.
At the break in the sonnet — in Italian after the first eight lines, in English after twelve
lines — there is a volta, after which there will be a change or new perspective on the
preceding idea.
Language and Imagery
Extended metaphor: Wyatt presents the object of his adoration as a hind, which he
‘hunts’ with no hope of success.
Language
“Whoso” starts with a challenge to the reader — those who wish to hunt — and
poses the problem that he will develop, the essence of the sonnet.
“list” archaic word, meaning to wish, desire, like, choose.
“hunt” extended metaphor of courting, "hind” (deer) being the woman (Anne Boleyn)
he is pursuing. Mirrors the patriarchy in Tudor England and the patriarchal nature of
courting as women are considered the prize (objectified).
“I know where is an hind” metaphor of hunting deer for his attempts to woo his
beloved. The hunt is the speaker pursuing the woman as he would a deer, but she
leaps away from him.
, “Helas” alternative spelling to ‘alas’, archaic exclamation meaning ‘sadly’. Also, the
spelling in French. Anne Boleyn raised in France and attended French royal court.
Subtle way for Wyatt to show that the poem was aimed at her.
“may” suggests that there is something getting in the way – for Wyatt this could be
Henry VIII.
“Vain travail hath worried me so sore, I am of them that furthest come
behind” Speaker is tired and resigned: tried to pursue the woman but it’s taken a toll
on him, spiritually and emotionally. The ‘travail’ is ‘vain’ because the love is hopeless:
she belongs to another. Wyatt uses long assonant vowels to indicate effort and
weariness. The phrase ‘furthest come behind’ implies he’s behind other hunters; his
emotional journey is more tough than any other’s.
“By no means” can’t detach himself from Boleyn. It creates an idea that love is like
a ‘spell’ —ironic link to the fact that Ann Boleyn was charged with witchcraft.
“My worried mind” In some versions “worried” appears as “wearied mind”. Both
possibilities apply. He’s either tired and hopeless from the hunt, or worried that his
longing for Boleyn may be discovered. If so, the discovery of a relationship with Henry
VIII’s wife would mean death.
“Draw from the deer” means ‘withdraw’ – is worried and weary, yet unable to
withdraw from the pointless chase.
“As she fleeth afore fainting I follow” suggests that she rejected his advances. He
is ‘fainting’ from tiredness but also fear. His love for her is dangerous. Rhythm is
disrupted from iambic pentameters to trochaic ‘Fainting I follow’, with emphasis on
the first syllable – gives extra weight to the poet’s anxiety and distress. Alliterative ‘f’s
suggest the ‘whooshing’ fast movement. Also, the caesura after ‘follow’, as if the poet
is catching his breath, fighting exhaustion.
“Leave off” a spondee (two stressed syllables together), breaks the metre. Illustrates
the decision to stop the hunt and the important decision Wyatt made in ceasing to
pursue Boleyn.
“In a net I seek to hold the wind.” realizes his efforts are in vain and relates his
efforts to catching wind in a net. The metaphor suggests that the speaker is so
devoted to this “hunt” that he will pursue even though the desired result is
unobtainable.
“Who list her hunt, I put him out of doubt” the volta – poem started as a
personal tale, it’s now a warning to other men to beware; the speaker is a weary
hunter who’s warning away other hunters. Echo of the opening line, ‘to’ substituted
by ‘her’ — therefore more personal —implies weariness and hopelessness. Presents
the potential for harmony in the poem, but instead there is a disjunction. The deer
isn’t tame as she’s supposed to be.
“As well as I, may spend his time in vain” Another man as good as me may just
as well waste his time chasing this woman.
“Graven in diamonds” Diamonds are extraordinarily hard substances, thus used
regularly for etching – the speaker shows how critical this action is to him. The fact
that the diamond engraving is the doing of the King seems to suggest that he has
“staked his claim” to this deer for all time. No matter how hard the speaker may try to
capture the deer, the indication that it is the property of another will continue to
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