Introduction
In the previous blogs, we laid the emphasis on the works of the Renaissance poet Edmund Spenser. As the title suggests, this time also we look into one of his evergreen works of all time, the Amoretti Sonnets. The Amoretti Sonnets consist of 89 interconnected sonnets. Spenser masterfully employs iambic pentameter and intricate rhyme schemes, crafting a musicality that adds to the allure of the verses. The skillful blend of lyrical language, metaphors, and allusions showcases Spenser's poetic genius. At the heart of the Amoretti Sonnets lies the theme of love and devotion. Spenser's speaker navigates the highs and lows of courtship, expressing the ecstasy of requited love, the anguish of rejection, and the longing for union with the beloved. The sonnets reveal the complexities and nuances of romantic relationships, painting a vivid portrait of the emotional landscape of love Before we dissect the whole work, I think it is better for us to examine the 'courtly love tradition' with respect to the Amoretti Sonnets.
The courtly love tradition, which flourished during the medieval period, is a concept deeply intertwined with Edmund Spenser's Amoretti sonnets. Courtly love was a medieval European tradition that idealized and celebrated the experience of romantic love, often within the context of noble courts.
In the Amoretti sonnets, Spenser embraces and reinterprets the courtly love tradition. The sonnets depict the poet's courtship and eventual marriage to his beloved Elizabeth Boyle, reflecting the conventions of courtly love such as admiration, devotion, and the worship of a noble lady. Spenser's use of courtly love elements in the sonnets elevates the beloved to a position of divine beauty and perfection, akin to a goddess or queen.
The sonnets are filled with rich descriptions of the beloved's physical beauty, employing vivid and elaborate imagery to convey her allure. The beloved is often compared to natural phenomena, celestial bodies, and precious jewels, emphasizing her exceptional beauty and worth. This portrayal aligns with the courtly love tradition's emphasis on the idealized image of the beloved.
Furthermore, courtly love often involved unrequited or forbidden love, with the lover expressing his devotion and longing from a respectful distance. In the Amoretti sonnets, Spenser explores this aspect through the challenges and obstacles faced by the poet in his pursuit of his beloved. These challenges include the resistance of the beloved, external social constraints, and the poet's own internal struggles. Through these sonnets, Spenser captures the tension and yearning inherent in courtly love, the longing for an unattainable beloved.
However, Spenser also deviates from the traditional courtly love conventions in the Amoretti sonnets. Unlike many courtly love narratives, which often depict the lover as perpetually suffering and subservient, Spenser presents a more egalitarian and reciprocal relationship between the poet and his beloved. The sonnets convey a sense of mutual love, respect, and partnership, reflecting a more modern and progressive understanding of love and relationships.
The Amoretti sonnets by Spenser engage with the courtly love tradition, celebrating the beauty and worth of the beloved while exploring the complexities of love. Through rich imagery, challenges, and an evolving portrayal of love, Spenser both embraces and reinterprets the courtly love tradition, creating a poetic sequence that resonates with the ideals and themes of medieval romance while also reflecting the changing attitudes of the Renaissance era.
Beneath the surface of courtly love, the Amoretti Sonnets contain spiritual and allegorical undertones. Spenser weaves Christian symbolism and references to classical mythology into the tapestry of his sonnets, infusing them with deeper meaning. The poems explore themes of divine love, redemption, and the struggle between earthly desires and spiritual aspirations.
Now that we became more familiar with the idea of 'courtly love tradition' with respect to the Amoretti sonnets, we may proceed to the sonnets one by one. But I'm afraid we should go through a few more details before we actually begin to analyze the sonnets. First of all, as we know there are 89 sonnets in the Amoretti Sonnets. And when looked through the thematic perspective, we can divide the 89 sonnets into three parts. They are as follows:
1) Sonnets 1-36: here Spenser complains and sees his own love as oppressive, while seeing Elizabeth Boyle as tyrannical.
2) Sonnets 37-69: here the poet explores his lover as well as explains the subject of passion.
3) Sonnets 70-89: in this last section, the poet finds success in his amorous endeavor, which in turn reverses the first part of our division.
For our convenience, I think it is better to analyze one sonnet each from the above divisions. So, I would like to discuss mainly of Sonnet 34, Sonnet 67 and Sonnet 77. However, I think it would be rather "cool", as you young folks say, if we add Sonnet 1 too in our analyses. So, let's begin.
Sonnet 1
Happy ye leaves when as those lilly hands,
Which hold my life in their dead doing might
Shall handle you and hold in loves soft bands,
Lyke captives trembling at the victors sight.
And happy lines, on which with starry light,
Those lamping eyes will deigne sometimes to look
And reade the sorrowes of my dying spright,
Written with teares in harts close bleeding book.
And happy rymes bath’d in the sacred brooke,
Of Helicon whence she derived is,
When ye behold that Angels blessed looke,
My soules long lacked foode, my heavens blis.
Leaves, lines, and rymes, seeke her to please alone,
Whom if ye please, I care for other none.
Amoretti Sonnet 1 portrays the speaker's anticipation and longing for the attention and affection of their beloved. The sonnet unfolds as follows:
The speaker addresses the leaves, expressing their happiness in the anticipation of the beloved's touch. The hands of the beloved are described as lily-like, possessing a power over the speaker's life. The leaves are likened to captives trembling in the presence of a victorious conqueror.
The speaker then addresses the lines of the sonnet itself, expressing their happiness in the hope that the beloved's eyes, shining like stars, will occasionally look upon these lines. The speaker believes that the beloved will read the sorrows and heartfelt emotions inscribed within the lines, written with tears in a book kept within the speaker's bleeding heart.
The speaker continues by addressing the rhymes of the sonnet, describing them as bathed in the sacred waters of Helicon, the mythical source of poetic inspiration. The speaker expresses that these rhymes originated from there and are now being presented to the beloved.
In the final lines, the speaker implores the leaves, lines, and rhymes to seek the pleasure and favor of the beloved alone. The speaker declares that if the beloved is pleased, they care for no other. It showcases the speaker's singular focus on winning the affection and approval of the beloved.
Amoretti Sonnet 1 captures the speaker's ardent desire for the attention and love of their beloved. It highlights the significance of the beloved's gaze and recognition, as well as the emotional depth contained within the lines of the sonnet. The sonnet sets the stage for the series of sonnets that follow, which collectively narrate the speaker's journey of love and courtship.
Sonnet 34
Lyke as a ship that through the Ocean wyde,
By conduct of some star doth make her way,
Whenas a storm hath dimd her trusty guyde,
Out of her course doth wander far astray:
So I whose star, that wont with her bright ray,
Me to direct, with cloudes is overcast,
Doe wander now in darknesse and dismay,
Through hidden perils round about me plast.
Yet hope I well that when this storme is past,
My Helice, the lodestar of my lyfe,
Will shine again, and looke on me at last,
With lovely light to cleare my cloudy grief.
Till then I wander carefull, comfortlesse,
In secret sorrow, and sad pensivenesse
Amoretti Sonnet 34 expresses the speaker's state of uncertainty and melancholy as they navigate through life without the guidance of their beloved. The sonnet unfolds as follows:
The speaker begins by comparing themselves to a ship sailing across the vast ocean. Just as a ship relies on the guidance of a star to stay on course, the speaker's metaphorical "star," representing their beloved, has been obscured by clouds. As a result, the speaker has deviated from their intended path and finds themselves lost and adrift.
The speaker acknowledges their current state of darkness and dismay, as they wander through hidden dangers and uncertainties that surround them. The absence of their beloved's guiding light has left the speaker vulnerable and directionless.
Nevertheless, the speaker holds onto hope that once the storm subsides, their "Helice" (referring to their beloved, named after the star in the constellation Ursa Major) will once again shine upon them. The speaker yearns for their beloved to cast their loving light upon them, bringing clarity and dispelling the clouds of sorrow. Until that moment arrives, the speaker laments their current state of being. They wander through life burdened with care, lacking comfort, and immersed in secret sorrow and deep pensiveness.
Amoretti Sonnet 34 encapsulates the speaker's longing for the return of their beloved's guiding presence in their life. It conveys a sense of uncertainty, vulnerability, and melancholy that arises from being separated from the one who provides guidance and comfort. The sonnet emphasizes the profound impact of the beloved's presence and highlights the speaker's yearning for their return to alleviate their current state of desolation.
Sonnet 67
Like as a huntsman after weary chase,
Seeing the game from him escap'd away,
Sits down to rest him in some shady place,
With panting hounds beguiled of their prey:
So after long pursuit and vain assay,
When I all weary had the chase forsook,
The gentle deer return'd the self-same way,
Thinking to quench her thirst at the next brook.
There she beholding me with milder look,
Sought not to fly, but fearless still did bide:
Till I in hand her yet half trembling took,
And with her own goodwill her firmly tied.
Strange thing, me seem'd, to see a beast so wild,
So goodly won, with her own will beguil'd.
Amoretti Sonnet 67 presents an allegorical comparison between a huntsman chasing a deer and the pursuit of love. The sonnet unfolds as follows:
The speaker begins by likening their pursuit of love to that of a huntsman chasing his prey. After an arduous chase, the game escapes, and the huntsman takes respite in a shady place, accompanied by his panting hounds.
The speaker then compares their own pursuit of love, which has been long and unsuccessful. Just as the huntsman gives up the chase, the object of the speaker's affection, symbolized as a gentle deer, turns back and returns in the same direction.
The deer, observing the speaker with a gentler expression, does not attempt to flee, but rather courageously remains in place. The speaker seizes the opportunity, reaching out and capturing the deer with a mixture of trepidation and her own willingness.
In the concluding lines, the speaker expresses wonder at the sight of such a wild creature willingly submitting to capture. The deer, representing the beloved, has been won over by the speaker's efforts and willingly surrendered herself to be tied by their mutual consent.
Amoretti Sonnet 67 reflects the theme of pursuing and capturing love. It portrays the speaker's persistent pursuit and their eventual triumph in winning the affection of the beloved, who initially appeared elusive. The sonnet encapsulates the transformative power of love and the joy that comes from the voluntary surrender of the beloved's heart.
Sonnet 77
Was it a dreame, or did I see it playne,
A goodly table of pure yvory:
All spred with juncats, fit to entertayne,
The greatest Prince with pompous roialty.
Mongst which there in a silver dish did ly,
Twoo golden apples of unvalewd price:
Far passing those which Hercules came by,
Or those which Atalanta did entice.
Exceeding sweet, yet voyd of sinfull vice,
That many sought yet none could ever taste,
Sweet fruit of pleasure brought from paradice
By love himselfe and in his garden plaste.
Her brest that table was so richly spredd,
My thoughts the guests, which would thereon have fedd.
In Amoretti Sonnet 77, the speaker reflects upon a vivid and enchanting vision they experienced. The sonnet unfolds as follows:
The speaker begins by questioning whether the vision they witnessed was a mere dream or a reality. They describe an exquisite table made of pure ivory, adorned with delicacies fit for entertaining the greatest of princes with royal splendor.
Among the lavish spread on the table, the speaker highlights the presence of two golden apples, which surpass in value and desirability those obtained by Hercules or the ones that enticed Atlanta in Greek mythology. These apples are described as exceedingly sweet, yet free from any sinful or corrupting qualities. They are depicted as a delightful pleasure, akin to the fruits from paradise itself, placed there by Love in his own garden.
The speaker further emphasizes the richness and allure of this vision by comparing the table to a woman's bosom, symbolizing fertility and abundance. The speaker sees their thoughts as guests eager to partake in the feast laid before them.
Amoretti Sonnet 77 explores the theme of desire and longing for an unattainable ideal. The speaker recounts a vision of opulence and temptation, represented by the table and the golden apples. The imagery conveys the allure of pleasure and the pursuit of something beyond reach. The sonnet captures the speaker's longing for a perfect and pure form of delight, one that remains tantalizingly out of their grasp
Conclusion
Edmund Spenser's Amoretti Sonnets continue to enchant readers with their lyrical beauty, evocative imagery, and timeless themes of love and devotion. Through these sonnets, Spenser invites us into a world of courtly romance, where emotions are elevated, and the pursuit of love becomes an artistic endeavor. As we immerse ourselves in the enchanting verses of the Amoretti Sonnets, we are reminded of the enduring power of poetry to capture the depths of human emotion and celebrate the complexities of the human heart.
That's a brief picture of Spenser's Amoretti Sonnets. Of the 89 sonnets, we've only been able to discuss 4. However, if you would like me to discuss anymore of the Amoretti Sonnets, do let me know in the comments.
Thanks. It was useful😊
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