Whoso List to Hunt by Sir Thomas Wyatt - Poem Analysis

Summary

In this video, the poem 'Who So List To Hunt' by Sir Thomas Wyatt is explored, focusing on its metaphorical representation of love as a hunt. The poem is believed to reflect Wyatt's relationship with Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's second wife. Wyatt uses the extended metaphor of a hunt to depict the futility of pursuing a love that is unattainable. The poem is historically significant as one of the first sonnets in English, introducing the form to the language through Wyatt's translations of Petrarch's works. It also highlights the vulnerability of women, represented as prey and the hunted, and the societal constraints of the time.

Takeaways

• 🎯 The poem 'Who so list to hunt' by Sir Thomas Wyatt uses a hunting metaphor to describe the futility of pursuing love.
• 💔 The poem is believed to reflect Wyatt's relationship with Anne Boleyn, who later became the second wife of King Henry VIII.
• 🏃‍♂️ Wyatt portrays himself as a hunter who is exhausted from the chase and decides to give up, symbolizing his unrequited love for Anne.
• 🦌 The deer, or 'hind', represents Anne, who is elusive and unattainable, much like the wind that cannot be caught in a net.
• ⛔ The phrase 'Noli me tangere' inscribed on the deer's neck signifies that Anne belongs to another, in this case, King Henry VIII.
• 📜 Wyatt's poem is one of the first sonnets in English, introducing a form that would later be popularized by Shakespeare.
• 🇮🇹 The sonnet form was adapted from Italian by Wyatt, who encountered it during his travels in Europe.
• 🔄 The poem's structure follows the Petrarchan sonnet's division into an octave and a sestet, with a volta or turn between them.
• 🎶 Wyatt's use of iambic pentameter gives the poem a rhythmic quality that mimics the natural flow of English speech.
• ⚖️ The historical context of the poem is set against the backdrop of political and religious upheaval in 16th-century England.
• 🔍 The poem highlights the vulnerability and objectification of women, with Anne being seen as both a prized possession and a symbol of resistance.

Q & A

Who is the author of the poem 'Who so list to hunt'?

The poem 'Who so list to hunt' is authored by Sir Thomas Wyatt.

What is the central theme of Sir Thomas Wyatt's poem 'Who so list to hunt'?

The central theme of the poem is unattainable love, using the metaphor of a hunt where the speaker is the hunter and the object of his affection is the deer.

How does Sir Thomas Wyatt use the metaphor of a hunt in his poem?

Wyatt uses the metaphor of a hunt to describe the pursuit of love, where he is the hunter and Anne Boleyn is the deer, symbolizing the chase for a love that is ultimately uncatchable.

What historical figure is believed to be the inspiration behind the 'deer' in Wyatt's poem?

Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII of England, is believed to be the inspiration behind the 'deer' in Wyatt's poem.

What is the significance of the phrase 'Noli me tangere' in the poem?

The phrase 'Noli me tangere', meaning 'Do not touch me', is inscribed on the deer's collar and signifies that Anne Boleyn belongs to King Henry VIII, making her untouchable to others.

How does the poem reflect the historical context of its time?

The poem reflects the historical context of the Tudor period, particularly the tumultuous relationship between Wyatt and Anne Boleyn, and the latter's marriage to King Henry VIII.

What is the structure of the sonnet as introduced by Sir Thomas Wyatt?

The sonnet structure used by Wyatt consists of an octave, which presents a scenario or argument, followed by a sestet that complicates or adds nuance to the initial argument.

How does Wyatt's use of iambic pentameter contribute to the poem?

Wyatt's use of iambic pentameter gives the poem a conversational quality, mimicking the rhythm of English speech and lending a realistic tone to the narrative.

What is the significance of the 'wind in a net' metaphor in the poem?

The 'wind in a net' metaphor signifies the futility of the speaker's pursuit, as trying to catch the wind is an impossible task, symbolizing the unattainable nature of his love.

How does the poem explore the theme of power and possession?

The poem explores the theme of power and possession through the depiction of the deer as property, belonging to Caesar (King Henry VIII), and the speaker's inability to claim her.

What is the volta or turn in Wyatt's sonnet, and how does it function?

The volta in Wyatt's sonnet occurs between the octave and the sestet, where the poem shifts from the speaker's decision to give up the hunt to the revelation of why he cannot catch the deer.

Outlines

00:00

🎯 Sir Thomas Wyatt's Poetic Hunt

The video begins with an introduction to Sir Thomas Wyatt's poem 'Who so list to hunt,' which is believed to reflect Wyatt's relationship with Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII. The poem uses the metaphor of a hunt to describe the futility of Wyatt's pursuit of Anne, who is compared to a deer that cannot be caught. The speaker expresses his exhaustion from the chase and his decision to stop hunting, symbolizing his acceptance of the impossibility of rekindling their love. The poem also carries a warning to others about the futility of pursuing love, as it can be as elusive as trying to hold the wind in a net. The deer, symbolizing Anne, is described as belonging to Caesar (King Henry), with a collar that reads 'Noli me tangere,' indicating she is off-limits. The poem is analyzed for its historical context, literary significance, and the use of metaphor and symbolism.

05:03

📜 The Evolution of the Sonnet and Wyatt's Influence

This paragraph delves into the history of the sonnet form, which originated as a popular song in medieval Italian taverns and was popularized by poet Francesco Petrarch. Sir Thomas Wyatt is credited with introducing the sonnet to English literature in the 1530s and 1540s by translating and imitating Petrarch's works. The poem 'Who so list to hunt' is a personal account of unrequited love and loss, with the speaker's love for Anne no longer being reciprocated. The vulnerability of women is highlighted, as they are portrayed as both the hunted and the objects of desire. The poem also draws parallels with Roman author Celinus's records of white deer being the property of Emperor Caesar, inscribed with a warning not to touch. Wyatt's use of the sonnet form lends gravity to the poem and emphasizes its themes. The structure of the poem, including the octave and sestet, is discussed, along with the use of iambic pentameter to mimic the rhythm of English speech.

10:05

🏰 The Historical Context of Wyatt's Sonnet

The final paragraph provides historical context to Sir Thomas Wyatt's life and the political turmoil of 16th-century England. King Henry VIII's break from the Catholic Church and his pursuit of a male heir led to Anne Boleyn's marriage to the king. The poem reflects the personal and political challenges faced by Wyatt, who was nearly implicated in Anne's execution for adultery. The video concludes with a call to action for viewers to like, subscribe, and watch other videos on writing and analysis, emphasizing the educational value of the content provided.

Keywords

💡Sir Thomas Wyatt

Sir Thomas Wyatt was an English poet of the 16th century, known for introducing the sonnet form into English literature. In the video, his poem 'Who so list to hunt' is analyzed, which is believed to relate to his relationship with Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII. Wyatt's use of the extended metaphor of a hunt to describe love and his personal experiences with Anne Boleyn are central to the video's theme of exploring the complexities of desire and power dynamics in historical context.

💡Anne Boleyn

Anne Boleyn was the second wife of King Henry VIII and the mother of Queen Elizabeth I. In the video, she is mentioned as the object of Sir Thomas Wyatt's affections before her marriage to the king. The poem 'Who so list to hunt' is interpreted as a metaphorical expression of Wyatt's unrequited love for Anne, and the video discusses the historical implications of their relationship, including the dangers of infidelity during that era.

💡Hunt Metaphor

The hunt metaphor is a central theme in Wyatt's poem, where love is likened to a hunt with the male as the hunter and the female as the prey. The video explains how this metaphor is used to portray the exhilarating yet violent and often futile nature of love, where the 'deer' or the object of desire is elusive and difficult to capture. The metaphor is used to illustrate the speaker's exhaustion and the futility of his pursuit.

💡Sonnet

A sonnet is a form of poetry that originated in Italy and became popular in Europe, particularly through the works of Petrarch. In the video, it is mentioned that Wyatt introduced the sonnet form to English literature in the 1530s and 1540s by translating and imitating Petrarch's sonnets. 'Who so list to hunt' is an example of an English sonnet, and the video discusses how Wyatt's use of this form contributed to the development of English poetry.

💡Noli me tangere

The phrase 'Noli me tangere' is Latin for 'Do not touch me' and is used in the poem to describe a necklace worn by the deer, symbolizing that she belongs to Caesar, or King Henry VIII. In the video, this phrase is analyzed as a symbol of Anne Boleyn's status as the king's property and the forbidden nature of Wyatt's desire for her. It also highlights the power dynamics and the constraints placed on women during that historical period.

💡Caesar

In the context of the video, 'Caesar' refers to King Henry VIII, drawing a parallel with the Roman emperor whose deer were marked with the warning 'Noli me tangere'. This比喻 is used to emphasize the ownership and control that King Henry had over Anne Boleyn, and by extension, over all his subjects. The video discusses how this historical context adds layers of meaning to the poem's exploration of desire and power.

💡Volta

The volta is the turning point in a sonnet, where the poem's argument or scenario is complicated or nuanced. In the video, it is explained that Wyatt's poem follows the Petrarchan sonnet structure, with an octave setting up the scenario of the hunt and a sestet providing the complication that the deer already belongs to another. The volta in Wyatt's poem is a pivotal moment that shifts the focus from the act of hunting to the reasons why the hunt is futile.

💡Iambic Pentameter

Iambic pentameter is a type of metrical line used in poetry, consisting of five pairs of unstressed and stressed syllables per line. In the video, it is mentioned that Wyatt writes in iambic pentameter, which gives the poem a rhythmic quality that mimics the natural flow of English speech. This choice of meter contributes to the poem's conversational tone and makes the themes more accessible to the reader.

💡Petrarch

Francesco Petrarch was an Italian poet who is often considered the father of the sonnet form. In the video, it is noted that Wyatt's poem is a rewriting of Petrarch's sonnet 190, and that Wyatt's introduction of the sonnet to English literature was through his translations and imitations of Petrarch's works. Petrarch's influence is significant in understanding the development of the sonnet in England and Wyatt's role in that process.

💡Political Turmoil

The video discusses the political turmoil of the early 16th century in England, particularly the period when King Henry VIII broke with the Catholic Church to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. This historical context is important for understanding the risks and implications of Wyatt's relationship with Anne Boleyn, as well as the broader themes of power, desire, and the constraints of social and political structures in the poem.

Highlights

Poem analyzed is 'Who so list to hunt' by Sir Thomas Wyatt.

The poem uses a hunting metaphor to describe the pursuit of love.

Sir Thomas Wyatt's relationship with Anne Boleyn, King Henry VIII's second wife, is believed to be the inspiration behind the poem.

The poem portrays the hunt as exhilarating yet prone to failure, with the prey often escaping.

The speaker expresses exhaustion from the pursuit and a decision to stop hunting.

The poem suggests that love, like the deer, is elusive and cannot be caught.

The deer is a symbol of Anne Boleyn, who is now 'Caesar's', meaning owned by King Henry.

The poem is one of the first sonnets written in English, introducing the form to the language.

Wyatt's poem is a personal account of unrequited love and the vulnerability of women as objects of desire.

The poem's structure follows Petrarchan sonnet form with an octave and a sestet.

The use of iambic pentameter gives the poem a conversational quality.

The poem reflects the historical context of political turmoil in 16th century England.

Anne Boleyn's execution and Wyatt's implication in her infidelities are mentioned.

The poem's final line conveys the speaker's continuing passion despite the impossibility of the relationship.

The poem's advice to potential lovers is to avoid the futility of pursuing unattainable love.

The poem's formality and structure emphasize the importance of its themes.

The poem's rhyming couplets make its advice memorable.

The poem's volta or turn is where the speaker begins to address the issues raised in the octave.

Transcripts

[Music]

hello

today's poem we're examining is who so

list

to hunt i know where is and hind

by sir thomas wyatt before we start

if you haven't subscribed to our channel

please

do so because it helps us greatly

is really appreciated and it helps us

continue to make this content i have the

poem

here so let's start

who's so less to hunt i know where is

unhind

but as for me alas i may no more

the vain travail have 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

are for fainting i follow

i leave off therefore simmons

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 craven with diamonds

in letters plain there is written

her fur neck round about

noli me tangere for caesar's

i am and wild for to hold

though i seem tame

a really powerful poem by

sir thomas wyatt which is interesting

intriguing from many points of view

particularly historically

and also from the point of view

of literature so

multi-layered plenty to unpack

so let's start it is generally thought

that this summit by sir thomas wyatt

relates to his relationship with

ann berlin the second wife of king henry

viii

of england wyatt and berlin

were lovers before her marriage

to king henry and in this regard

it's reasonable to suppose

that both poet and speaker

are the same wyatt uses an extended

metaphor

comparing love to a hunt in which the

male

is a hunter and the female

a deer are hind he cannot

catch the poem portrays the hunt as

exhilarating yet violent and prone to

failure

as the prey often escapes

the title suggests that wyatt is writing

the poem

to warn those who would want to engage

in love

to be wary indeed

the speaker in the poem says he will

not hunt again halas

meaning alas i may no

more the pursuit of anne

has weared exhausted him so much

that he is now behind the other hunters

in the chase for love and yet

he says he cannot stop his

wearied mind from thinking of women

and anne in particular and

almost fainting carries on

the chase regardless

deer is itself upon a play

upon deer meaning

something precious he tells us

that trying to catch an is like trying

to catch the wind

in a net an impossible and foolish

endeavor his advice to other

would-be lovers is not to spend his time

in vain

like he has the deer belongs

to caesar symbolizing henry

we are told that the deer carries around

her neck

a diamond necklace on which is engraved

nollie me tangeri don't

touch me for i belong to caesar

and like the king's deer is off

limits and there for the

king only in the final line

we are told that the thought of anne

being no longer available

to continue their affair is driving him

wild although to those around him

he has to pretend he is calm

tame and wild for to hold

though i seem tame

as well as a fine poem it is one of the

first sonnets

written in english the sonnet

began as a form of popular song

sung in medieval italian taverns

and at festivals through the poet

francesco petrarch it became one of the

most popular

and prestigious forms of poetry in

europe

wyatt introduced it to our language

in the 1530s and 1540s

by translating and imitating

petrarch's sonnets whose soulless to

hunt

is a rewriting of petrarch

190. eventually

english poets including shakespeare

would adapt the italian sonnet

for their poems written in the first

person voice

wyatt's poem is a personal account

of the speaker's loss as his love is no

longer returned

by his former lover anne

must flee wyatt's advances or be killed

literally and metaphorically

because if her infidelity were

discovered

king henry would execute them both

the poem demonstrates the vulnerability

of women

who are seen as the prey and the hunted

and the objects of desire

here they are also represented as

the property of the male wyatt

draws or alludes to the writing of the

roman author

celinus who records that

white stacks were the property of the

emperor

caesar and had inscribed on their

colours

the warning do not touch me

i am caesar's wyatt a learned

and gifted courtier travelled europe

later in the employment of king henry

and encountered the sonnet in italy

and france and used it for his poems

as a courtier wyatt would have been in

the company of henry

and anne but had to pretend to be

indifferent

to her this pretence or

faint forms the pun on line

seven fainting i follow

wyatt compares anne to the goddess diana

artemus in greek legend diana was chaste

a virgin and pure the comparison is apt

because he associates an through

allusion to greek myth

to someone associated with refusal

and resistance to continue their

physical

love the necklace his former lover wears

symbolizes the wealth she has acquired

through marriage to the king but the tag

reminds us that it is more a collar

a symbol of her servitude to him

she wears a do not touch label which

stresses

that now she is his property

this contrasts strongly when earlier in

the poem

anne is compared to the wind strong

and free escaping capture

she was once a free spirit but is now

in many ways a prisoner

end stopping the first four lines makes

the poem

measured and gives the impression that

the speaker's

advice to others pursuing love is

based on long reflection and bitter

experience the use of a series of

rhyming couplets

makes his advice memorable

yet lines 5 and 6 which employ

enjoyment run on lines imply the speaker

despite what he says about giving up on

love

finds it impossible not to lust

for his former lover the word

wild at the end of the poem stresses

his continuing passion for her and

is ironic in that he the hunter

is the wild one rather than the hind

who has been tamed by her marriage

to henry let's now look at the form

and structure of the poem wyatt

closely follows petrarch and sonnet's

form

an initial eight lines called the octave

and the final six lines called the

sestet

traditionally the first eight lines

lay out an argument or a

scenario the final six lines

complicate that argument or add

nuance to the scenario

the pivot between the octave and the

sestet

the poem's turning point is called

the volta or the turn

it's the place where the poem begins to

address

the issues the octave has raised

wyatt's poem follows this formula

the first eight lines of the poem lay

out a scenario

the speaker is a hunter who has been

pursuing

a single deer with obsessive

energy he's giving up the chase though

because the deer is too quick for him to

catch

the final six lines complicate that

scenario

explaining why he can't catch the deer

she already belongs to another man

a powerful person lines

9 and 10 provide a sort

of vaulter reiterating the poem's first

line

although it is not as prominent as those

we find later

in shakespeare's sonnets

employing a formal poetic structure

as the sonnet lends a gravity

and formality to the poem and

stresses the importance of its

themes wyatt

writes in iambic pentameter

for example who so list to hunt

i know where is and hind

but as for me alas i may

know more using iambic pentameter

mimics the rhythm of english speech

and gives the poem a realistic

conversational quality

sir thomas wyatt lived in the early part

of the 16th century

in england a time of considerable

political turmoil in 1532

king henry viii broke away from the

catholic

church as england took its first steps

to becoming a protestant country

henry broke away from rome so that he

could divorce his first wife

catherine of aragon and mary

and berlin reportedly already pregnant

to him henry desperately

sought a male heir who would continue

the tudor dynasty

halas as wyatt might say

his marriage to anne lasted

only three years

she was executed in 1536

on the grounds of adultery

during the fallout wyatt was accused of

being

one of the several men implicated

in anne's infidelities and it was only

through his powerful political

connections

home and abroad that he rode

this political storm also

there is nothing to suggest that anne

and wyatt had resumed their relationship

as this sonnet demonstrates thank you

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you