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STUDYOFSPENSER
EdmundSpenser

EdmundSpenserwasbornin1552anddiedin1599.HewasanEnglishpoetwhogr ewupinLondon.
Heisprobabl
ybestknownforhi
sworkTheFaerieQueen.Thi
spoem i
sanallegoryoft
heTudor
monarchyanditgl
ori
fi
esQueenEli
zabet
hI.Spenserr
ecei
vedhisf
ormaleducati
onatMerchant
Tayl
orSchool
.
Hewasapr oli
fi
cwrit
erwhopubl i
shedhisfi
rstvol
umeofpoemsi n1579.HewrotetheAmor
ett
i
sonnet
stowoohi sfut
urewife,El
izabet
h,andther
eissomequestionastoexact
lyhowmany
Amorett
isonnetshewrote.I
tissafetosay,however
,thathewr
otebetween89and100.

TheSt
orybehi
ndt
heSonnet
s
Theword'Amor ett
i'
means' l
it
tl
elovepoems.'TheAmor et t
isonnetswerewr i
tt
ent oElizabet
hBoy l
e,
Spenser
'ssecondwi f
e,duri
ngtheircour
tshi
p.Becauset hesonnetswer eall
wr i
tt
ent oonewoman,
thi
swasunusual .Al
so,manyPet r
archansonnetsofthedaywer ewrit
tentounattainablewomen,
someofwhower emar r
iedtoothermen.Thepoetsdi dn'texact
lyexpecttowinthehear tsofthese
women,butratherworshipedthem fr
om aft
ar.
Spenser,however,
clearlyador
edElizabet
handfocusedever
ypoem uponher.I
nadditi
on,other
sonnetsofthetimedi spl
ayedmoodsofdespairovereverwi
nningthewoman'shear
t,butSpenser
's
honestfeeli
ngsforjustoneattai
nablewomansetsthesesonnetsapar
t.

ThePet
rar
chanSonnet
Itwouldbegoodtot akeal ookatt hestr
uctur
eoft hePetr
archansonnet.Petrarchansonnetshave
14linesandtwopar ts.Thef i
rstparti
scall
edtheoctaveanditsrhymeschemei s:abbaabba.The
secondsecti
onhassi xli
nesandi scall
edasest et
.Therhymeschemei nthesestetisfl
exi
bletoa
point.Twoorthr
eer hymepat ternsmaybear rangedindif
fer
entway s.Butthelasttwoli
nesmay
neverbeacouplet.Thi sdi
ffersfrom t
heShakespeareansonnet,whi
chal waysendsi nacoupletand
has12l i
nes.
I
nspit
eoft
hestr
ictPet
rar
chanform,
howev
er,
Spenserseemst
ohav
ecr
eat
edhi
sownbl
end
bet
weent
hetwotypesofsonnet
s.

SPENSERPOETRY-
1

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TheAmor
ett
iSonnet
s
Becauset
her
ear
esomanyAmor
ett
isonnet
s,wewi
l
ljustexami ew.Sonnet1r
neaf eads:
Happyy eleaveswhenast hosel il
yhands,
Whichhol dmyl if
ei ntheirdead- doi ngmi ght,
Shal
lhandl eyouandhol dinl ov e'ssof tbands,
Li
kecapt i
vest r
embl ingatt hev ictor '
ssi ght.
Andhappyl i
nes,onwhi chwi thst arrylight,
Thoselampi ngey eswi l
ldeignsomet imest olook
Andreadt hesor rowsofmydy i
ngspr i
te,
Writ
tenwi thtearsinhear t'
scl ose- bleedingbook.
Andhappyr hymesbat h'dint hesacr edbr ook,
OfHeliconwhencesheder ivedi s,
Wheny ebehol dthatAngel 'sbl essedl ook,
Mysoul '
slong-lackedf ood, myheav en'sbl i
ss.
Leaves,li
nes,andr hymes, seekhert opleasealone,
Whom i fyeplease,Icar eforot hernone.
Spenceri
screati
ngamet aphorinthesonnet .Infact,heusesmet aphorthroughoutt
heentir
esetof
Amoretti
sonnets.Themet aphorinSonnet1i sthatofabook.I nthefi
rstfourli
nes,t
heauthor
compareshimselftoabookt hatisreadbyhi slov e,
Elizabeth.Hishopeist hatshewil
lholdhis
poemsinher'l
il
ywhi t
ehands. '
Hev iewsElizabeth'saccept anceofhislettersasheraccept
anceof
hi
slove.Thesecondf ourli
nesspeakofhi swi shtoseehi slover'
seyeslightupwhensher eadsthe
poem orper
hapswhensheseesSpenser .Hel ongsf orElizabethtoseehi ssadnessbecauseshe
hasnotyetl
ovedhi m.

Summar
yandAnal
ysi
sofAmor
ett
iSonnet
s
Amor
ett
ii
sanEl
i
zabet
hansonnet
-cy
cle,
aser
iesofi
nter
connect
edpoemswhi
ch
conv enti
onal lyt raceaman' sat t
emptt owoohi sbeloved, themomentshecapi t
ulat
est o
him andr eturnshi sl ove, andhi ssorrowatsomehowl osingheragai n.Spenser '
ssonnet
-cycledividesr eadilyintot heset hreesections:hispursuitoft hebel ov edext endsf r
om
Sonnet1t oSonnet57.Sonnet s58t hrough77most lydwel lupont hespeaker 'shumi l
i
ty
athav ingwonhi sbel ov ed' shear tandhisowni mpatiencet oconsummat et he
relati
onshi p.Sonnet s78t hrough89f ocuspr i
mar i
lyont hespeaker '
slongingf orhis
beloved, whoi sabsentf orsomer eason, whil
ecomf orti
nghi msel fwi t
hhi spoet ry'
s
abili
tytoi mmor tal
izeher .Thepoem endswi t
ht hr
eeset sofst anzasr elati
ngst or
ies
aboutCupi d,sonofVenus, afterwhom t hesonnet -
cyclei snamed( "
Amor etti
"means
"li
ttl
eCupi ds.")
Thef ir
standl ongestsect i
onr el
atesthesui t
or'semot i
onal t
ur moi l
atbei ngsomadl yi
n
l
ov ewi thawomanwhowi l
l notaccepthi sproposalofmar riage.Hemov esf rom
wor shipful ador ati
onofherbeaut ytov i
ndicti
veangeratherr ejecti
on, depictingherat
timesast hePl atonicideal ofv i
rt
ueandatot hersasacr uel,sadi st
ictease.Thr oughout

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thef
ir
stsect
ion,t
hespeakernev
erquesti
onshi
slovefort
hewoman,
onl
ywhet
herhe
cansurv
ivel
ovingsomeonesodangeroustohi
ssoul.

Oncet hebel ov
edagreestomar r
yhim, thesui
torshift
shistonetounmi ti
gat
ed
admi r
ationofthebeloved.Att
imeshei salmostcondescending, changi
nghisprevi
ous
i
magesoft hewomanashost i
lepredatortohimselfasahunt erandsheashi swil
l
ing
prey.Heal sofindshi
mselfamazedt hatsocelest
ialabeingashi sbelov
edshouldlower
herselftoacceptsomeonesomundaneashi mself.Nonethel
ess, hecomfor
tshimself
byrenewi nghisconfi
denceinhisart
--poetr
y--
andthepowerofhi swor dstoproper
ly
depictthebeaut ynoothermet
hodcanhopet opor tr
ay.

Inthefi
nal sonnets,somet hi
nghascauset hebelov edtoleavethepr
esenceoft he
speaker.Nospecif i
cr easonisgi
ven,al
thoughonesonnetsuggest sthatsomeonel ied
tothewoman, possiblyturni
ngherangertowardt hesui t
or.Thepoemsofl ongingare
notfear
f ul
,however ,butsimplymournfult
hatthel overandbelovedshouldbe
separat
ed.Ther eseemst obeahintthatthissepar at
ion,unendur
abl
easi tisforthe
speaker,istemporary .

Summar
yofSonnet
s34,
67,
77
Sonnet34

Thespeakercompar eshimselft
oashipl ostatsea,lookingforgui dancefrom thest ars.
Unfortunat
ely,“astormehathdimdhertrustyguy de”(li
ne3),maki ngt hestarsinvi
sibletothe
navigator
.Thesecondst anzaident
if
iesthestorm- hi
ddenst ar
sashi sbelovedt ur
ningher sel
f
from thespeaker,thusl
eavi
nghi mto“wandernow, i
ndar nesseanddi smay ”(l
i
ne7) .Hehopes
thestorm willpassandhewi l
lbeabletoseehi sguidingstar(hisbel oved,
showi ngf avortohi
m
yetagain),butunti
l t
henheplansto“wanderdar eful
lcomf ort
lesse,/i
nsecretsor r
owandsad
pensiuenesse”(li
nes13-14).

Sonnet67

Her ethespeakerturnshisear l
ierimagesofpr edat
orandpr eyaround, descri
bing
himselfas“ahunt smanaf terwear ychace”hav i
nggiven“longpur suitandv ai
neassay ”
(l
il
ines1and5) .Hisbeloved,nowa“ gentledeare”(l
ine7)seekst o“quenchhert hi
rstat
thenextbrooke”( l
ine8)and, catchingsightoft hehunter,surr
ender sherselftohim“ t
il
lI
i
nhandhery ethalfetrmblingtooke,’andwi t
hherownegoodwi l
l hi
rfiyrmelytyde”(l
ines
12-13).Hestandsamazedatherwi ll
ingsurrendertohim, “t
oseeabeastsowy ld,
/so
goodlywonnewi thherownewi llbeguyld”(l
ines13-14).Her ej
oicest hatshehas
surrender
edt ohim, butismy sti
fied(andper hapsfurtherpleased)thatshehasdonei t
notunderdur ess,butofherownf r
eewi ll
.

Sonnet77

Thespeakercont
inuest
omedi
tat
euponhi
sfi
ancée’
sbosom,
star
ti
ngt
hesonnetwi
tha

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seriesofimagesdesi gnedt otakethereaderoffguard.Hewonder swhet heritwer e
dream orr ealit
ywhenhebehel datable“ofpur eyv
or y
”uponwhi chwasspr eadaset t
ing
“fi
ttoent ertayne,/
thegr eatestPri
ncewi t
hpompousr oialty”(l
i
nes2- 4).Hedescr i
besi n
particul
arasi lverdishuponwhi chtwogoldenappl es“ f
arpassi ngthosewhi chHer cules
cameby ,/orthoswhi chAt alantadi
dent i
ce”(l
ines6-8).Hedwel lsupont heseappl es,
descr i
bingthem as“ Exceedingsweet ,
yetvoydofsi nfullvi
ce”(line9,anal lusi
ont othe
forbiddenf r
uitofGenesi s3).Manyhav esoughttheseappl es,butnoneev ertasted
them—t henher evealst hesecretmeaningofhi sdream- table:
“Herbr estthatt ablewas
sor ichl
yspr edd,’
myt hought stheguests,whichwoul dther eonhav efedd”( li
nes13- 14).

Summar
yandAnal
ysi
sofFi
nalSt
anzas
Thef inalstanzasofAmo ret t
i discussCupi d'sv ari
ousant i
csasawayofexami ning
thenat ureofl ove.
Cupi disfir
stment i
onedashav ingurgedt hespeaker ,asachi l
d, t
or eachi ntoabeehi ve
forthesweethoneywi t
hin.Thespeakerdi dso, onlytobest ungbyt hebeeswhi l
eCupid
fl
ed.Thr ought hi
sexper i
ence, thespeakeri scl aimingt ohavel earnedthatpl easureand
paingohandi nhand, echoingt hesent imentsi nthef i
rstsectionof Amor etti
.Cupi d'
s
fl
ightemphasi zesthear bitr
arynat ureofl oveandi sdev el
opedf urtherinthesest anzas.
Thesecondsect ionofst anzasabsol vesCupi dofsomegui l
t.Here, Cupidi scaught
sleepingbyDi ane,goddessoft hehunt .I
nanactofmi schief,Dianeswi tchesoneof
Cupi d'
slove-inducingar r
owswi t honeofherowndeadl yshaf t
s.Cupi dunknowi ngly
pullsthisarrowf rom hisqui verwhent akingaim att hespeaker ,thuscausi ngt he
speakermor epai nthanlov e.

Together,t
hesef i
rstt
wosect i
onsemphasizetheacutepai nfel
tbyanunr equitedlov
er.
Justasthesui t
orfeelshimsel
ftor
mentedbythel overi
nt heearl
iersonnets,herethe
speakergivesthecauseofsuchpain--
theabstractconceptthatl
ov eandharm ar e
i
nterconnected,orthearbi
tr
arywil
lofper
nici
ousgodl i
ngs.

Thet hirdsect i
onoft hef i
nalstanzasof fersCupidachancet olearnther esultsofhi s
ownact ions.Theyf ocusal mostentirelyonani ncidenti
nv olvi
ngCupi dandVenus.Asa
child,Cupidi sannoy edbyabeebuzzi ngaroundhi m ashet ri
est orest.Hismot her
war nshi mt oleavet hebeeal one, butCupi dinsteadimpetuousl ygrabsthebeei nhis
hand.Hei s,ofcour se, stungandr el
easest hebee; hi
smot herattempt stosoot hehim
whi l
et eachinghi m al esson:hehashadnopi t
yonmanymor t
alswhom hi sar rowshav e
"st
ung, "soper hapsheshoul dshowt hesameki ndnesstot hem thatshei snow
showi ngt ohim.Cupi d, however,missest helessonent i
relyandgoesonar bit
rar i
lyfi
ring
hisarrowsatmor talswi t
houtthoughtf ortheconsequencesofunr equitedl ove.Att he
endoft hissect i
onthespeakerr eturnst ohimsel fasthetargetofCupi d'
si ndi
ffer ent
attenti
ons, resigninghi mselftolangui shinunconsummat edl oveuntilCupidseesf i
tto
endhi ssuf feri
ng.

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SPENSERPOETRY-
2
THEEPI
THALAMI
ON
Epithal ami onisanodewr ittenbyEdmundSpenserasagi f
ttohi sbride, El
izabet hBoy l
e,ont hei
r
weddi ngday .Thepoem mov est hrought hecoupl es' weddingday ,
from t hegr oom' simpat i
ent
hour sbef oredawnt othel atehour sofni ghtaf tert hehusbandandwi fehav econsummat ed
theirmar riage.Spenseri sv erymet hodi calinhisdepi cti
onoft imeasi tpasses, bothinthe
accur at echr onological senseandi nt hesubj ectivesenseoft i
measf eltbyt hosewai ti
ngin
anticipat ionorf ear .
Aswi thmostcl assically-i
nspi redwor ks,thi
sodebegi nswithani nvocat i
ont ot heMusest ohel p
thegr oom; howev er,inthiscaset heyar et ohel phi m awakenhi sbr ide,notcr eat ehispoetic
wor k.Thenf ol
lowsagr owi ngpr ocessionoff i
gur eswhoat temptt obest i
rthebr i
defrom her
bed.Oncet hesunhasr isen, thebr idef i
nall
yawakensandbegi nsherpr ocessiont ot hebridal
bower .Shecomest ot he" templ e"( thesanct uaryoft hechur chwher einshei stobef or
mal ly
mar ri
edt ot hegr oom)andi swed, thenacel ebr ationensues.Al mosti mmedi ately,t
hegr oom
want sev eryonet ol eaveandt hedayt oshor tensot hathemayenj oyt hebl i
ssofhi sweddi ng
night.Oncet heni ghtar ri
ves, howev er,thegr oom t ur nshisthought stowar dt hepr oductoft heir
union, pr ayingtov ari
ousgodst hathi snewwi fe'swombmi ghtbef erti
leandgi vehim mul ti
ple
chil
dr en.

St
anza1

Summar
y

Thegroom cal
lsuponthemusestoinspi
rehi
mt oproperl
ysi
ngtheprai
sesofhi
sbel
ovedbr
ide.
Heclai
mshewi llsi
ngtohimsel
f,"
asOrpheusdi
df orhi
sownbri
de."Aswit
hmostofthe
fol
lowi
ngstanzas,t
hisst
anzaendswitht
herefr
ain"Thewoodsshall
tomeanswerandmy
Ecchori
ng.
"

Anal
ysi
s

Inthetradit
ionofclassicalaut
hor
s,thepoetcallsuponthemusest oi
nspirehim.Unli
kemany
poets,whocal l
eduponasi ngl
emuse, Spenserherecal
lsuponallt
hemuses, suggest
inghis
subjectrequirestheful
lrangeofmythicinspi
rat
ion.Theref
erencetoOrpheusisanallusi
onto
thathero'sl
uringofhisbr i
de'
sspi
ri
tfrom therealm oft
hedeadusinghisbeautif
ulmusic;the
groom, too,hopestoawakenhi sbri
def r
om herslumber,l
eadingheri
ntotheli
ghtoftheir
weddingday .

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St
anza2

Summar
y

Bef or
ethebr eakofday,t
hegroom ur
gesthemusest oheadtohisbelov
ed'sbower,t
hereto
awakenher .Hy men,godofmarri
age,i
salreadyawake,andsotooshoul
dt hebri
deari
se.The
groom urgest hemusestoremindhisbri
det hatt
hisi
sherweddingday,anoccasi
onthatwil
l
returnhergreatdel
ightf
orall
the"paynesandsor r
owespast.
"

Anal
ysi
s

Anot herclassi
calfi
gure,Hymen,i
si nv
okedhere,andnotfort helastt
ime.Ifthegodofmar r
iage
i
sr eady ,
andt hegroom isr
eady,thenheexpectshisbri
det omakeher selfreadyaswel l
.The
focusi sont hesancti
tyoft
heweddi ngday--
thi
soccasionitselfshoul
durget hebridetocome
celebrateitasearlyaspossibl
e.Hereiti
sthemar r
iageceremony ,notthebride(orthegroom)
whichdet ermineswhatisurgent.

St
anza3

Summar
y

Thegr oom i nstructsthemusest osummonal l

thenymphst heycantoaccompanythem tothe
bridalchamber .Ont hei
rway ,t
heyaretogatheral
lthefr
agrantfl
owerstheycananddecorate
thepat hleadi ngfrom the"bri
dalbower
,"wherethemar r
iageceremonyistotakepl
ace,tothe
dooroft hebr i
de'schamber s.I
ftheydoso,shewilltr
eadnothingbutf
lowersonherprocessi
on
from herr oomst othesiteofthewedding.Astheyadornherdoorwaywi t
hflower
s,t
heirsong
wi l
lawakent hebr i
de

Anal
ysi
s

Thiscelebrati
onofChr i
sti
anmat r
imonyher
ebecomesf ir
mlyentr
enchedintheclassi
cal
my t
hologyoft heGr eekswitht hesummoningoft henymphs.Nomor epaganimagecanbe
foundthant hesenat ure-
spiri
tsstrewi
ngthegroundwi t
hv ari
ousfl
owerstomakeapat hof
beautyf r
om thebr i
de'sbedchambert othebri
dal bower.Alt
houghSpenserwil
ll
aterdevel
opthe
Protestantmar r
iageideals,hehaschosent ogreettheweddingdaymor ni
ngwiththespir
it
sof
ancientpaganism instead.

St
anza4

Summar
y

Addressingt hevari
ousny mphsofothernatural
locales,thegroom askst hatt
heytendtotheir
specialt
iestomaket heweddi ngdayperfect
.Theny mphswhot endthepondsandl akesshoul
d
makesur ethewaterisclearandunmolestedbylivel
yf i
sh,thattheymayseet heirown
refl
ecti
onsi nitandsobestpr epar
ethemselvestobeseenbyt hebr i
de.Thenymphsoft he
mount ainsandwoods, whokeepdeersaf ef
rom raveningwol v
es, shouldexer
cisethei
rski
ll
sin
keepingt heseself
samewol v
esawayf r
om thebridethisweddi ngday .Bothgr
oupsar etobe
presentt ohelpdecorat
et heweddingsi
tewiththeirbeauty.

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Anal
ysi
s

HereSpenserfurt
herdevelopst heny mph-summoni ngofSt anza3.Thathefocusesonthetwo
gr
oups' abi
li
ti
estopreventdisturbanceshintsthathef oresawachanceofsomemi sf
ort
une
at
tendingthewedding.Whet herthisisconventional "
weddingdayj i
tter
s"oramor epol
it
ical
l
y-
motiv
at edconcer
nov ert
hepr oblem ofIri
shupr isi
ngsi suncertai
n,butthewol
v esmenti
oned
wouldcomef rom t
hef or
ests--
thesamepl aceIrishresist
ancegr oupsusetohidethei
r
movement sandstri
keattheoccupy i
ngEngl i
shwi thimpuni ty.

St
anza5

Summar
y

Thegroom nowaddr esseshi

sbri
dedir
ectly(evenifsheisnotpresent)tourgehert
oawaken.
Sunri
seislongsincegoneandPhoebus,thesun-god,isshowing"hi
sgl or
ioushed.
"Thebir
ds
areal
readysingi
ng,andthegroom i
nsi
ststheirsongisacallt
ojoydi r
ectedatthebri
de.

Anal
ysi
s

Themy thicalfi
guresofRosyDawn,Tit
hones,andPhoebusar eher ei
nvokedtocont
inuethe
cl
assicalmot i
foftheode.Thusfar
,iti
sindist
inguishabl
eincontentfr
om apaganwedding-
song.Thatt hegroom mustaddr
esshisbridedirectl
ydemonstratesbothhi
simpati
enceandthe
i
neffecti
venessofr el
yi
ngonthemusesandny mphst osummonf ort
hthebri
de.

St
anza6

Summar
y

Thebri
dehasf i
nal
lyawakened,andherey esli
kenedtothesunwi tthei
r"goodl
ybeams/More
bri
ghtt
henHesperus."Thegroom ur
gest he"daughter
sofdelight
"toattendtothebri
de,but
summonst ootheHoursofDayandNi ght,theSeasons,andthe"t
hr eehandmayds"ofVenusto
att
endaswell.Heurgesthelat
tert
odof orhisbridewhattheydof orVenus,si
ngtoherasthey
hel
pherdressforherwedding.

Anal
ysi
s

Thereisasecondsunrisehereasthe" dar
ksomecl oud"isremovedfrom thebri
de'svisageand
hereyesareal
lowedtoshineinalltheirgl
ory.The"daughtersofdel
ight"aret
heny mphs, st
il
l
urgedtoatt
endont hebri
de,buthereSpenseri nt
roducesthepersonif
icati
onsoftimei nthe
hoursthatmakeupDay ,Night
,andt heseasons.Hewi ll
retur
ntothistimemot i
flater
,butiti
s
i
mpor t
anttonotethathereheseest imeit
selfparti
cipat
ingasmuchi nthemar r
iagecer emony
asdot henymphsandhandmai dsofVenus.

St
anza7

Summar
y

Thebr
idei
sreadywi
thherat
tendantv
irgi
ns,
sonowi
tist
imef
ort
hegr
oomsmenandt
he

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groom hi
msel ftopr
epare.Thegroom impl
oresthesuntoshi nebright
ly,
butnothotl
ylesti
t
burnhisbri
de'sfai
rski
n.Het henpraystoPhoebus,whoi sbothsun-godandorigi
natorofthe
arts,
togiv
et hisonedayoftheyeartohim whil
ekeepingther estf
orhimsel
f.Heoffersto
exchangehisownpoet r
yasanof feri
ngforthi
sgreatfavor.

Anal
ysi
s

Thethemeofl ightasbothasignofjoyandani mageofcreati

veprowessbeginst
obe
developedhere,asthegroom addr
essesPhoebus.Spenserrefer
sagaintohisownpoet
ryasa
worthyoffer
ingtothegodofpoet r
yandthearts,whi
chhebel i
eveshasearnedhimthef
avorof
havi
ngt hi
sonedaybel ongtohimselfr
athert
hant ot
hesun-god.

St
anza8

Summar
y

Themor t
alweddingguestsandenter
tai
nmentmoveintoacti
on.Themi nstrel
splaythei
rmusi
c
andsing,whi
l
ewomenpl aythei
rti
mbrel
sanddance.Youngboysr unthroughoutthestr
eet
s
cry
ingtheweddingsong"Hymeni oHymen,Hymen"foral
ltohear.Thosehear i
ngthecri
es
applaudt
heboysandj oi
ninwi t
hthesong.

Anal
ysi
s

Spensershif
tstot her
eal
-worldpart
ici
pant si
ntheweddi ngceremony ,t
heentert
ainmentand
possi
bleguests.Hedescribesatypi
cal(iflav
ish)Eli
zabethanweddingcompl et
ewi t
helements
harki
ngbackt oclassi
cal
times.Theboy s'song"Hy menioHy men,Hy men"canbet r
acedback
toGreece,wit
hitsdeli
ver
ybyGai usValeriusCatul
lusinthefir
stcenturyB.
C.

St
anza9

Summar
y

Thegr oom behol

dshisbrideapproachi
ngandcompar eshertoPhoebe(anothernamefor
Art
emi s,goddessofthemoon)cladi nwhit
e"thatseemesavirgi
nbest.
"Hef i
ndsherwhit
e
at
ti
r esoappropri
atethatsheseemsmor eangelthanwoman.Inmodesty,sheavoidst
hegaze
ofthemy ri
adadmi r
ersandblushesatthesongsofpr ai
sesheisrecei
vi
ng.

Anal
ysi
s

Thisunusual st
anzahasa" missi
ngline"
--abreakaf
tertheninthli
neofthestanza(l
ine156).
Thest r
uctureprobablyplaysint
oSpenser '
sgreat
erorganizat
ionofli
nesandmet er,
whichecho
thehoursoft hedaywi thgreatmathemat i
calpr
eci
sion.Thereisnoaesthet
icreasonwithi
nthe
stanzaforthebreak,asi tt
akesplacethreeli
nesbeforetheversesdescr
ibi
ngthebride'
sown
reacti
ontoheradmi rers.

Thecompari
sontoPhoebe,twi
nsisterofPhoebus,i
ssigni
fi
cantsi
ncethegroom has
essent
ial
l
ybargai
nedtotakePhoebus'placeofpr
ominencethi
sdaytwostanzasago.Hesees
thebri
deasaperfect
,ev
endivi
ne,counterpar
ttohi
mselfthi
sday,asDayandNightare

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i
next
ri
cabl
yli
nkedi
nthepassageoft
ime.

St
anza10

Summar
y

Thegroom asksthewomenwhoseehi sbri

deiftheyhaveeverseenany
onesobeauti
fuli
nt heir
townbefore.Hethenlaunchesi
ntoali
stofall
herv i
rt
ues,st
arti
ngwit
hhereyesandevent
ual l
y
descr
ibi
ngherwhol ebody.Thebri
de'
soverwhelmingbeautycausest
hemaidenstof
orgettheir
songtostareather.

Anal
ysi
s

Spenserengagest heblasonconv ent

ion,i
nwhichawoman' sphy si
calfeaturesar
epickedout
anddescr i
bedi nmet aphori
calterms.Unli
kehisbl asonsinAmor et
ti
,thi
slisti
nghasno
overarchi
ngconnect i
onamongt hevari
ousmet aphor s.Herey esandf oreheadaredescribedin
ter
msofv aluableitems(sapphiresandivory
),hercheeksandl i
pscompar edtofr
uit(
appl esand
cherri
es),herbr easti
scompar edt oabolwofcr eam, hernipplest othebudsofl i
l
ies,herneckto
anivorytower ,andherwholebodycompar edtoabeaut if
ul palace.

St
anza11

Summar
y

Thegroom movesfr
om t
heext er
nalbeautyofthebri
detoherint
ernalbeauty,whichheclai
ms
toseebet
tert
hananyoneelse.Hepraisesherli
vel
yspir
it
,hersweetlove,herchasti
ty,
herfai
th,
herhonor
,andhermodest
y .Heinsi
ststhatcoul
dherobserver
sseeheri nnerbeauty,t
heywould
befarmoreawestr
uckbyitthantheyalr
eadyarebyheroutwardappearance.

Anal
ysi
s

Alt
houghnotabl asonlikethelaststanza,t
hissetofv er
sesisnonet helessacat al
ogueofthe
bri
de'si nnervirt
ues.Spensermov esf oramomentawayf rom theemphasi sonout wardbeaut
y
sopr omi nentinthisodeandi npaganmar r
iagecer emonies,turninginsteadtohisother
cl
assi calinf
luence: Platoni
sm.Hedescr i
best heideal woman, unsull
iedbyf l
eshlyweaknessor
str
ayt hought s.Coul dtheattendantsseehert ruebeaut y-
-herabsolutebeauty--
theywouldbe
astonishedl i
ket hosewhosaw" Medusaesmazef ul hed"andwer eturnedt ostone.

St
anza12

Summar
y

Thegroom call
sforthedoorstothetempletobeopenedthathi
sbri
demayenterinand
approachthealt
ari
nr ev
erence.Heoffer
shisbri
deasanexamplefortheobser
vingmai
denst
o
fol
low,forsheappr
oachesthisholypl
acewithrever
enceandhumil
i
ty.

Anal
ysi
s

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Spensershif
tstheimageryfrom t
hatofapaganweddi ngceremony ,inwhi chthebri
dewoul dbe
escort
edt ot
hegroom' shouseforthewedding,toaProtest
antonet akingplaceinachur ch
(al
thoughhedescribesitwit
hthepre-Chri
sti
anterm"temple"
).Thebr i
deent ersinasa" Saynt
"
i
nt hesensethatsheisagoodPr otest
antChrist
ian,
andsheappr oachest hisholypl
acewi ththe
appropri
atehumil
it
y .Noment i
onofHy menorPhoebusi smade;insteadt hebrideapproaches
"befor
eth'al
mighti
esv ew."Theminstr
elshavenowbecome" Chori
sters"singi
ng" pr
aisesofthe
Lord"totheaccompanimentoforgans.

St
anza13

Summar
y

Thebr i
destandsbefor
et heal
tarasthepri
estof
fershisblessi
nguponheranduponthe
mar r
iage.Shebl
ushes,causi
ngtheangelstofor
gettheirduti
esandencir
cleher
e,whi
l
ethe
groom wonderswhysheshoul dblushtogi
vehim herhandi nmarr
iage.

Anal
ysi
s

Nowf ir
mlyentrenchedi ntheChr i
sti
anweddingceremony,t
hepoem dwel lsuponthebri
de'
s
react
iontothepr i
est'
sbl essing,
andthegroom'sreact
iont
ohisbr i
de'sresponse.Herbl
ush
sendshimt owardanot hersongaboutherbeauty,buthehesit
atestocommi twholl
ytot
hat.A
shadowofdoubtcr osseshi smind,ashedescri
besherdowncastey esas"sad"andwonders
whymaki ngapl edgetomar ryhi
m shoul
dmakeherbl ush.

St
anza14

Summar
y

TheChr i
sti
anpar
toftheweddingceremonyi
sover
,andthegroom askst
hatthebr
idetobe
broughthomeagainandthecelebr
ati
ontost
art
.Hecal
lsforf
easti
nganddrinki
ng,
turni
nghis
at
t ent
ionfr
om t
he"al
mighty"Godofthechur
chtot
he"GodBacchus,"Hymen,andt
heGr aces.

Anal
ysi
s

Spensersl
ipseasil
y(perhapsev enhastil
y)awayf r
om t ehProtest
antweddingceremonybackt o
thepaganrevel
ri
es.Forgottenisthebr i
de'shumil
it
yatt healtaroftheChri
stianGod;inst
eadhe
crownsBacchus,godofwi neandr evelry
,andHy menwasr equesti
ngtheGr acestodance.Now
hewantstocelebratehis"t
riumph"withwi ne"pouredoutwi t
houtrestr
aintorstay"andli
bations
totheafor
ementionedgods.Heconsi dersthi
sdayt obehol yforhi
mself,perhapsseeingitas
ananswert ohi
spr evi
ousimpr ecat
iontoPhoebust hatthi
sdaybelongtohi m al
one.

St
anza15

Summar
y

Thegr oom r
eit
erateshisaf
fi
rmat
ionthatthi
sdayishol
yandcall
sever
yonetocel
ebr
atein
responsetotheringi
ngbell
s.Heexul
tsthatthesuni
ssobri
ghtandthedaysobeaut
if
ul,then
changeshistonet oregr
etasher
eali
zehisweddingist
aki
ngplaceonthesummersolst
ice,t
he

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l
ongestdayoft
hey
ear
,andsohi
sni
ght
ti
menupt
ial
bli
sswi
l
lbedel
ayedal
lthel
onger
,yetl
ast
onl
ybri
efl
y.

Anal
ysi
s

Byidenti
fyi
ngtheexactdayoft hewedding(thesummersol sti
ce,June20) ,
Spenserall
owsthe
readertofi
tthi
spoeticdescript
ionoftheceremonyint
oar eal,hi
stor
icalcontext
.Assome
cri
ti
cshavenoted,at imeli
neofthedaysuper i
mposedoverthev er
sest r
uctureoftheenti
reode
producesanaccurate,li
ne-by-
li
neaccountofthevar
iousastronomicalevents(sunri
se,
the
posit
ionofthestar
s, sunset)
.

St
anza16

Summar
y

Thegr oom conti

nueshi
sf r
ustr
atedcomplaintthatt
hedayistoolong,butgrowshopeful
asat
l
ongl astt
heev eni
ngbeginsit
sarri
val
.Seeingtheev eni
ngstar
tintheEast,headdr
essesisas
"Fay
rechildeofbeauty,
glori
ouslampeofloue,"urgi
ngittocomeforwardandhastenthetime
fort
henewl ywedstoconsummat ethei
rmar ri
age.

Anal
ysi
s

Agai
nf ocusedontime,t
hespeakerher
eisablet
odrawhopef
rom t
heapproachoftwi
li
ght.He
i
seagert obealonewit
hhisbri
de,andsoinv
okestheev
eni
ngstart
oleadt
hebrideandgroom
tot
heirbedchamber.

St
anza17

Summar
y

Thegroom urgest
hesingersanddancerst
oleavetheweddi
ng,buttakethebri
detoherbedas
theydepar
t.Heiseagert
obeal onewit
hhisbri
de,andcomparesthesightofherl
yi
nginbedto
thatofMaia,
themountaingoddesswit
hwhom ZeusconceivedHermes.

Anal
ysi
s

Thecompar i
sontoZeusandMai aissi
gnif
icanti
nthatitf
oreshadowsanotherdesir
eofthe
groom, pr
ocr
eati
on.Besi
desbei ngeagertomakelovetohi snewbride,t
hespeakerisal
so
hopingtoconcei
veachild.Accordingt
olegendandtradit
ion,achi
ldconcei
vedont hesummer
solst
icewouldgr
owi nt
opr osperi
tyandwisdom,sotheconnectiontothespeci
fi
cdayoft he
weddingcannotbeignored.

St
anza18

Nighthascomeatl
ast,
andthegr
oom asksNightt
ocoverandpr
otectt
hem.Hemakesanot
her
comparisont
omythol
ogy,
thi
sti
meZeus' af
fai
rwit
hAlcmeneandhisaf
fai
rwi
thNi
ghther
sel
f.

Anal
ysi
s

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Hereagai
nSpenserusesacl assicalall
usiont oZeus, mentioni
ngnotonl
yt hewomanwith
whom Zeushadrelat
ions,butalsotheiroffspring.Alcmenewasadaught erofPlei
adesand,
thr
oughZeus,becamet hemotherofHer cules.Thef ocushasalmostshi
ftedawayfrom t
he
bri
deortheactofconsummat iontot hepot entialchi
ldthatmaycomeoft hisuni
on.

St
anza19

Summar
y

Thegroom pr
ayst
hatnoevi
lspir
it
sorbadt
hought
swouldreachthenewl
ywedst
hisni
ght
.The
ent
ir
estanzaisal
i
stofpossi
bledanger
shepl
eadstol
eavethem al
one.

Anal
ysi
s

Atthemomentt hebrideandgr oom ar efi

nall
yalone,thespeakershif
tsintoanalmost
hyster
icall
itanyoff earsanddr eads.From fal
sewhi spersanddoubts,hedeclinesi
nto
supersti
ti
ousf earofwi tches,"
hobGobl i
ns,
"ghosts,andv ul
tur
es,amongot hers.Al
thoughsome
ofthesenight-terr
orshav eanalogsinGr eekmy thol
ogy ,
manyoft hem comef rom t
hef ol
kl
oreof
theIri
shcount rysi
de.Spenserr emindshi mselfandhisreadersthat
,asal andedEngli
shmanon
Iri
shsoil
,thereisdangery etpr
esentf orhim,evenonhi sweddingnight.

St
anza20

Summar
y

Thegroom bi
dssi
lencetoprevailandsleeptocomewheni ti
sthepr
operti
me.Unti
lthen,he
encour
agesthe"
hundredli
tt
lewi ngedloues"tof
lyaboutt
hebed.Theset
inyCupi
dsar etoenj
oy
themsel
vesasmuchaspossi bleunti
lday br
eak.

Anal
ysi
s

Thepoettur
nsbacktoenj
oyi
nghisbel
ovedbr
ide,inv
oki
ngthe"
sonnesofVenus"topl
ay
thr
oughoutt
henight
.Whil
eherecogni
zest
hatsleepcanandmustcomeeventual
l
y,hehopest
o
enj
oythese"l
it
tl
elov
es"wi
thhisbri
deasmuchaspossibl
e.

St
anza21

Summar
y

Thegroom noti
cesCint
hia,
themoon,peeri
ngthr
oughhi
swindowandpr ayst
oherf
ora
fav
orableweddi
ngnight.Hespeci
fi
cal
lyaskst
hatshemakehisbr
ide'
s"chast
ewomb"f
ert
il
e
thi
snight.

Anal
ysi
s

Spenserconti
nueshi
sprayerf
orconcept
ion,
thi
stimeaddr
essingCinthi
a,t
hemoon.Heasks
hertorememberherownloveofthe"Lat
mianshephar
d"Endymion--
aunionthateventual
l
y
producedfi
ft
ydaught
ers,t
hephasesofthemoon.Hespecif
ical
lycal
lsasuccessfulconcept
ion

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"ourcomfor
t,
"pl
acinghi
semot ional
emphasisuponthefr
uitoft
heunionabovetheactofuni
on
i
tself
.Theimpat
ientl
overoftheearl
ierst
anzashasbecomethewould-bef
atherl
ooki
ngfor
completi
oninafutur
egenerati
on.

St
anza22

Summar
y

Thegroom addsmoredeit
iest
ohisli
stofpat
ron.HeasksJuno,wifeofZeusandgoddessof
marri
age,t
omaket hei
runi
onstrongandsacr
ed, t
hentur
nsheratt
enti
ontowardmakingit
fr
uit
ful
.So,too,
heasksHebeandHy mentodot hesameforthem.

Anal
ysi
s

Whi l
easkingJunotoblessthemarri
age,thespeakercannotr
efrainf
rom aski
ngforprogeny.So,
too,heinvokesHebe(goddessofyouth)andHy mentomaket heirweddi
ngnightoneof
fort
unateconcepti
onaswel lasweddedbliss.Whi
lehedoesreturntothehopeorprayerthat
themar r
iagewil
lremainpure,t
hespeakerstil
lpl
acesconcept
ionast hehi
ghestpri
ori
tyofthe
night.

St
anza23

Summar
y

Thegroom uttersandall
-encompassingpr
ayertoallt
hegodsintheheavens,thatt
heymight
bl
essthismar ri
age.Heaskst hem t
ogivehim"l
argeposter
it
y"t
hathemayr ai
seupgenerat
ions
off
oll
owerst oascendtot heheavensinprai
seofthegods.Hethenencourageshisbr
idetorest
i
nhopeoft heirbecomingparents.

Anal
ysi
s

Spenserbr i
ngsthi
sodet oamaj orcli
max, cal
li
nguponal lt
hegodsintheheavenst obear
witnessandshowert hei
rbl
essingsupont hecouple.Hest at
esinnouncert
aintermst hatt
he
blessi
nghewoul dhav ei
sprogeny -
-hewishesnothingotherthantohaveachil
df r
om thisuni
on.
Intypical
paganbargaini
ngconv enti
on,thespeakerassuresthegodsthati
ftheygivehim
chil
dren,thesef
uturegener
ati
onswi l
lvenerat
ethegodsandf i
ll
theear
thwit
h" Sai
nts.
"

St
anza24

Summar
y

Thegroom addresseshissongwitht
hechargetobea" goodl
yornament
"forhisbride,whom
hefeel
sdeservesmanyphy sical
adornment
saswel l
.Timewast ooshor
ttoprocuret hese
out
warddecorationsforhi
sbeloved,
sothegroom hopeshisodewil
lbean"endlesse
moniment"toher.

Anal
ysi
s

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Spenserf ol
lowsElizabethconventioninreturni
ngtoasel f-
consci ousmedi t
ati
onuponhi sode
i
tself.Heaskst hatthisode,whichhei sforcedtogiv eherinplaceofthemanyor nament s
whichhi sbrideshouldhav ehad,willbecomeanal togethergreateradornmentf orher.He
paradoxicall
yaskst hatitbe"f
orshor tti
me"and" endless"monumentf orher,drawingthe
reader'
sat t
entionbackt othecontrastbetweenear thlyt
ime,whi cheventual
lyrunsout ,
and
eternit
y,whichlastsforeveri
nast ateofper f
ecti
on.

THEPROTHLAMI
ON
Prothalamion,thecommonl yusednameofPr othal
ami on;or
,ASpousal lVerseinHonouroft he
Doubl eMar r
iageofLadieElizabet
handLadi eKatherineSomerset,
[
1]
isapoem byEdmund
Spenser( 1552–1599),oneoft hei
mportantpoetsoftheTudorPeriodi nEngland.Publi
shedin
1596[1](
see1596i npoetry
),iti
sanuptialsongthathecomposedt haty earont heoccasionofthe
twinmar ri
ageoft hedaughtersoftheEarlofWorcester;El
i
zabet
hSomer setandKat her
ineSomer set
.
Pr othalami oniswr i
ttenintheconv ent
ionalform ofamar r
iagesong.Thepoem begi nswitha
descr iptionoft heRiverThameswher eSpenserf indstwobeaut i
fulmai dens.Thepoetpr oceedst o
prai sethem andwi shingthem allt
hebl essi
ngsf ortheirmar riages.Thepoem begi nswi thaf i
ne
descr iptionoft hedaywhenonwhi chhei swrit
ingt hepoem." Calm wast hedayandt hroughthe
trembl ingai r/
Thesweetbr eathi
ngZephy rusdidsof tl
ypl ay.
"Thepoeti sst andingneart heThames
Riv erandf indsagr oupofny mphswi t
hbasket scol l
ectingf l
ower sforthenewbr i
des.Thepoett el
ls
ust hattheyar ehappi l
ymaki ngthebri
dal crownsf orElizabethandKat her i
ne.Hegoesonhi spoem
descr ibingt woswansatt heThames, relati
ngittot hemy t
hofJov eandLeda.Accor dingtothemy t
h,
Jov ef all
sinl ovewithLedaandcomest ocourtheri nthegui seofabeaut ifulswan.Thepoetf eels
thatt heThameshasdonej usti
cetohisnupt i
alsongby" fl
owi ngsof t
ly"accor dingtohisrequest:
"SweetThamesr unsof tl
ytill
Iendmysong. "Thepoem i softengr oupedwi thSpenser'spoem about
hisownmar ri
age,theEpi t
halamion.

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