Whoso List to Hunt by Thomas Wyatt (AQA A-Level English Literature A): Revision Notes
Whoso List to Hunt by Thomas Wyatt
Introduction
This poem, composed during the 1530s or 1540s, stands as one of the earliest sonnets written in English. The work explores love as a desperate and ultimately futile chase. Written by Sir Thomas Wyatt, a courtier and diplomat in Henry VIII's court, the poem presents the unsuccessful pursuit of a woman who remains beyond the speaker's reach. Through the extended metaphor of hunting a deer, Wyatt conveys themes of frustrated desire, unattainable love and the power dynamics between men and women in Tudor society.
The poem is significant not only for its emotional content but also for its role in English literary history. Wyatt introduced the Petrarchan sonnet form to England, adapting Italian poetic traditions for an English audience and helping to elevate the status of English poetry.
Context
Literary context: Renaissance poetry (1500-1660)
During the Renaissance period, love poetry underwent significant transformation. The concept of courtly love became central to poetic expression. According to Pilkington, this development marked perhaps the greatest change in Western culture between the fall of Rome and the rise of the Renaissance.
Courtly love placed women on pedestals and celebrated intense romantic passion in ways that contradicted both Classical civilisation and Christian teachings about salvation. The conventions of this tradition were established in the 12th century treatise Tractus de Amore et de Amoris Remedia, attributed to Andreas Capellanus.
In courtly love poetry, the woman occupies the dominant position whilst the man becomes a devoted pupil who must prove himself worthy of her affection. As Eleanor of Aquitaine noted, the man must be instructed until he becomes a suitable partner for his lady. Although this elevation of women might seem progressive, one could argue that treating a woman as an object to worship represents another form of objectification.
Kleinbach identifies the main features of courtly love poetry:
- The poet celebrates the joy of love, expressing exalted feelings
- He praises and honours the woman he loves, who is superior and can only be approached with reverence and restraint
- Love becomes a passion that affects both the lover's body and soul, potentially causing love-sickness and imbalance
- The lover becomes his lady's servant, with her love proving difficult to obtain. He must demonstrate his courage and faithfulness
- The relationship between lady and lover mirrors the feudal relationship between lord and vassal
Love poetry often depicted courtship as a battlefield where men competed, with the surrender of the female and the victory of the male seen as the prize won through heroic acts. Over centuries, courtly love evolved until, by Shakespeare's time, it represented romantic love and served as a prelude to marriage.
Francesco Petrarch (1304-1374), an Italian poet considered the father of the Renaissance, heavily influenced Wyatt's work. Petrarch's poetry addressed an idealised woman named Laura, representing both an outgrowth of medieval courtly love traditions and a return to the lyric poetry of the ancient world.
The sonnet form originated as songs sung in medieval Italian taverns before gaining popularity across Europe during the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, largely due to Petrarch's influence. The traditional Petrarchan sonnet consists of an octave with an ABBA ABBA rhyme scheme, followed by a sestet with various possible rhyme schemes.
Wyatt's poem represents both a translation and imitation of Petrarch's Sonnet 190. Writing in the 1530s or 1540s, Wyatt helped make England one of the final countries to adopt the sonnet form. He is widely recognised as the first English poet to compose sonnets.
Many of Petrarch's sonnets expressed complaints about love and its potential to cause suffering. They frequently featured animals that symbolised the object or aspects of love, as seen in Wyatt's use of the deer to represent the woman.
Historical context: Thomas Wyatt's life and circumstances
Thomas Wyatt served as both a courtier and diplomat in Henry VIII's court. This position granted him considerable power and influence, particularly as a poet during the early Renaissance era - a time characterised by renewed appreciation for art and abundant artistic and cultural innovation.
Wyatt came from a well-regarded family. His father served as a Privy Councillor to Henry VII and acted as a trusted adviser when Henry VIII ascended to the throne in 1509. Following his father's path, Sir Thomas Wyatt became a member of Henry VIII's court and received many important diplomatic responsibilities as part of the King's Service.
Wyatt's poems circulated around the court and may have been published anonymously in The Court of Venus, an early anthology with its earliest edition appearing in 1537. His poems were first published under his name fifteen years after his death.
The Christian Church was experiencing collapse during this period, and political discourse remained ambiguous and restricted. Many poets employed conceit (extended metaphors) to create allegories that would protect their social position and status. The deer metaphor in Whoso List to Hunt exemplifies this protective strategy.
The poem is widely believed to reference an affair Wyatt conducted with Anne Boleyn, which led to his imprisonment in May 1536. He was later released that same year due to his father's close friendship with Thomas Cromwell and was permitted to return to his usual duties.
Wyatt's linguistic innovation
Wyatt declared himself most interested in linguistic experimentation. He aimed to civilise the English language and elevate it to match the status of other powerful European languages. This motivation helps explain his focus on translating and imitating sonnets by the Italian poet Petrarch.
Wyatt adopted Petrarch's sonnets and adapted the subject matter, though he notably modified the rhyme schemes. Petrarch's sonnets feature an octave rhyming ABBA ABBA followed by a sestet with various rhyme schemes. Wyatt employed the Petrarchan octave but frequently used a sestet rhyme scheme of CDDC EE. This modification marked the beginning of English contributions to the sonnet form, which later developed into a traditional structure of three quatrains and a closing couplet (as seen in Shakespeare's Sonnet 18 or Sonnet 130).
In Whoso List to Hunt, however, Wyatt adhered strictly to the Petrarchan sonnet form, demonstrating his practice of elevating English to a status associated with European languages.
Wyatt's love poetry collection
Wyatt's 96 love poems were published posthumously in 1557 in a collection titled Tottel's Miscellany. Significantly, the first 31 sonnets were all composed in Petrarchan form, with ten being direct translations from Petrarch.
His poems became known for their serious tone and stiff construction, combined with metrical uncertainty. This uncertainty suggests the poet was still wrestling with the new sonnet form. These works are now regarded as important milestones marking progression in English literature.
Wyatt played a crucial role in introducing the personal perspective into English poetry. He incorporated his own experiences whilst following the strict formal rules.
Autobiographical Example in the Text
Whoso List to Hunt exemplifies this approach, as it potentially alludes to Anne Boleyn's relationship with Henry VIII. The speaker references her collar inscription: Graven in diamonds with letters plain,/ There is written her fair neck round about,/ "Noli me tangere [Do not touch me], Caesar's, I am" (lines 11-13).
This inscription suggests the woman belongs to a powerful figure (Caesar/Henry VIII), reflecting Wyatt's personal experience of pursuing an unattainable woman.
The title: Who so list to hunt I knowe where is an hynde
The poem's title indicates that the deer has already been caught and, in fact, belongs to another person. This is confirmed in the final lines: Noli me tangere, for Caesar's I am,/ And wild for to hold, though I seem tame (lines 13-14).
According to some traditional and contemporary interpretations, the deer represents Henry VIII. Allegedly, Wyatt conducted an affair with Anne Boleyn (Henry VIII's second wife) before she became queen.
However, it is possible to interpret that the deer is already owned by someone else without necessarily referencing Wyatt's personal circumstances. The speaker continuously suggests the hind proves impossible to capture due to her skilful and elusive nature. Nevertheless, he later reveals that the true reason she remains untouchable is that she has been claimed by a more powerful man.
Synopsis
The poem opens with the speaker announcing: Whoso list to hunt, I know where is an hind,/ But as for me, helas [alas], I may no more (lines 1-2). The voice is immediately established in the first person. The speaker informs us that if anyone seeks a place to hunt, they know where to find deer. Unfortunately, the speaker himself cannot continue hunting. This creates expectation, as the reader awaits an explanation for why the speaker can no longer pursue this activity.
The deer metaphor continues throughout the poem. The speaker describes how he follows the deer both mentally and physically, yet she runs away: Yet may I by no means my wearied mind/ Draw from the deer, but as she fleeth afore/ Fainting I follow (lines 5-7).
The deer (representing the woman) is personified as the wind that sithens in a net I seek to hold the wind (line 8), depicting the woman's evasive nature. The speaker proves unable to catch and keep her for himself. The metaphor here becomes potentially problematic in how it constructs gender roles. The male speaker operates as the hunter with a net who tracks down the innocent female, who possesses no means of protecting herself except her ability to flee like a vulnerable deer, typically viewed as the helpless victim in the chase.
The volta arrives in line 9: who list her hunt, I put him out of doubt. The speaker warns any other potential suitors about the dangers of pursuing a woman who evades capture.
The speaker explains why the woman proves unobtainable in the final lines, with the poem ending with the female voice overpowering that of the original speaker: Noli me tangere, for Caesar's I am,/ And wild for to hold, though I seem tame. This potentially subverts the gender roles previously established by the deer-hunt metaphor, as the female secures the final words.
The poem can be divided into three sections: the octave (first eight lines) where the speaker explains the hunting process, the volta which warns other men against pursuing the woman, and the final sestet (last six lines) where the speaker further explains his warning and the female voice overpowers the original speaker.
Perspective and power dynamics
Whoso list to hunt I know where is an hynde is written from the perspective of a male speaker courting an unattainable woman. The poem reflects the patriarchal context of the early 16th century. The woman belongs to a powerful man - either Caesar or Henry VIII - demonstrating how, under coverture laws, the very being or legal existence of a married woman was suspended. Her property passed into male hands and she was viewed as his dependent.
The speaker establishes himself as knowledgeable enough to direct others to where they can hunt for a deer. This alludes to his understanding of where to hunt for a woman. The female figure is therefore positioned as the vulnerable prey of a man's sport, though she has managed to elude him thus far. The power dynamic remains uneven.
The sport of hunting enjoyed great popularity during Henry VIII's reign. Henry was particularly fond of it and spent considerable time hunting in the grounds near the palace in Bushy Park.
We later discover that this woman escapes the speaker - she fleeth afore (line 6). The use of fleeth reinforces the predatory nature of the male figure. The woman feels afraid of his advances, like a deer being hunted, and so she runs away from him.
We might be tempted to view this as the female outwitting or overpowering the male speaker. After all, he is physically defeated - sore and fainting. However, in the final lines of the poem we learn: There is written, her fair neck round about: / Noli me tangere, for Caesar's I am (lines 12-13). The woman is already owned by another, more powerful man. The female exists under both the gaze and pursuit of the male speaker as well as under the control of another man.
Furthermore, her voice is deceptive. It is not her own voice but the voice of her captor's, who has placed the sign around her neck. Therefore, we can learn nothing of her own desires. She is spoken for and silenced by Caesar.
Wyatt, as a privileged poet, a member of the King's Court and part of an elite cohort amongst the monarchy, possessed experience of hunting. Common people of the period were not permitted to engage in sporting activities, so his status would have granted him an elite and relatively unique insight into such experiences.
We know that Wyatt was possibly romantically involved with Boleyn and was later imprisoned in the Tower of London for allegedly committing adultery with her. Thus, he experienced courting a woman who could not be his. This lends the poem greater authenticity as it potentially relays the true emotions of the author.
The opening lines
The opening reads:
Whoso list to hunt, I know where is an hind, But as for me, alas, I may no more; The vain travail hath wearied me so sore, I am of them that farthest come behind.
The poem opens with a repetition of the title. This repetition demonstrates to the reader that the title functions as a formal address, repeated as in a traditional letter.
The use of first person indicates that the poem will be grounded in personal experience. The speaker also seeks the reader's sympathy as he recounts his futile efforts to capture the deer. He states as for me, alas, I may no more. The pause before and after alas suggests the speaker is tired or sighing deeply. The speaker reveals that his exhaustive efforts proved useless and he seems to wallow in this revelation. He appears defeated.
However, as modern readers, we should question what has defeated him. Is it the female who evades capture? Or is it a social system that permits men to claim women, with men higher up the social ladder securing first choice?
Structure
Rhyme scheme and form
The poem maintains consistency with its rhyme scheme: ABBA ABBA CDDCEE. The rhyme scheme proves repetitive and controlled, ordered, suggesting the speaker composes from a point in time where he has had opportunity to reflect on his experience and organise his thoughts. However, this interpretation is contradicted by the use of present tense - Faynting I follow (line 7). Has the metaphorical hunt concluded and the speaker given up, or does he continue (albeit only mentally, not actively)?
The first octave (first eight lines) follows the regular rhyme scheme ABBAABBA. Wyatt employs mainly monosyllabic words, which gives the section a factual and consistent tone.
Use of a repetitive rhyme scheme reflects the speaker's obsession and his numerous attempts to capture the woman or deer.
Once we reach the volta, the rhyme scheme shifts to the following sestet, CDDCEE. The volta is significant here as it represents change. Accordingly, the discussion changes. The speaker stops discussing his chase and explains why the woman proves unobtainable. He suggests that anyone else who attempts to hunt the woman will waste their time.
Whilst the am/tame in the final couplet may sound like a half-rhyme or slant-rhyme to contemporary readers, it would have sounded like a perfect rhyme to audiences of Wyatt's time.
Whilst the new rhyme scheme follows a similar pattern (the second and third lines rhyme, just as in the octave's two quatrains), the rhyme sounds are new, indicating change.
The modification in the final six lines is unsurprising. However, the poem it was modelled on - Petrarch's Sonnet 190 - employed a slightly different rhyme scheme for the sestet: CDE CDE. Petrarch's rhyme scheme perhaps unites the stanzas more effectively, whilst Wyatt's rhymes, which exist in closer proximity to each other, lend the ending a more final quality.
Meter
Whoso list to hunt follows iambic pentameter throughout. This sonnet was composed when the English sonnet was just beginning to take shape. Thus, it differs from later English sonnets, which typically follow a standard sestet rhyme scheme of CDDC EE.
However, there exists some metrical ambiguity in the first line, which contains eleven syllables rather than the standard ten. Furthermore, iambic pentameter contains five sets of unstressed-stressed syllable pairs (for example, the words above, belong and destroy are iambic). However, the stresses appear to fall on the first, (possibly) third and fifth syllables of the first line, rather than the second, fourth and sixth, as would be expected.
This irregular stress pattern creates the sense of a tripping motion, perhaps mirroring the way the speaker has fallen for the woman.
The comma in the middle of the first line further disrupts the expected pentameter by creating a pause. This metrical confusion represents the confusion in the speaker's heart and mind.
The metre then stabilises. Lines 2 and 3 roughly conform (in syllable number and stress patterns) to iambic pentameter. However, this stabilisation proves only temporary. Line 4 contains an extra syllable, which drags out or extends the line, mirroring the protracted nature of the hunt for the slow huntsman. This extension to signal the length of the hunt is repeated in lines 6-7. Enjambment links the two lines so that the text does not draw to its expected close after ten syllables have been spelled out, but instead runs on.
Metrical irregularity appears throughout the poem, strengthened by the commas and caesura which interrupt the lines. This irregularity suggests that Wyatt is still grappling with the sonnet form. It does not yet arrive fluently to him.
Enjambment and caesura
Wyatt employs a combination of enjambment and caesura throughout the poem.
The first four lines use caesura and end-stopped lines, lending the speaker's voice a matter-of-fact tone which matches his offer of information: I know where is a hynde (line 1).
However, enjambment appears in the second part of the octet: by no means my wearied mind / Drawe from the deere, but as she fleeth afore / Faynting I followe.
Structural Analysis of Lines 1-7
The caesura and end-stopped lines resume in the sestet. This journey suggests that the speaker has become lost in his thoughts and emotions whilst recounting the hunt, but regains composure with the volta, mirrored by the return of structure to the poem.
The direct address in line 7 also suggests an attempt by the speaker to push away the emotions in which he has become subsumed.
Language
Extended metaphor and allusion
The poem's central device is the extended metaphor or conceit of hunting representing the process of courting a woman.
The speaker declares he knows where to find an hind - a deer or a woman - for other men who wish to hunt.
One interpretation suggests that the entire poem functions as an allusion to the rumoured affair between Wyatt and Henry VIII's second wife, Anne Boleyn. Substantial evidence supports this reading. However, it remains important not to rely on this interpretation purely based on its contextual intrigue.
The phrase Noli me tangere, for Cesar's I am (line 13) indicates the hind belongs to Caesar, or another powerful man for whom Caesar serves as a euphemism.
The hunt - a pastime of the landowning upper classes - and the reference to Caesar indicate the poet occupies an important position in society. Accordingly, Wyatt, as a prominent figure in society and an esteemed friend of the Monarchy, would have possessed these credentials.
Whilst the speaker compares the woman or deer to the free-roaming wynde (line 8) and asserts, through the message on her collar, that she is wylde (line 14) and therefore presumably free, we understand that she is not autonomous or free to make her own decisions. Instead, she is owned by a Cesar figure and bears the mark of his ownership around her neck, where she is almost branded with his word, which masquerades as her own.
Consonance and assonance
Wyatt employs abundant consonance and assonance throughout the poem.
Examples of assonance include: so sore (line 3), drawe from the deere (line 6) and faynting I followe (line 7).
The harsh sounds in so sore (line 3) relay the speaker's pain, frustration and bitter attitude.
The assonance lends the lines internal unity which counters the metrical irregularity.
Who list her hount, I put him owte of doubt (line 7) exemplifies consonance.
The repetition of the consonant 'ow' sounds appears to reflect the speaker's pain whilst also extending the sounds of the words, placing emphasis on hount, owte and doubt, which in turn compels the reader to heed his warning.
Themes
Love and loss
The extended metaphor of hunting portrays love and courtship as a violent sport. This almost equates violence with lust and sexuality, or suggests that the pursuit of love necessarily involves violence.
The poem leaves the reader questioning what would occur if the deer were caught. Literally speaking, a deer would be killed after being captured. Would her metaphorical capture conclude in sexual violence?
The speaker demonstrates signs of frustration, which could certainly be interpreted through an erotic lens, resulting from a lack of sexual contact. However, it appears that this frustration is most profoundly rooted in the speaker's inability to capture the woman. I seek to hold the wind, he states (line 8), which signifies the impossibility of a union between the speaker and the woman he loves.
Considering the qualities of wind, we may discern the speaker's static nature. She is the wind, constantly moving around him, whilst he remains where he is. If we were to interpret the poem autobiographically, this could allude to Wyatt observing Anne Boleyn progress through the ranks to finally become the King's wife.
The poem suggests that even with the masculine threat of violence, the female cannot be tamed and made obedient. It seems that the speaker, the man, is the character who experiences the loss of potential love most prominently. He warns others against making futile attempts: who list her hunt, I put him out o doubt,/ as well as I may spend my time in vain (lines 9-10).
Nevertheless, power is misattributed. It is not the woman's wind-like qualities that enable her to evade capture. Ultimately, it is her ownership that stops the reader from approaching. The power resides with the man rather than the woman.
It remains ambiguous whether the speaker has accepted that he cannot possess her and processed his loss. Whilst he declares leav[s] off the hunt (line 7), realising the futility of the pursuit, he seems mentally stuck: may I by no means my wearied mind/ Drawe from the deere (lines 6-7). Admittedly, the latter line precedes the former, yet the use of present tense troubles the chronology.
Is he still obsessed with the deer, although he has abandoned the hunt, or does leav[ing] off (line 7) include relinquishing his mental obsession over her? Loss constitutes a prominent theme in the anthology. The speaker in la Belle Dame Sans Merci, for example, remains so devoted and obsessed with the elfish woman he falls in love with, that he continues to linger in the cold, waiting for her return.
Similarly, in Non Sum Qualis Eram Bonae Sub Regno Cynarae, the speaker cannot release his lover and she haunts him even when he engages in indulgent activities like dancing, feasting and engaging with prostitutes.
In conclusion, he appears willing to permit her escape and also to overcome him at the end by overpowering his voice.
Love in the poem is also unusually presented in comparison to other poems in the anthology. It appears violent. The act of chasing a being who runs away in fear does not resemble the romantic love presented in Thomas Hardy's At an Inn or Keats' La Belle Dame Sans Merci.
Nevertheless, the possible hint at enchantment in the lines Yet may I by no means my wearied mind / Drawe from the deere (lines 6-7) parallels the faery-like figure in La Belle Dame Sans Merci who seems to cast a spell over the knight.
Sexuality and violence
Sexuality is not overtly expressed in this poem. The speaker does not detail the deer or woman's physical charms. We simply receive a reference to her faier neck (line 10). Nevertheless, we can infer from the metaphor that the poem concerns frustrated lust.
The metaphor establishes two roles: predator and prey, which immediately sets us up to expect the poem to address sexual conquest. The competitive aspect of the hunt - I am of them that farthest cometh behind (line 4) - also recalls misogynistic ways of discussing sex, such as the phrase to score. The violence inherent in the hunt likewise mirrors the way sex is (misogynistically) imagined as violence, as in the phrase to bang.
Furthermore, the notice around her neck asks him to touch [her] not (line 14). Whilst this could be interpreted as emotional touching, as in the phrased I'm touched, it hints that the speaker's interest - preempted by Cesar - is in physically touching her.
The poem may suggest that the female figure is above the violent sexuality presented by the stalking male. This is revealed both by her flight from the hunter and by her (or her owners') statement noli me tangere (line 14). In this way, the woman can be viewed as presented as above the man in terms of purity.
Unrequited love
Unrequited love proves significant throughout Whoso list to hunt, as the speaker proves unable to capture the deer who he so desperately desires.
The deer functions as an extended metaphor for a woman. This metaphor would have been relatable for the audience for whom Wyatt wrote. For the members of Henry VIII's Court, hunting was common practice and the King was especially fond of the exercise. The frustration of a deer being just out of shot, or constantly slipping through the hunter's grasp, would have been very familiar.
The speaker is devoted to the hind to the point of mental and physical exhaustion: weried me so sore (line 3). Wyatt implies that love is compulsive, animalistic and visceral, like the act of hunting. The speaker describes persistence even when he realises the task proves fruitless: may I by no means my wearied mind/ Drawe from the deere (lines 6-7).
The poem is unusual in its unromantic tone. It uses the theme of love as a function for a hunt, suggesting the attraction of love resides in the pursuit of a woman. At the time, when women and men were kept very separate and there was little to no contact between the two genders, it makes sense that there existed a feeling of chasing down or working for a woman's attention.
Whilst it may seem like the hunter's love or lust is unrequited, we do not really know what the deer or woman feels. We only know of her actions. The I of the final couplet is not the deer or woman's voice. It is the owner's, mimicking hers. The sign has been graven (line 11) by another hand and placed around her neck. She has not written it. Her fleeing action may suggest that the hunter's desire is not requited.
However, given the social context of the time - including the harsh punishments for adultery - it may be that the woman could not have expressed or acted on her own desire. If we consider the poem autobiographically, we know that Wyatt was imprisoned and thrown in jail for supposedly committing adultery with Boleyn. Thus, whilst he could not permanently have her, the desire between them seemed to be mutual.
We also know that Boleyn was eventually beheaded by Henry VIII, revealing just how much power he wielded over her life. If the deer or woman flees in the poem, we should ask ourselves whether she does not desire him, or is it possible that she desires him too but cannot openly express it as she belongs to a powerful other?
Critical responses
Feminist interpretation
A modern feminist view might focus on the violence of the hunt and on the characterisation of the woman as a deer, which infantilises or dehumanises her. Is she not a woman with her own developed subjectivity, as he is?
Gender proves interesting in the poem as Wyatt prescribes strict gender roles to the characters. The female is given the status of an animal or even as the property or the rightful property of the man, and the male figure is given the task of conquering the fleeing female.
The woman, however, refuses to be captured. Therefore, she upsets the social expectations of the contemporary readership, subverting expectations of female submission and masculine dominance.
We cannot ignore, however, the speaker's suggestion that the woman may be out of his reach because she belongs to another man: for Cesar's I am (line 13).
The woman remains helpless in her interaction with the male figure. She is unable to shape the dynamics of their encounter as they have already been determined for her and she is the prey. Her choices are limited: life or death.
For the speaker then, men occupy an active role in relationships and the woman is submissive. She does as she must and is passive. The woman in Whoso List to Hunt finds a glimpse of freedom in her ability to flee from one man's grasp, even if she works under the control of another man.
The poem suggests that despite the feminine tendency to strive for autonomy and freedom, their capacity to charm men and be pursued means women will never be truly free. Any freedom they experience is found in the form of protection by men from other men. A woman's agency is never really her own.
Comparisons
Whoso list to hunt and Sonnet 116
Similarities:
- Both Wyatt and Shakespeare appear devoted to the person they are writing about contextually
- Both use simple, direct language and employ mainly monosyllabic words to convey their points
- Both poems are in sonnet form, although the sestets have different rhyme schemes, reflecting the fact that the poems were written at different points in the English sonnet's development
- Wyatt had a forbidden love affair with Boleyn, whilst Shakespeare is rumoured to be bisexual and possibly had an affair with his patron, the Duke of Southampton, which would have involved running a huge risk
Differences:
- Whilst Shakespeare focuses on idealised purity of love, Wyatt portrays love as a fruitless venture
- Shakespeare appears to write more generally about an abstract idea of love, whilst Wyatt writes about a specific pursuit of a woman
- Shakespeare writes that love is an ever-fixed mark and not Time's fool. It bears out even to the edge of doom. In contrast, the speaker in Wyatt's poem suffers but desists
- Wyatt's poem has sexual undertones, whereas Shakespeare's poem equates love with the marriage of two minds. Love in Sonnet 116 is primarily mental or spiritual
Whoso list to hunt and Ae fond kiss
Similarities:
- Both written about a woman who is unattainable or no longer attainable
- Wyatt and Burns both speaking from personal experience - their respective affairs with Ann Boleyn and Nancy McLehose
- Both poets are almost saying goodbye in their poems
Differences:
- Wyatt had a physical barrier to love (imprisonment) and Burns only societal disregard (affair)
- Wyatt was much more secretive and ambiguous about the true inspiration for his poem, whereas Burns literally references 'my Nancy'
- Burns addresses Nancy directly using thee, whilst Wyatt's speaker is addressing anyone who would like to hunt. Burns' poem is therefore more personal
- Burns wrote in a song format, whilst Wyatt in a Petrarchan sonnet
- Ae Fond Kiss is deeply emotional, whereas Whoso List to Hunt only displays frustration. This reflects the different levels of connection the speakers have with the deer or woman and Nancy. In Wyatt's poem, it is not clear whether the speaker and the woman were ever intimate, whereas the speaker in Ae Fond Kiss and his beloved loved sae kindly
Key Points to Remember:
- Whoso List to Hunt is one of the first sonnets written in English, introducing the Petrarchan form to English literature
- The poem uses an extended metaphor (conceit) comparing hunting a deer to pursuing an unattainable woman, potentially Anne Boleyn
- The structure follows the Petrarchan sonnet form (ABBA ABBA CDDCEE) with a volta that shifts from describing the hunt to warning others
- Key themes include unrequited love, power dynamics between genders and the violence inherent in pursuit
- The final lines reveal the woman belongs to Caesar (possibly Henry VIII), showing she is owned rather than free, with power ultimately residing with men rather than women
- The woman's "voice" in the final lines is not her own but that of her owner, demonstrating her silence and lack of agency
- Wyatt's metrical irregularity suggests he was still mastering the sonnet form, which was new to English poetry
- The poem can be read both as a personal account of Wyatt's affair with Anne Boleyn and as a broader commentary on gender and power in Tudor society