Wyatt didn't publish this poem, or any of the others he wrote, during his lifetime. While many of them appeared in 1557, fifteen years after his death, some—such as "Whoso List to Hunt"—would have to wait many years. Despite the fact that Wyatt wasn't a major player on the literary scene in London in the 1500s, his influence has been profound. At the time of writing, Henry VIII was on the throne. At the time of publishing, Queen Mary was on the throne- she died the next year and Elizabeth I then ruled. Thomas Wyatt 1503–1542 Born in Kent, England, Sir Thomas Wyatt was an ambassador to France and Italy for King Henry VIII. Wyatt’s travels abroad exposed him to different forms of poetry, which he adapted for the English language — most notably, the sonnet. Rumoured to be Anne Boleyn’s lover, he spent a month in the Tower of London until Boleyn’s execution for adultery. Many consider his poem “Whoso List to Hunt” to be about Boleyn.

Contextual Knowledge: Sonnet Form Wyatt is often credited, along with the Earl of Surrey, with introducing the sonnet (a 14-line poem) into English. The sonnet was popularized by an Italian named Francesco Petrarch (1304-1374), and "Whoso List to Hunt" is a loose imitation of Petrarch's Sonnet 190. This poem, then, is not only filled with royal intrigue, but form-wise it's one of the first of its kind.

Contextual attitudes to courtship and adultery. It is generally considered foolish to marry for love, although love may occur in marriage. The rules of courting were different- at the time, a man had to ask the girl’s parents for permission to woo. Then, he was interviewed for his suitability. The spread of syphilis to epidemic proportions across Europe in the 16th century revealed that many men and women were not as chaste as the Church would have liked. The Church accepted the situation as a necessary evil, arguing that at least sin was contained. But times were definitely changing. Adultery was, therefore, known to take place but was dealt with to varying degrees- the worst being the death penalty.

The Title- Whoso list to hunt means: ‘Whoever cares to hunt’, in modern English. The speaker says that, for those who are into hunting, he knows where to find a hind (female deer). He is no longer interested in chasing it, but he can't help himself. He keeps going after it, despite the fact that it's driving him to distraction. He knows he'll never catch her and he says that anybody else who even tries won't get her either. Trying to catch this hind could be dangerous. As it turns out, she belongs to Caesar, an allusion to Henry VIII.

Petrarch’s sonnet 190 A white doe on the green grass appeared to me, with two golden horns, between two rivers, in the shade of a laurel, when the sun was rising in an unripe season. Her look was so sweet and proud that to follow her I left every task, like the miser who as he seeks treasure sweetens his trouble with delight. "Let no one touch me," she bore written with diamonds and topazes around her lovely neck. "It has pleased my Caesar to make me free." And the sun had already turned at midday; my eyes were tired by looking but not sated, when I fell into the water, and she disappeared.