Sonnet 11 Lady Mary Wroth

Hailing from a literary family, Lady Mary Wroth is recognized for her creative accomplishments— primarily, a romance and a sonnet sequence (83 sonnets and 20 songs). Married at sixteen to Sir Robert Wroth, Mary experienced an unhappy union to “the foulest Churle” (Sir John Leeke), which inspired her prose fiction regarding arranged marriages for financial reasons. Though married, Mary loved the Earl of Pembroke and bore him two children. The Earl, however, needed to broker a marriage for financial reasons and did not marry her. When her husband died in 1614, she was left with little money. She continued to write, but found little favor with the King James’ court. Mary Wroth 1587-1653

ie.reachout.com Content The sonnet deals with the speaker’s begging for release from her pain of unrequited love. Some assume that this reflects Wroth’s love for Henry, the Earl of Pembroke and his choice to marry another.

Sonnet 11 Lady Mary Wroth You endless torments that my rest oppress, How long will you delight in my sad pain? Will never Love your favour more express? Shall I still live, and ever feel disdain? Alas, now stay, and let my grief obtain Some end; feed not my heart with sharp distress. Let me once see my cruel fortunes gain At least release, and long-felt woes redress. Let not the blame of cruelty disgrace The honoured title of your godhead Love; Give not just cause for me to say a place Is found for rage alone on me to move. O quickly end, and do not long debate My needful aid, lest help do come too late. etsy.com

Structure This is a traditional sonnet with an altered rhyme scheme in the second quatrain (ABAB BABA CDCD EE). Like traditional sonnets, each quatrain follows the development of the speaker’s emotions. Quatrain one deals with her depression and resentment; quatrain two asks for relief; quatrain three is somewhat threatening; the couplet pleas for help and adds a hint of possible suicide. Thus, unlike traditional sonnet themes, this poem presents a negative version of love. thedarkrayne.deviantart.com

You endless torments that my rest oppress, Use of apostrophe empowers “torments” and stresses the speaker’s pain. Imagery of an overburdened heart conveys her agony. Diction is used to mirror the suffering of the speaker. You endless torments that my rest oppress, How long will you delight in my sad pain? Will never Love your favour more express? Shall I still live, and ever feel disdain? Rhetorical questions and end stops reflect her bitterness toward Love. An exasperated tone of anguish fills the first quatrain. Love’s personification reveals her desire to be loved as she asks for Love’s “favour more express.” dating.lovetoknow.com

Alas, now stay, and let my grief obtain Sibilance stresses important letters/words and provides a lingering sense of sorrow. Diction doubles the negative images with “sharp distress” and “cruel fortunes” to portray the speakers deep pain. Enjambment lightens sorrow by asking for “some end.” Exclamation reveals speaker’s emotional state. Alas, now stay, and let my grief obtain Some end; feed not my heart with sharp distress. Let me once see my cruel fortunes gain At least release, and long-felt woes redress. Imagery of an overburdened heart continues here. Note oxymoron. Caesura forces emphasis on “end” and “release,” the two emotions that the speaker seeks to end.

Two negative words create a metaphorical effect. Apostrophe continues as the personified “Love” is addressed. Two negative words create a metaphorical effect. Let not the blame of cruelty disgrace The honoured title of your godhead Love; Give not just cause for me to say a place Is found for rage alone on me to move. Enjambment in lines 9-10 and 11-12 continues to lesson sorrow as poem reaches its conclusion. Alliteration emphasizes that solution rests with speaker alone.

O quickly end, and do not long debate Tone is melancholy and desperate as she begs for release. Enjambment reinforces need to act quickly. www.webdesignburn.com Exclamation highlights desperate emotional state. O quickly end, and do not long debate My needful aid, lest help do come too late. Infers that she may commit suicide if love is not reciprocated.

The pain of unrequited love is too painful to endure. Theme The pain of unrequited love is too painful to endure. http://quotesaboutlovephotos.blogspot.com/

Works Cited http://aspoetryanalysis.weebly.com/http:// lifefaithetc.blogspot.com http://aspoetryanalysis.weebly.com/http:// http://literatureencore.net/?p=74 www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/mary-wroth http://rainbowliterature.wordpress.com/2014/01/13/sonnet-11/