1. Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey 1517-1547
Love that Doth Reign and Live within my Thought
Tough guy soldier falls in love. She doesn’t love him back. Cringe! Mortified, he hides his love. Still, better to have loved and lost as they say. No regrets.
#soldier#unrequitedlove#bettertohavelovedandlost

2. ‘Love that doth reign and live within my thought’ - Henry Howard, Earl of Surry
Form and Structure
Love that doth reign and live within my thought
And built his seat within my captive breast,
Clad in arms wherein with me he fought,
Oft in my face he doth his banner rest.
But she that taught me love and suffer pain,
My doubtful hope and eke my hot desire
With shamefaced look to shadow and refrain,
Her smiling grace converteth straight to ire.
And coward Love, then, to the heart apace
Taketh his flight, where he doth lurk and 'plain,
His purpose lost, and dare not show his face.
For my lord's guilt thus faultless bide I pain,
Yet from my lord shall not my foot remove,--
Sweet is the death that taketh end by love.
Divided into 3 quatrains and a couplet like a Shakespearean sonnet but…
The speaker admits that love has conquered him, like an army that defeats another. It has planted its banner – it is the victor.
However, the woman that caused this love caused him pain. He was embarrassed and angry because his love was unrequited.
14 line sonnet
Because it wasn’t returned, the warrior love hides itself back in his heart.
…also has a volta – a turning point, like a Petrarchan sonnet
Read through the poem first. You may need to clarify some words:
Reign
Seat (as in throne – set of rulling monarch)
Clad
Arms (armour)
Banner (battle banner)
Eke
Shamefast
Flight
‘plain (as in complain)
Yet the speaker refuses to run away from love (his lord) claiming it is sweet to die if you have loved well.
Tough guy soldier falls in love. She doesn’t love him back. Cringe! Mortified, he hides his love. Still, better to have loved and lost as they say. No regrets. #soldier#unrequitedlove#bettertohavelovedandlost

3. ‘Love that doth reign and live within my thought’ - Henry Howard, Earl of Surry
Grammar and Syntax
Foregrounded conjunction – shows a changes in attitude. He was conquered by love BUT she didn’t love him back
Love that doth reign and live within my thought
And built his seat within my captive breast,
Clad in arms wherein with me he fought,
Oft in my face he doth his banner rest.
But she that taught me love and suffer pain,
My doubtful hope and eke my hot desire
With shamefaced look to shadow and refrain,
Her smiling grace converteth straight to ire.
And coward Love, then, to the heart apace
Taketh his flight, where he doth lurk and 'plain,
His purpose lost, and dare not show his face.
For my lord's guilt thus faultless bide I pain,
Yet from my lord shall not my foot remove,--
Sweet is the death that taketh end by love.
Declarative mood – the speaker is declaring/stating his feelings
Foregrounded conjunction – shows a changes in attitude. He has been abandoned by love YET he shall not run from it in return.
Read through the poem first. You may need to clarify some words:
Reign
Seat (as in throne – set of rulling monarch)
Clad
Arms (armour)
Banner (battle banner)
Eke
Shamefast
Flight
‘plain (as in complain)
Inverted syntax – foregrounding of sweet to convey his optimism and lack of regret.
Tough guy soldier falls in love. She doesn’t love him back. Cringe! Mortified, he hides his love. Still, better to have loved and lost as they say. No regrets. #soldier#unrequitedlove#bettertohavelovedandlost

4. ‘Love that doth reign and live within my thought’ - Henry Howard, Earl of Surry
Lexis
Love that doth reign and live within my thought
And built his seat within my captive breast,
Clad in arms wherein with me he fought,
Oft in my face he doth his banner rest.
But she that taught me love and suffer pain,
My doubtful hope and eke my hot desire
With shamefaced look to shadow and refrain,
Her smiling grace converteth straight to ire.
And coward Love, then, to the heart apace
Taketh his flight, where he doth lurk and 'plain,
His purpose lost, and dare not show his face.
For my lord's guilt thus faultless bide I pain,
Yet from my lord shall not my foot remove,--
Sweet is the death that taketh end by love.
Archaic lexis
Lexical set of war – the speaker is conquered by war almost against his will – as if he had no choice. He is powerless.
Dominance of abstract nouns – a personal and intensely emotional poem
Syndetic pair of dynamic verbs – presents love as cowardly, betraying the speaker.
Read through the poem first. You may need to clarify some words:
Reign
Seat (as in throne – set of rulling monarch)
Clad
Arms (armour)
Banner (battle banner)
Eke
Shamefast
Flight
‘plain (as in complain)
Tough guy soldier falls in love. She doesn’t love him back. Cringe! Mortified, he hides his love. Still, better to have loved and lost as they say. No regrets. #soldier#unrequitedlove#bettertohavelovedandlost

5. ‘Love that doth reign and live within my thought’ - Henry Howard, Earl of Surry
Imagery
Love that doth reign and live within my thought
And built his seat within my captive breast,
Clad in arms wherein with me he fought,
Oft in my face he doth his banner rest.
But she that taught me love and suffer pain,
My doubtful hope and eke my hot desire
With shamefaced look to shadow and refrain,
Her smiling grace converteth straight to ire.
And coward Love, then, to the heart apace
Taketh his flight, where he doth lurk and 'plain,
His purpose lost, and dare not show his face.
For my lord's guilt thus faultless bide I pain,
Yet from my lord shall not my foot remove,--
Sweet is the death that taketh end by love.
Metaphor - The process of falling in love it described as a battle – implying it can be painful and renders the ‘victim’ powerless.
Personification – throughout the poem love is personified as a conquering army, then a coward which hides when rejected. Despite this, the speaker still calls love his ‘Lord’ at the end, implying that even now he is controlled by it.
Paradox – seems odd to hear death described a s ‘sweet’ but it simply emphasises that the speaker feels he can now go to his grave fulfilled, because at least he has experienced love.
Read through the poem first. You may need to clarify some words:
Reign
Seat (as in throne – set of rulling monarch)
Clad
Arms (armour)
Banner (battle banner)
Eke
Shamefast
Flight
‘plain (as in complain)
Tough guy soldier falls in love. She doesn’t love him back. Cringe! Mortified, he hides his love. Still, better to have loved and lost as they say. No regrets. #soldier#unrequitedlove#bettertohavelovedandlost

6. ‘Love that doth reign and live within my thought’ - Henry Howard, Earl of Surry
Phonology
Love that doth reign and live within my thought
And built his seat within my captive breast,
Clad in arms wherein with me he fought,
Oft in my face he doth his banner rest.
But she that taught me love and suffer pain,
My doubtful hope and eke my hot desire
With shamefaced look to shadow and refrain,
Her smiling grace converteth straight to ire.
And coward Love, then, to the heart apace
Taketh his flight, where he doth lurk and 'plain,
His purpose lost, and dare not show his face.
For my lord's guilt thus faultless bide I pain,
Yet from my lord shall not my foot remove,--
Sweet is the death that taketh end by love.
Plosives in the first image create the impression of love as forceful and powerful
Sibilants in the second image suggests his embarrassment and grief at his rejection by the woman he loved.
Read through the poem first. You may need to clarify some words:
Reign
Seat (as in throne – set of rulling monarch)
Clad
Arms (armour)
Banner (battle banner)
Eke
Shamefast
Flight
‘plain (as in complain)
Eye rhyme – the expected ending couplet only rhymes by sight – perhaps suggesting the imperfection of his love?
Tough guy soldier falls in love. She doesn’t love him back. Cringe! Mortified, he hides his love. Still, better to have loved and lost as they say. No regrets. #soldier#unrequitedlove#bettertohavelovedandlost

7. ‘Love that doth reign and live within my thought’ - Henry Howard, Earl of Surry
Attitudes and Ideas
As Henry Howard was a mighty, important soldier, it stands to reason that love is presented with images of battle, as this would be something he was familiar with and which would not make him seem ‘girly’ or ‘weak’.
Love is not presented as traditionally ‘romantic’ – but as a powerful, overpowering feeling, which matched the fame of Howard as a warrior.
Howard was brought up at Windsor (castle!) alongside Henry VIII’s illegitimate son, therefore his connections to royalty were strong. However, when he dared to display Royal images on his shield, he was tried for treason and executed. Possibly the ‘death’ he refers to in the final couplet is his upcoming execution, which he is facing with strength and dignity.
Love that doth reign and live within my thought
And built his seat within my captive breast,
Clad in arms wherein with me he fought,
Oft in my face he doth his banner rest.
But she that taught me love and suffer pain,
My doubtful hope and eke my hot desire
With shamefaced look to shadow and refrain,
Her smiling grace converteth straight to ire.
And coward Love, then, to the heart apace
Taketh his flight, where he doth lurk and 'plain,
His purpose lost, and dare not show his face.
For my lord's guilt thus faultless bide I pain,
Yet from my lord shall not my foot remove,--
Sweet is the death that taketh end by love.
Read through the poem first. You may need to clarify some words:
Reign
Seat (as in throne – set of rulling monarch)
Clad
Arms (armour)
Banner (battle banner)
Eke
Shamefast
Flight
‘plain (as in complain)
Tough guy soldier falls in love. She doesn’t love him back. Cringe! Mortified, he hides his love. Still, better to have loved and lost as they say. No regrets. #soldier#unrequitedlove#bettertohavelovedandlost