LITERATURE WEEK TWO:
S O H E R E W E A R E A G A I N . .
This week during the lecture we studied a few different poems but the one that really got to me was Queen Elizabeth I "On Monsieur's Departure". While reading this poem it was quite different to the other poems we read related to love and beauty. This poem depicted another side of love, not one that is whole, fulfilling and wonderful but love that is painful, disorientated and tormenting.
ON MONSIEUR'S DEPARTURE
by Elizabeth I, Queen of England
I grieve and dare not show my discontent;
I love, and yet am forced to seem to hate;
I do, yet dare not say I ever meant;
I seem stark mute, but inwardly do prate.
I am, and not; I freeze and yet am burned,
Since from myself another self I turned.
My care is like my shadow in the sun-
Follows me flying, flies when I pursue it,
Stands, and lies by me, doth what I have done;
His too familiar care doth make me rue it.
No means I find to rid him from my breast,
Till by the end of things it be supprest.
Some gentler passion slide into my mind,
For I am soft, and made of melting snow;
Or be more cruel, Love, and so be kind.
Let me or float or sink, be high or low;
Or let me live with some more sweet content,
Or die, and so forget what love e'er meant.
As i was reading this poem i realised how sad and depressing it sounded! Compared to "There is a Garden in her face" and Shakespeare’s "Sonnet 130”. This poem has a lyrical feeling to the way it flows from start to finish. My favourite aspect of the poem is that Queen Elizabeth uses such strong and contrasting words to describe how she feels such as Love and Hate, Frozen yet Burnt and Cruel and Kind. She loves the man yet she is forced to Hate him, it is truly tragic. When i was reading this i also felt that she was going through an internal battle, maybe trying to force herself to believe that he was not for her and that being strong and leading her country was the right thing to do.
Continuing on with Queen Elizabeth’s contrasting emotions. I think this is a very powerful technique she uses to portray her emotions. I feel that this poem represents her outer emotions that she portrays to her people and subjects as the Queen of England and on the other hand displays her inner emotions that show that she is human and a helpless woman in love at heart. A woman that cannot pursue the love that she holds dear within her heart. This struggle has changed her and her identity inside and out, I think that she is feeling a little lost and alone. She is asking that the man be cruel to her so that she may find some sort of resolve. However, the last lines of the poem are very powerful "or let me live with some more sweet content, or die, and so forget what love ever meant". These lines represent that she is asking to be able to live with a bit of happiness. However, if that is not possible then rather let her die so that she could forget the love she has for this man. I really enjoyed this poem!
(venus and Adonis, from google images)
Before i finish off i just wanted to briefly talk about the reading we did with "Venus and Adonis". During the tutorial we studied a section of the poem. The part we studied was about the representation of language and imagery within Shakespeare's work and the features of language that animate Shakespeare's description of the mating horses. I believe that this scene was quite an impression. The representation between the mating horses was portrayed in quite detail “imperiously he leaps”, “the bearing earth with his hard hoof he wounds”. The way the language is used is powerful as he “wounds the earth” and “resounds like heavens thunder”. I think with this scene Shakespeare is trying to represent the burning passion of love. Whilst reading this i also picked up that this may be a bit about power! Adonis is a proud man yet, he has no control over his horse “he sees his love, and nothing else he sees”. I think the horses are representing what Venus wants out of her relationship with Adonis as if he were proving a point that it is natural to love.
I’m really enjoying this course so far and looking forward to the coming lecture and the new things that we have yet to learn.
This is my post on Cherrylls live journal:
URL:
"
oops
sorry the above post was mine i just forgot to log on +_+ very stupid of me! so im just going to copy and paste it into another post!
"hey i love your post! it was very witty and critical! Although i am a fan of a few of Shakepeares work, i too thought that Romeo and Juliet was a bit over dramatic! I have a thing for tragic endings, hate em'. I hate those love stories where someone dies! Its so overrated! Anyway, i can relate to what you said about Shakepeares "Sonnet 130", very honest indeed, i mean in most cases if a man told you that coral was more redder that your cheeks and that you hair looked like wires, you'd be insulted! But putting the ugliness aside he loves you, well! thats true love for ya! Anyway, keep up the good work!"
christine"
This week during the lecture we studied a few different poems but the one that really got to me was Queen Elizabeth I "On Monsieur's Departure". While reading this poem it was quite different to the other poems we read related to love and beauty. This poem depicted another side of love, not one that is whole, fulfilling and wonderful but love that is painful, disorientated and tormenting.
ON MONSIEUR'S DEPARTURE
by Elizabeth I, Queen of England
I grieve and dare not show my discontent;
I love, and yet am forced to seem to hate;
I do, yet dare not say I ever meant;
I seem stark mute, but inwardly do prate.
I am, and not; I freeze and yet am burned,
Since from myself another self I turned.
My care is like my shadow in the sun-
Follows me flying, flies when I pursue it,
Stands, and lies by me, doth what I have done;
His too familiar care doth make me rue it.
No means I find to rid him from my breast,
Till by the end of things it be supprest.
Some gentler passion slide into my mind,
For I am soft, and made of melting snow;
Or be more cruel, Love, and so be kind.
Let me or float or sink, be high or low;
Or let me live with some more sweet content,
Or die, and so forget what love e'er meant.
As i was reading this poem i realised how sad and depressing it sounded! Compared to "There is a Garden in her face" and Shakespeare’s "Sonnet 130”. This poem has a lyrical feeling to the way it flows from start to finish. My favourite aspect of the poem is that Queen Elizabeth uses such strong and contrasting words to describe how she feels such as Love and Hate, Frozen yet Burnt and Cruel and Kind. She loves the man yet she is forced to Hate him, it is truly tragic. When i was reading this i also felt that she was going through an internal battle, maybe trying to force herself to believe that he was not for her and that being strong and leading her country was the right thing to do.
Continuing on with Queen Elizabeth’s contrasting emotions. I think this is a very powerful technique she uses to portray her emotions. I feel that this poem represents her outer emotions that she portrays to her people and subjects as the Queen of England and on the other hand displays her inner emotions that show that she is human and a helpless woman in love at heart. A woman that cannot pursue the love that she holds dear within her heart. This struggle has changed her and her identity inside and out, I think that she is feeling a little lost and alone. She is asking that the man be cruel to her so that she may find some sort of resolve. However, the last lines of the poem are very powerful "or let me live with some more sweet content, or die, and so forget what love ever meant". These lines represent that she is asking to be able to live with a bit of happiness. However, if that is not possible then rather let her die so that she could forget the love she has for this man. I really enjoyed this poem!
(venus and Adonis, from google images)
Before i finish off i just wanted to briefly talk about the reading we did with "Venus and Adonis". During the tutorial we studied a section of the poem. The part we studied was about the representation of language and imagery within Shakespeare's work and the features of language that animate Shakespeare's description of the mating horses. I believe that this scene was quite an impression. The representation between the mating horses was portrayed in quite detail “imperiously he leaps”, “the bearing earth with his hard hoof he wounds”. The way the language is used is powerful as he “wounds the earth” and “resounds like heavens thunder”. I think with this scene Shakespeare is trying to represent the burning passion of love. Whilst reading this i also picked up that this may be a bit about power! Adonis is a proud man yet, he has no control over his horse “he sees his love, and nothing else he sees”. I think the horses are representing what Venus wants out of her relationship with Adonis as if he were proving a point that it is natural to love.
I’m really enjoying this course so far and looking forward to the coming lecture and the new things that we have yet to learn.
This is my post on Cherrylls live journal:
URL:
"
oops
sorry the above post was mine i just forgot to log on +_+ very stupid of me! so im just going to copy and paste it into another post!
"hey i love your post! it was very witty and critical! Although i am a fan of a few of Shakepeares work, i too thought that Romeo and Juliet was a bit over dramatic! I have a thing for tragic endings, hate em'. I hate those love stories where someone dies! Its so overrated! Anyway, i can relate to what you said about Shakepeares "Sonnet 130", very honest indeed, i mean in most cases if a man told you that coral was more redder that your cheeks and that you hair looked like wires, you'd be insulted! But putting the ugliness aside he loves you, well! thats true love for ya! Anyway, keep up the good work!"
christine"