Analysis of the Poem “From Pamphilia to Amphilantus”

A. Poem

Original version

From Pamphilia to Amphilantus

When night's blacke Mantle could most darknesse prove,
And sleepe (deaths Image) did my senses hyre,
From Knowledge of my selfe, then thoughts did move
Swifter then those, most swiftnesse neede require.
In sleepe, a Chariot drawne by wing'd Desire,
I saw; where sate bright Venus Queene of Love,
And at her feete her Sonne, still adding Fire
To burning hearts, which she did hold above,
But one heart flaming more then all the rest,
The Goddesse held, and put it to my breast,
"Deare Sonne now shoot," said she: "thus must we winne;"
He her obey'd, and martyr'd my poore heart.
I waking hop'd as dreames it would depart,
Yet since, O me, a Lover I have beene.

( www.allpoetry.com )

Edited version

From Pamphilia to Amphilantus

When night’s black Mantle could most darkness prove, (a)

And sleep (deaths Image) did my senses hire, (b)

From Knowledge of myself, then thoughts did move, (a)

Swifter then those, most swiftness need require. (b)

In sleep, a Chariot drawn by winged Desire, (a)

I saw; where sate bright Venus Queen of Love, (b)

And at her feet, her Son, still adding Fire (a)

To burning hearts, which she did hold above, (b)

But one heart flaming more than all the rest, (c)

The Goddess held, and put it to my breast, (c)

‘Dear Son now shoot,’ said she: ‘thus must we win;’ (d)

He her obeyed, and martyred my poor heart.(e)

I waking hoped as dreams it would depart, (e)

Yet since, O me, a Lover I have been. (d)

Paraphrase

When night’s black Mantle could most darkness prove and sleep (deaths Image) did my senses hire from Knowledge of myself, then thoughts did move swifter then those, most swiftness need require.

In sleep, a Chariot drawn by winged Desire I saw; where sate bright Venus Queen of Love and at her feet, her Son, still adding Fire to burning hearts, which she did hold above, But one heart flaming more than all the rest, The Goddess held and put it to my breast, ‘Dear Son now shoot,’ said she: ‘thus must we win;’ He her obeyed and martyred my poor heart.

I waking hoped as dreams it would depart, yet since, O me, a Lover I have been.

Interpretation

            This poem tells about how a grief or sadness is proven and the death persons whom close with the speaker makes her sadness twice than usual. Then it brings the speaker’s thought moves faster than what she has already known.

            In her sleep, she has a dream which is very beautiful like in the fairy tale. She describes it as Venus, the queen of love, asks a man to shoot a heart that she hold. That heart is the speaker’s heart. It takes a pity on the speaker’s poor heart.

            Then she is awake and hopes that the dream will come true. She hopes she will live happily ever after with her lover she has.

B. Biography

Lady Mary Wroth (1587-1653)

-  The eldest daughter of Sir Robert Sidney and Lady Barbara Gamage.

-  They were well-known patrons of the arts, and the niece of Sir Philip Sidney, a great Elizabethan poet, statesman, and soldier whose tragic death in the Netherlands elevated him to the status of national hero.

- Around 1599, she married to Sir Robert Wroth, the son of a wealthy Essex landowner, in 1604.

- Both are known to have been unhappy with the union, partly because of Mary Wroth's long-term affair with her cousin William Herbert, third Earl of Pembroke.

è By 1613 Wroth had begun her writing career, and apparently her poetry circulated in manuscript form years before its publication in 1621.

è She was admired despite the fact that the sonnet form was by that time long out of fashion.

è Robert Wroth died in 1614, leaving his wife with a month-old son and a £23,000 debt.

è In 1616, their child died, and Wroth's circumstances worsened because much of her husband's estate went to his uncle, John Wroth.

è She moved into William Herbert's London home, Baynard's Castle, and bore him two children, William and Catherine.

è Wroth died in 1653, and no literary works survive from the last thirty years of her life.

(http://www.enotes.com/lady-mary-wroth-criticism/wroth-lady-mary-78918)

C. Background Knowledge

            In the second half of the century, the dynastic struggles continued and the characters of many of the emerging nations of Europe were formed. Henry VIII of England was eventually succeeded by Elizabeth, perhaps England's greatest monarch. The 1590s have been difficult years for the common people everywhere in Europe. The weather has been cold and wet for three years and there have been at least three bad harvests in a row. The League warfare has destroyed transportation and food supplies. Bread is scarce and prices of food, fuel, and housing are high, while wages are low. The costs of war and the huge national debt have meant that taxes are also high. There have been peasant uprisings in some provinces, sometimes with Huguenots and Catholics alike uniting against the nobility.

            They followed Catholicism and patriarchy system. By that condition, most women were not in a good condition economically and spiritually Societies that have sexual division of labor also tend to have division of virtues. Penelope was true to Odysseus because it was a Greek woman's virtue to remain faithful under all circumstances. This feminine virtue was retained by the Christian civilization that succeeded the classical era: women were taught to honor their husbands according to the teachings of Paul and the example of the Good Wife in Proverbs. Though Paul also stressed that husbands should honor their wives, this was easily forgotten in a world in which women were property.

(http://lepg.org/sixteen.htm)

D. Versification

            This poem consists of 14 lines and only delivered in one stanza. Therefore, it belongs to sonnet. Another thing that makes it belongs to sonnet is the theme, that is love story or romance. However, the poem does not use the usual pattern of rhyme in sonnet, which is: abbaabba cdcdee, Wroth had her favorite rhyme pattern, abab abab ccdeed.

E. Tone

            The tone of this poem is romantic, which is shown by the love emotional feeling from Pamphilia to Amphilantus. One factor that makes this sonnet feels different from others is that the speaker is female. Normally, the speaker of sonnet is man, whom says love to female. Therefore, the emotion of the author is strongly felt.

F. Symbolism

There are some symbolisms found in this poem, such as:

- night’s black Mantle: grief, sorrow

- sleep (deaths Image): death person

- Knowledge of myself: what has already known by someone

- thoughts:  something that ones believe

- Chariot: life; train in the old era

- winged Desire: a desire that is hard to be reached

- sate bright Venus Queen of Love: the coming of love in somebody’s heart

G. Imagery

            The imagery that is portrayed in this poem, based on the author biography:

v  The use of word Pamphilia (means “all-loving”) and Amphilanthus (means “lover of two”) in this poem recounts the adventures of Pamphilia, Queen of Pamphilia, and her lover Amphilanthus, interspersing many incidental stories of women disappointed in love, particularly as a result of their being married by their families to the wrong man.

v  From the title, it is possible if the poem was written as the reflection of the author’s life. Wroth reflected her life story with the Pamphilia’s story.

H. Figurative Language

* Personification: thoughts did move swifter; night’s black Mantle could most darkness prove.

* Metaphor: Venus Queen of Love.

* Hyperbole: sleep (deaths Image); winged Desire; heart flaming.