The Hunter and the Hunted

A detailed Summary of The Hunter and the Hunted

Sir Thomas Wyatt's poem "Whoso List to Hunt" is an adaptation of the age old courting rituals of males and females; it may also be an intimation of the relationship between Wyatt and Anne Boleyn. The allegorical meaning within the poem is not missed, nor is the presence of personification. Wyatt is trying to make relating to his love life or lack thereof identifiable to his readers, especially his lady love.

Sir Thomas Wyatt was born to a wealthy family in Kent, England; 1503. He graduated from Cambridge University and became a diplomat for King Henry VIII, roaming the continent on official business. His constant travels created a rift between he and his wife and they divorced in 1525 because of adulteress acts by his wife. This is also said to be the year he met and courted Anne Boleyn, the future Queen of England. Both, he and Anne were flirtation beings and constantly devoted attention to the other, though Wyatt is said to have been much more serious in regards to the relationship. They were later both punished for their budding relationship, Anne losing her life for treason and Wyatt losing face in

court. This poem is said to be a translation of Petrarch's sonnet 190 in honor o

The second quatrain further develops the narrator's pain and anguish over his ladylove. The narrator realizes within this stanza that as hard as he might try he will never catch his ladylove for she is like the wind and he like a net: "I leave off, therefore,/ Since in a net I seek to hold the wind" (line 7-8). There may be a direct reference to Wyatt's

The rhyming couplet is the solution to the problem, or in this case the narrators pain. The couplet reads: "Noli me tangere, for Caesar's I am,/ And wild for to hold, though I seem tame"; this couplet shows the narrators reason for a broken spirit and broken heart. No matter what he does for his ladylove he receives nothing in return but pain, even though he shows her time and again he loves her all she does is say no man can really have me for I am not to be owned. The mistress is also telling the narrator to give up because right now she is someone else's woman. The

The first quatrain develops the problem, the Petrarchan Narrator has fallen for the Petrarchan Mistress, and he ahs been chasing her to no avail, it is metaphorically described as a hunt for a deer. The narrator explains how trying to win his "dear" has worn out his heart and body and he feels

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Approximate Word count = 828
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Miscellaneous

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The Hunter and the Hunted

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