Discuss the Linguistic Portrayal of Love in Two or More Tudor/Elizabethan Poems.

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Alex Coatalen U6D

Discuss the Linguistic Portrayal of Love in Two or More Tudor/Elizabethan Poems

Most Tudor and Elizabethan poems have the content of love, but each looks upon love differently; some praising it, others despising it. Some discuss true, Neo-Platonic, Courtly love, whereas others talk of a false kind of love, simply sexually orientated. In any case, the type of love is portrayed by the form, tone, mood and voice of the poem; and the use of rhyme, rhythm and imagery.

‘Since There’s No Help’ appears to be a poem of love-parting and falling out of love in the beginning, with the speaker only wanting to be friends with the woman;

“Shake hands for ever, cancel all our vows”.

However, by the end of the poem, following the volta at the last two lines, it is clear that the content of the poem is not about love-parting, but rather love-reconciliation and reunion. To create this twist, the author Michael Drayton ensures that the audience believes that the speaker is condemning love and that the poem is in fact about falling out of love, and uncertainty about love. To do this, he uses various literary techniques to create a certain tone and mood. The poetic voice of the poem, or the speaker, is probably Drayton himself, as there is a strong probability that the poem is about Anne Goodere, the daughter of Sir Henry Goodere, whom Drayton loved but could not have because she married another man. The fact that Drayton is the speaker sets a certain tone, which seems to be that of uncertainty, and perhaps even anger. There is little emotion, which is backed up by the lines;

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“And when we meet at any time again,

Be it not seen in either of our brows

That we one jot of former love retain.”

Because of this tone of voice, the mood is also melancholy and the atmosphere is of sadness. The tone at the start of the poem is also set by the use of monosybyllic words to create a caesura effect. Combined with plain speaking, this creates the unemotional tone and makes love seem damaging. Use of repetition, metaphors, and excessive use of personification, eg. ‘Love’s latest breath’, makes the speaker sound confused and unsure of his ...

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