While I don’t think Ford’s aim is to condone incest, I do think Annabella and Giovanni are in somewhat of a unique position because of the society in which they live. All of the characters seem to ignore the potential consequences of their actions and behave in completely selfish ways. I think that we must consider Annabella and Giovanni’s incestuous relationship within this context. Their relationship is a result of a dangerous society that simultaneously lacks rule and asserts immoral laws because the leaders themselves, such as the cardinal, are immoral. I think that Ford is more making a statement about the nature of society than incestuous relationships in general.

In Act 4 Scene 1, I was reminded of many of Donne’s poems, particularly A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning. The idea that love lives on despite physical distance and death is one that both Webster and Donne explore. Bosola cruelly tricks the Duchess into believing Antonio and their children are dead:  “That, now you know directly they are dead, Hereafter you may wisely cease to grieve For that which cannot be recovered” (1479). Although Bosola states that they “cannot be recovered,” the Duchess seems to take a different stance, for she believes, like Donne, that souls never really cease to exist. Rather, her love for Antonio will live on forever through their souls and cannot die even in death: “That’s the greatest torture souls feel in hell, In hell: that they must live, and cannot die.”

I find it interesting that “His Prayer to Ben Jonson” seems to serve two purposes. Herrick simultaneously honors his mentor, poet Ben Jonson, and expresses his political and religious beliefs. By referring to Jonson as a saint, Herrick also appears to mock Protestants and Puritans.

I was particularly interested in George Herbert’s idea of the ideal form of poetry Jordan (1). He argues that poets should focus on the beauty of “truth” and the natural world, rather than fictitious stories. Herbert also addresses the language and structure of poetry: “Is all good structure in a winding stair? May no lines pass, except they do their duty Not to a true, but painted chair?” Herbert is particularly critical of poetry that uses overly embellished language, which he compares to a “winding stair.” He wonders why poetry that focuses on the real world and utilizes straight forward language is not considered the ideal, and he praises pastoral poets: “Shepherds are honest people…”

Adrienne Rich, a 20th century American feminist poet, wrote “A Valediction Forbidding Mourning” in 1970. The poem is undoubtedly modeled after John Donne’s poem of the same name; however, Rich ironically parodies Donne’s original work. In both poems, the speakers deal with leaving their lovers and discuss the emotions they feel as they contemplate this separation.

Although both poems are about the experience of being apart from a lover, they take radically different stances on the subject. Donne’s love is so strong and refined that the physical distance will ultimately be meaningless. In contrast, Rich is dealing with a difficult relationship and an impending separation that will last forever.

In Donne’s poem, the speaker argues that being apart from one’s lover is not a reason to mourn, for the love he has for the woman he speaks of is so pure that he knows they will remain connected despite their physical distance from one another. Rich’s poem, in contrast, is far less classically romantic than Donne’s. Though it takes on a similar topic of being separated from a lover, Rich imagines a separation that will last “forever,” unlike Donne’s imagining of an everlasting love. Although in Donne’s poem, the two lovers will presumably reunite at some point, this is not the case in Rich’s poem. She tells the person that she is addressing that she wants them to “see this before she leaves,” and then says “when I talk of taking a trip I mean forever.” This is not a temporary separation, and therefore it doesn’t share the overly romantic tone of Donne’s poem.

In Robert Herrick’s poem, The Vine, the author recounts an erotic dream about his lover, Lucia. In the dream, his “mortal part” is “metamorphosed to a vine” that surrounds his lover. The vine reference is presumably phallic, and I was somewhat surprised by Herrick’s blatant sexual aggression. The repetition of the word “enthralled” to describe the vine’s effect on Lucia highlights this aggression, and she is described as a prisoner who “could not freely stir.” Although Herrick’s early tone is highly sexualized and almost disturbingly aggressive, his humor towards the end is a reminder that the poem is merely recounting a dream. His ability to poke fun at himself and his dream lightens the overall tone of the poem.

Hi Rachel,

I also noticed the connection between flowers and chastity throughout The Faerie Queene. Although flowers are usually associated with sexuality, our discussion from Monday has helped me reconcile the idea of Britomart being both the human embodiment of chastity and also “the flowre of chastity,” which may imply something more sexual. We spoke about how Spenser did not view chastity in the way that we do currently. For Spenser, chastity did not mean suppressing sexuality; rather, chastity referred to the pursuit of a monogamous romantic relationship. If we read the poem from the historical context from which it was written, therefore, I think it makes sense that Britomart is referred to as “the flowre of chastity,” for chastity and sexuality were not necessarily opposing forces.

Rachel,

I agree completely with your response to Kacie on the seeming contradiction in Spenser’s depiction of women. I think it is more a question of how Spenser is fashioning an image of Queen Elizabeth as a monarch than how he views women in general. The poem is a glorification of the monarch and the nation, and Spenser advocates for extreme chastity because it was a glorified virtue at the time. Of course, this appears to contradict our own modern concept of feminism, but I think we must read the text with an appreciation for its historical context. I am not sure if we should consider Spenser an early feminist; I am more interested in the ways Spenser projects an image of the queen as “an ideal object on which to practice their art of praise…thereby gaining the authority which they had lacked” (4), as Hamilton discusses.