I was struck by how Knowles’ observations on sexuality related to the content and structure of the sonnets from Barnfield’s Cynthia, particularly the relationship between homoerotic relationships and masculinity. The speaker’s fascination with Ganymede reflects the old practice of pederasty as he is obsessed with his subject’s youth and beauty. Though a pederastic relationship usually involves a master-servant-like power imbalance, with the older man holding power over the younger due to age, power, and/or position, here Ganymede seems to hold the power through his ability to refuse the speaker’s advances. As the speaker becomes increasingly desperate in his professions of love, Ganymede inadvertently strips him of his power through Ganymede’s own indifference. The speaker tries to sway Ganymede with the typical masculine act of gift giving (Sonnet XVIII), but because of his blatant declarations of affection, he ends up sacrificing his self-control and thus his semblance of masculinity (Knowles 684). Barnfield’s use of the sonnet plays with this idea of self-control, for though the tight form of the sonnet requires great eloquence and restraint, it enables the speaker to unrestrictedly and immoderately express his romantic and sexual passions.