The Scrutiny By Richard Lovelace 1618-1658
The Scrutiny What do we understand from the title of the poem? What might be under scrutiny in this poem?
Why should you swear I am forsworn, Since thine I vowed to be? Lady, it is already morn, And 'twas last night I swore to thee That fond impossibility. Have I not loved thee much and long, A tedious twelve hours' space? I must all other beauties wrong, And rob thee of a new embrace, Could I still dote upon thy face. Not but all joy in thy brown hair By others may be found; But I must search the black and fair, Like skilful mineralists that sound For treasure in unploughed-up ground. What might be under scrutiny in this poem? Then if, when I have loved my round, Thou prov'st the pleasant she, With spoils of meaner beauties crowned I laden will return to thee, Ev'n sated with variety.
AO3: Context
1618-1657 Cavalier poet Richard Lovelace Lovelace was born into a wealthy, military family, the eldest of eight children. His father was honoured by King James I with a knighthood and Lovelace would continue this tradition of loyalty to the crown. At 16, he was appointed Gentleman Wayter Extraordinary to the King, an honourary position. He studied at Oxford and achieved his degree at the age of 18. During the conflict between parliament and the King, Lovelace was chosen by the royalists to go to the House of Commons and demand the restoration of the King s absolute authority. He was imprisoned. When released, he returned to the King s service. He spent time abroad then was imprisoned again; when he was released, the King had been executed. The last years of his life were spent in relative obscurity, his fortune exhausted on behalf of the King. He died in 1658 from causes unknown.
Cavalier Poets Supported the King, who in return supported their arts most were courtiers and their poetry was to be read at court A cavalier was originally a mounted soldier or knight The term was originally applied to this group of poets as an insult, suggesting they were roistering gallants (boisterous wouldbe heroes) but it was claimed by those who supported Charles I This distinguished them from the Roundheads who supported parliament, who were often Puritans
Lovelace the Cavalier Lovelace was known as the very epitome of a Cavalier poet. He was handsome, attractive and charming and this made him a very popular addition to the court of King James I and Queen Henrietta. The most amiable and beautiful person that ever eye beheld; a person also of innate modesty, virtue and courtly deportment, which made him then, but especially after, when he retired to the great city, much admired and adored by the female sex Anthony Wood, contemporary. Lovelace wrote poetry at college, to raise his reputation as a Cavalier, and as a pastime during imprisonment and his time abroad. He wrote over 200 poems. While at college, he tried to portray himself more as a social connoisseur than as a scholar, continuing his image of being a Cavalier. He wrote to praise a friend or fellow poet, to give advice in grief or love, to define a relationship, to articulate the precise amount of attention a man owes a woman, to celebrate beauty, and to persuade to love.
Metaphysical poets John Donne Andrew Marvell Cavalier Poets Richard Lovelace Metaphysical Poetry: A conceit is used, bringing together two vastly different ideas into a single idea The theme is emphasised by fantastic metaphors and hyperbole Sensuality is blended with philosophy; passion with intellect The form is often an argument of some sort There is often some reference to religion Cavalier Poetry: Was not intended to reflect the times of the age but to celebrate joy and gratification, e.g. love, beauty, drinking, honour and time The poems were written as light and polished verse, usually as songs Most had classical or allegorical references They were intended to promote the crown or amuse the court They were often romantic, bordering on erotic Both types of poetry featured carpe diem but in different ways.
AO2: Language and Imagery
Why should you swear I am forsworn, Since thine I vowed to be? Lady, it is already morn, And 'twas last night I swore to thee That fond impossibility. Notice the movement of time, here. The speaker refers to the past and the present. What has changed? What is the poet saying here? Why is it significant that we see the personal pronoun I three times here? What tone is created by this and the rhetorical question? What is the implication of the word fond?
Lady, it is already morn Lady is a trochee. This subtly alters the stress of the line from the iambs used elsewhere and along with the caesura immediately after it thus draws attention to the word lady. Why might Lovelace have done this? Hint: how might the term lady be ironic here? How does this add to our understanding of why the vow might be seen as impossible to the speaker?
Have I not loved thee much and long, A tedious twelve hours' space? Compare this time frame to the use of time to flatter in Coy Mistress. What is the poet saying here? What length of time does he consider much and long? How does the alliteration of the next line add to this idea?
What is he suggesting she should do whilst he is gone? How does this link to the focus on lady in the previous verse? What do you make of the verb rob, here? I must all other beauties wrong, And rob thee of a new embrace, Could I still dote upon thy face. What does the word dote suggest about the speaker s feelings towards the woman? The word beauties to refer to women reinforces their objectification by the speaker. All other suggests the scale of his plans. How does the verb wrong add to our understanding of the speaker s intentions?
This reference to others continues the idea in the previous stanza that she will be with other men. How does this add to dote from the last stanza? Not but all joy in thy brown hair By others may be found; But I must search the black and fair, Like skilful mineralists that sound For treasure in unploughed-up ground. What does the word must suggest about the speaker s feelings? We now move to the speaker s immediate future. AO2 focus: the woman is reduced to her hair colour and other women are referred to by theirs the speaker is searching through different hair colours, different women, until he finds their treasure. He will scrutinise these women. Let s examine this simile a little more
What impact does this simile have on the status of the speaker and of the women? Like skilful mineralists that sound For treasure in unploughed-up ground. What does this metaphor suggest? Hint: what might the treasure be? Why are the women considered unploughed-up ground? This image can also link to pastoral poetry in which the female body is a landscape to be enjoyed. AO4: what does the modern expression playing the field mean? Can this be linked to the ideas in this stanza?
We now move to the speaker s more distant future Then if, when I have loved my round, Thou prov'st the pleasant she, With spoils of meaner beauties crowned I laden will return to thee, Ev'n sated with variety. A roundabout course; a bit like a grand tour such as the one young men took around Europe as a rite of passage. What is the poet saying here? The language of battle is used here, positioning the speaker as a victor and women as conquests. Promiscuity is here presented as an acceptable form of male leisure. What is the significance of the conditional if? What about prov st?
Ev'n sated with variety. This final image is one of greed, gluttony and selfishness. He will return to the woman when he has had enough of the variety of other women, when he is sated, and if she is proven to be the most pleasant of them all. Carpe Diem? AO4: Who is seizing the day here? How does this compare with the poems of Donne and Marvell?
AO3: Remember that the intended audience of this poem was other male members of the court. In Lovelace s time this poem would be set to music, performed and received as a song. It was not intended to be read. Does this affect the way we read it? Can we argue that it is meant to be for entertainment only? How does it tie in with the idea of the heroic male Cavalier? Would women of the time have found it as shocking as a modern audience?
AO2: Form / Structure
Why should you swear I am forsworn, Since thine I vowed to be? Lady, it is already morn, And 'twas last night I swore to thee That fond impossibility. Have I not loved thee much and long, A tedious twelve hours' space? I must all other beauties wrong, And rob thee of a new embrace, Could I still dote upon thy face. Not but all joy in thy brown hair By others may be found; But I must search the black and fair, Like skilful mineralists that sound For treasure in unploughed-up ground. Can you identify the rhyme scheme? Then if, when I have loved my round, Thou prov'st the pleasant she, With spoils of meaner beauties crowned I laden will return to thee, Ev'n sated with variety.
A B A B A A B A B A A B A B A A B A B A Why should you swear I am forsworn, Since thine I vowed to be? Lady, it is already morn, And 'twas last night I swore to thee That fond impossibility. Have I not loved thee much and long, A tedious twelve hours' space? I must all other beauties wrong, And rob thee of a new embrace, Could I still dote upon thy face. Not but all joy in thy brown hair By others may be found; But I must search the black and fair, Like skilful mineralists that sound For treasure in unploughed-up ground. Then if, when I have loved my round, Thou prov'st the pleasant she, With spoils of meaner beauties crowned I laden will return to thee, Ev'n sated with variety.
A B A B A Why should you swear I am forsworn, Since thine I vowed to be? Lady, it is already morn, And 'twas last night I swore to thee That fond impossibility. The rhyme scheme is regular, adding to the impression of a lighthearted song. Most, but not all, lines are written in iambic tetrameter. The poem is a monologue we do not hear the woman s voice, only the (male) speaker s. This should remind us of Donne: like him, Lovelace is presenting an argument so, like him, he uses a regular rhyme scheme and meter. Each stanza develops the speaker s argument. This gives it a sense of being calculated. One interpretation of the changing meter is that it represents the speaker s search for the most pleasant she. Not all women are created equal. What do you think?
AO4/5: Links and Interpretations
Some readers might consider the poem to be spoken with the arch, knowing tone of a seducer, who displays arrogance as he uses his powers of rhetoric to argue his way out of commitment, cynically offering the possibility of a reunion to clinch his case. Others might find ambiguity and suggest that the speaker does love the addressee, but is being honest about his sexual needs It is a rather nasty poem: cruel, clever and somehow lacking in real emotion. The Scrutiny is little more than a misogynistic fantasy that privileges male desire and objectified women. This poem articulates the pose of the careless Cavalier for whom love is nothing more than a game. Do you agree?
Examine the view that Richard Lovelace presents the speaker in this poem as having a selfish attitude to love. Think about: The characteristics of love The representation of the people involved The feelings of the speaker Any imagery or language used The way the structure and form reflects this Use the AQA specimen commentary on this question to help you plan and write an answer.
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