Biography

Sir Thomas Wyatt the Elder was an accomplished diplomat and Renaissance poet well
known for his influence on the development of the sonnet. During his lifetime, his poems
were circulated in manuscript form to members of the king's court but were not officially
published until after his death. In 1557, ninety-six of his poems were published in an
anthology which included works by Surrey, another influential writer of the time. Along
with the Earl of Surrey, Wyatt is credited with the introduction of the sonnet to the
English language. His poems were mostly concerned with love and his lovers, many of
which were based on sonnets by Petrarch. His most famous poems are "Whoso List to
Hunt," "They Flee From Me," "What No, Perdie," "Lux, My Fair Falcon," and "Blame Not
My Lute." Wyatt also wrote three satires in which he adopted the Italian terza rima into
English ("Thomas Wyatt," 2013). Although he lived many years ago, his works are still
studied and enjoyed today.


Early Life

Thomas Wyatt was born at Allington Castle in 1503 in Kent, England. He was the son of
Henry Wyatt, a Lancastrian who was imprisoned during the reign of Richard III, but then
was released by Henry VII. After being freed, Henry became a Privy Councillor, or
private advisor, for Henry VII and executed his will upon his death in 1509. He then went
on to serve Henry VIII and was made a Knight of the Bath at his coronation ceremony in
June of 1509. His mother was Anne Skinner who was famous for her hospitality. Anne
was the daughter of John Skinner of Reigate, a clerk of the peace (Claire, 2010). While
little is known about his childhood, including his education during that period, his adult
life is filled with dramatic turns much like his work.


Allington Castle in Kent, England

There is one story about his childhood that is well known: the story of the lion. As the
story goes, Wyatt was raising a lion cub with his father and it attacked him. Wyatt then
grabbed his sword and stabbed it right through the lions heart. When Henry VIII heard
this story he replied, Oh, he will tame lions (Claire, 2010). In 1516, at the ripe age of
thirteen, Wyatt entered St. Johns College, University of Cambridge, a college known for
humanism. Just four years later in 1520, he married Elizabeth Brooke, the daughter of
Lord Cobham, who bore him two children. One, a son, was cleverly named Thomas
Wyatt the Younger (Jokinen, 2010). The Duke of Norfolk became the babys godfather at
the christening.

A Timeline of Sir Thomas Wyatt's Life

Career

Following in the footsteps of his father, Wyatt worked in the court of King Henry VIII. His
occupation in the court varied based on what was needed. In 1525 he became esquire
of the kings body and clerk of the kings jewels. His skills in music and language served
him, and the king well and Wyatt found himself in the kings favor despite his minor role.
He was so handsomely favored that in 1527 he became an ambassador to France and
Rome. He began taking many foreign missions including one to France in 1526 and one
to the Papal Court in Rome in 1527, a trip intended to convince the Pope Clement VII to
annul the kings marriage to Catherine of Aragon (Claire, 2010).

In 1528 Wyatt became High Marshall of Calais and in 1532 he became the
Commissioner of the Peace in Essex. Wyatt was also chosen to accompany the king
and Anne Boleyn on their visit to France in late 1532, and later served Anne at her
coronation. Wyatt was then knighted by Henry VIII in 1535. His time as a diplomat to
France and Rome served his poetry well as the prosody and languages influenced his
writing (claire, 2010). His poems found their way around the Kings court during his
lifetime, but it was after Wyatts death that they were printed. His poetry was loosely
based on the Petrarchan sonnet. He and the Earl of Surrey are frequently credited as
ushering the sonnet into English culture ("Thomas Wyatt," 2013). As with many sonnets,
Wyatt was frequently concerned with matters of the heart and ill treatment for the sake
of love.

Thomas Wyatt and Anne Boleyn



Anne Boleyn
All great writers have a muse; for Wyatt drama and inspiration came in the form of Anne
Boleyn. When she arrived at the English Court in 1522, Wyatt was unhappy in his
marriage and took a liking to Anne. His marriage to Elizabeth Brooke was unsuccessful
and the couple divorced in 1525 after Wyatt accused his wife of adultery (Jokinen,
2010). It was love at first sight for Wyatt, but the king already had his eyes on her. As the
kings mistress, and eventual wife, Anne was deemed by many to be off limits, but many
have used Wyatts poetry as evidence of an affair, specifically Whoso List to Hunt,
which tells the tale of a man hunting with no success who then withdraws from that hunt
because of another hunter. Although there is no solid evidence that the two were lovers,
conclusions can be drawn based on the themes of his writings at the time (Claire, 2010).

Just one year after being knighted, in 1536 he was imprisoned for quarreling with a
Duke. He was not mentioned as a prisoner by the Constable of the Tower of London
until May 5th. This is also suspicious as he was arrested shortly after five other men
believed to be Boleyns lovers were jailed (Jokinen, 2010). On May 17, Thomas watched
the executions of the five other men imprisoned because of associations with Anne
Boleyn. He noted his shock and terror in his poem Innocentia Veritas Viat Fides
Cicumdederunt me inimici met, and worried that he would have a similar fate. Thomas
Cromwell, a friend of Wyatts and enemy of Boleyn wrote to Wyatt and reassured him
that he would eventually be released. However, Cromwell warned Wyatt that he needed
to mend his relationship with the king in order to stay safe (Claire, 2010). Similarly,
Boleyn did not escape an unfortunate fate. The King investigated Anne for connections
with Protestant churches and following what was considered a fair trial, Anne was
beheaded. Wyatt was only in jail for a month, but that was long enough to see Anne and
her five accused lovers murdered. After leaving jail, Wyatt found himself back in the
Kings good graces.

Final Days

Although he was able to escape the same fate as Boleyn, in 1541 a revival of old
charges related to Wyatt's early time as ambassador found him again imprisoned in the
Tower. He was accused of treason for making rude comments about the king and
mistreating members of the court (Jokinen, 2010). At the request of the Queen he was
released, but had to agree to return to his ex-wife. After the pardon, he was restored to
his office of ambassador and given various royal offices. He was unable to enjoy his
return because he became ill and died on October 11, 1542 at Clifton Maybank House,
the home of his good friend Sir John Horsey, in Sherborne Dorset. He was laid to rest at
Sherborne Abbey and his tomb can be viewed in the Wykenham Chapel of the Abbey
(Claire, 2010).

Sir Thomas Wyatt's Tombstone
Poetry

Introduction to the Sonnet
A brief overview of the sonnet

The word sonnet comes from the Italian word, "sonetto" which also translates into "little
song." A sonnet, has been generally known to be a poem that contains fourteen lines of
iambic pentameter
("Definition of a Sonnet," 2013). Iambic pentameter is a line that consists of five iambs,
being one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable. This method is used by
many poets from the English language and proves to be a fundamental building block of
poetry ("Iambic Pentameter," 2010). Traditional sonnets have been classified into groups
based on a a particular rhyme scheme. Sonnet's differ in many ways throughout the
years and have been changed with each author that have utilized the sonnet ("Definition
of a Sonnet," 2013).

Graph that represents the differences and similarities
between poets using a form of the sonnet

From the picture above, we could recognize that Wyatt followed in Petrarch's lead in
constructing the sonnet. Wyatt used Petrarchan form in the first two stanzas and only
the first two lines in the third. Wyatt strayed from Petrarch's form in the last stanza,
instead of doing three lines with a CD, DC, ED rhyme scheme he chose to do a couplet.
A couplet is two lines that have the same end rhyme. Spencer and Shakespeare utilized
couplet's in the last stanza in their own versions of a sonnet as well. This graph
establishes the fact that all authors recycle, borrow and change forms from each other.
This shows that there is no right way to write a sonnet, that it is all up to the author.

"The long Love that in my thought doth harbor"
Below are both Sir Thomas Wyatt's poem and the Petrarch sonnet that inspired his
work.

Wyatt, The long Love that in my
thought doth harbor

The long love that in my thought doth
harbor,
And in mine heart doth keep his
residence,
Into my face presseth with bold
pretense
And therein campeth, spreading his
banner.
Petrarch, Rima 140

Love, who lives and reigns in my thought and
keeps his principal seat in my heart, sometimes
comes forth all in armor into my forehead, there
camps, and there sets up his banner

She who teaches us to love and the be patient,
and wishes my great desire, my kindled hope, to
be reined in by reason, shame, and reverence, at
our boldness is angry within herself.
She that me learneth to love and
suffer
And will that my trust and lust's
negligence
Be reined by reason, shame, and
reverence,
With his hardiness taketh
displeasure. Wherewithal unto the
heart's forest he fleeth, Leaving his
enterprise with pain and cry,
And there him hideth, and not
appeareth.
What may I do, when my master
feareth,
But in the field with him to live and
die?
For good is the life ending faithfully.

Wherefore Love flees terrified to my heart,
abandoning his every enterprise, and weeps and
trembles; there he hides and no more appears
outside.

What can I do, when my lord is afraid, except stay
with him until the last hour? For he makes a good
end who dies loving well.
Analysis

Sir Thomas Wyatt the Elder has written his poem loosely based on the work by Petrarch
entitled Rima 140. At first glance, both poems seem to be dealing with love. Upon closer
reading one can tell that the author means much more. Coming from a courtly status in
the court of King Henry VIII Wyatt could mean love as a metaphor for service and pledge
of honor to ones king. After examining lines one and two, the honor one has pledged to
his king is inescapable and always present not only in ones mind but his heart as well.
Lines three and four imply that regardless of how one truly feels the king or lord a
courtier owes service to will embed his thoughts and cause into the servants mind.

Because of the pledge of honor, pursuing ones love interest may not be possible at all.
The next quatrain implies unattainable love because of ones loyalty to his king. The
speaker has learned to love and suffer with it because of the expected sanity he is
forced to uphold fighting against his lust over her with reason and reverence. The next
lines talk about being able to flee into his hearts desires, the vast forest found within his
desires. The speaker could hide there, unable to perform his duties to his king and focus
on the pain and sadness this unattainable love has given him. The last couplet in the
poem gives the speaker a reason to disregard his own desires in order to help his king.
As long as the speaker is able to live a faithful life and honor his pledge to his king or
lord his life becomes one of virtue.

This poem has a clear reflection of the influences of Petrarch. Focusing on unattainable
love was a clear influence to Petrarch so it makes sense for Wyatts poem to mimic that.
Despite the suffering caused by things unattainable, a courtier must still perform his
duties to those in court in order to be considered honorable or virtuous. These poems
both seem to complain about the every day pressures found in such a society built upon
honor and servitude.

"Whoso list to hunt"
Below are both Sir Thomas Wyatt's poem and Petrarch sonnet that inspired his work.

Wyatt, Whoso list to hunt

Whoso list to hunt, I know
where is an hind,
But as for me, alas, I may no
more.
I am of them that farthest
cometh behind. The vain
travail hath wearied me so
sore,
Yet may I, by no means, my
wearied mind
Draw from the deer, but as she
fleeth afore,
Fainting I follow. I leave off,
therefore,
Since in a net I seek to hold
the wind.
Who list her hunt, I put him out
of doubt,
As well as I, may spend his
time in vain.
And graven with diamonds in
letters pain
There is written, her fair neck
round about,
"Noli me tangere, for Caesar's
I am,
And wild for to hold, though I
seem tame."
Petrarch, Rima 190

A white doe on the green grass appeared to me, with
two golden horns, between two rivers, in the shade of a
laurel, when the sun was rising in the unripe season.
Her look was so sweet and proud that to follow her i left
every task, like the miser who as he seeks treasure
sweetens his trouble with delight.

"Let no one touch me," she bore written with diamonds
and topazes around her lovely neck. "It has pleased my
Caesar to make me free."

And the sun had already turned midday; my eyes were
tired by looking but not sated, when I fell into the water,
and she disappeared.
Analysis

In Sir Wyatt's, "Whoso list to hunt", the speaker of the poem begins the poem asking the
reader a question, whether or not they enjoy the hunt. In the next line, he exclaims that
he has given up the hunt because it actually has brought him to the point of physical
pain and suffering. In lines 4 and 5 he tells the reader that he cannot bring himself to
think of anything but the deer, and as she runs away from him again; he follows for a
short amount of time then again gives up. He compares this hunt as futile saying in line
8, "Since in a net I seek to hold the wind." This line is easily translated in that his efforts
in trying to catch the deer is like trying to catch the wind with a net, which is impossible.
In both poems of Petrarch and Wyatt, the speaker notices a collar around the deer's
neck with the variation of words that were taken from Petrarch's poem, "Let no one
touch me." Instead, Wyatt wrote, "Noli me tangere, for Caesar's I am," which is
translated to 'Touch me not, for I am Caesar's'. The speaker of the poem with this new
realization, understands that this deer already belongs to someone else.

Sir Wyatt the Elder utilizes Petrarch's Rima 190, in that both poems have an
unattainable deer that belongs to someone else. Sir Wyatt in his own sonnet, relates the
deer to Anne Boleyn in how she is too, unattainable. This poem is supposedly related to
how Anne Boleyn and King Henry VIII were getting married at the time and Sir Wyatt
would have to give up in trying to win her affections. In Wyatt exclaiming that he is giving
up the hunt for the deer is equivalent to him giving up wooing Anne because she already
has a figurative collar around her neck; she belong to Henry VIII. It also an interesting
idea that this poem is in Petrarchan sonnet, sonnet's are usually about love and
relationships, while this poem is about letting go in a love affair.

"They Flee from Me"
Below is the complete poem; it maintains iambic pentameter throughout, and carries a
rhyme scheme that flows ABABBCC throughout three, seven-line stanzas.

Portrait of Sir Thomas Wyatt

What is the purpose of the poem My lute awake by Sir
Thomas Wyatt?
This song is written in quintains five-line verses. Each is concluded with a sentiment of resignation. This
lute song is more typical of the content and intention of the courtly lute song; it was alternately titled The
Lover Complaineth the Unkindness of His Love which was a subject typical of poetry and music from this
time.

The first five lines express the futility of the song in that the effort of the narrator and his lute will be in vain;
his song will not win her back and he has given up the pursuit. The simile of her heart being like marble
indicates the stony nature of the lady, but also presents an amusing parody of the blazon form of poetry,
made popular in France in the 1530s by Clement Marot. This form strove to identify the attributes of a
desirable woman, from head to toe, through comparisons that exaggerated her grace and beauty. The
skin of a woman was variously compared in the blazon form to alabaster or marble. In this song, however,
Wyatt stresses the impenetrable nature of the marble as an obstacle to attaining the ladys affection,
rather than a physical quality worthy of admiration. His response to her stony reception is also a deviation
from the norm of the genre. The narrator does not plan to spend the rest of his life wallowing in the
torment of rejection he repeats the line which completed the first quintain: for I have done; he has given
up on the fruitless pursuit.

The comparison of his rejection being more cruel than the repeated rejection of the sea by the rocks is a
passionate yet violent image. If he has rejected her punishment of him, then the narrator has broken a
natural cycle akin to the tides. He says he is past remedy meaning beyond cure, beyond hope or, more
likely, beyond playing the role of wounded lover. Instead, he bares his emotions for the perusal of an
audience. His conclusion here involves his instrument my lute and I have done - suggesting that the
poet will sing this tale no more.

This song of a complaining suitor is interesting for its explicit threat of violence and insistent
ferocity towards its subject. The speaker sees his lute as the tool of wooing, which having
failed will now be replaced with the bow. However, beneath this show of aggression are
many of the typical themes of Renaissance love poetry the suitors dependence on the
woman and their inability to put down the lute, to escape the influence of the beloved.
Striking imagery at the start of the poem captures the womans beauty but also the
aggressive instinct of the suitor. The woman is marble stone - flawless, elegant and
statuesque but also cold and inhuman. The purity of marble contrasts with the rawness
oflead to suggest that the suitor may be of a lower social status than his beloved. The
second image also sees the woman as rock, here in the cliff battered by waves. The
impression is of loftiness or haughtiness in the woman, and again the scene has affecting
beauty to it. Both of these images thinly mask a violent impulse in the speaker, who wants
to grave (carve) the marble, lamenting that his song cannot pierce her heart. The image of
the cliff face is interesting because implicit is the recognition that waves do gradually
undermine the rock and collapse it this is the first indication in the poem that much of the
speakers sentiments are rhetorical posturing, underpinned by some kind of continued hope
of success.
The poem is an overt threat to the lover of violent retribution for her coldness. If the courting
process is imagined as a hunt, then the speaker invokes an ironic justice that replaces
the lute of the metaphorical chase with the bow of the literal. It must be noted the extent to
which this is a break with traditional Petrarchan decorum, the poet is saying If you dont love
me I will hunt you down. TA pun is made on the word game, reflecting the womans
lighthearted approach to her suitors but also suggesting her new role as quarry. See how
the half internal rhyme with pain overpowers the stanza with the harsh ain sound, implying
the agony of the hunts victim.
Despite these threats, it is the following two stanzas that presents the bitterest, most
affecting attack on the lovers. This may be because in imagining her old, the suitor betrays a
lack of belief in his threats to murder her. The image is almost the reverse of the
traditional carpe diem sentiment the speaker clearly takes pleasure in imagining the fate
befall his lover the same isolation and sadness that he feels. The effects of sound
inplaining in vain unto the moon are particularly evocative, suggesting a howl or scream and
perhaps implicitly lunacy. Wyatt anticipates later renaissance poets in his interest in the
shallowness and temporality of beauty , thou know beauty but lent. The speaker imagines the
thrill of rebuffing the desperate beloved once her earthly attributes have faded.
However, we must of course doubt that genuine feeling is expressed in these sentiments.
The poem plays on the difference between words spoken and reality by having the speaker
continually I have done in the refrain of each stanza. The frequency of this return becomes
almost exasperating, we begin to feel for the beloved, pitted against this sustained
declamation. Its as if the speaker is so angry that he can never quite leave it alone each
stanzas opening could start with And another thing. Yet beneath this hyperbolic anger is
the recognition and here the poem fits itself back comfortably with the conventions of the
genre that the suitor isnt going to be able to give up on his beloved. The implicit hope in
the image of the cliff face inspires the symmetry of first and last stanza affirming that this is
unlikely to be the last Labour of the suitor attempting to woo his beloved.
This poem is a powerful display of amorous rhetoric that suggests an aggressive attitude
towards the lover and threatens her with the consequences of rejection. The poet allows us
to see through this rhetoric, however, to see the much more classically minded speaker who
is resigned to pursuing his lover in the hunt of courtship for as long as is necessary.