Mary Wroth "Am I Thus Conquered?'

I thus conquer'd? have I lost the powers,
That to withstand which joyes to ruine me?
Must I bee still, while it my strength devoures,
And captive leads me prisoner bound, unfree?

Love first shall leane mens fant'sies to them free,
Desire shall quench loves flames, Spring, hate sweet showers,
Love shall loose all his Darts, have sight, and see
His shame and wishings, hinder happy houres.

Why should we not Loves purblinde charmes resist?
Must we be servile, doing what he list?
No, seeke some host to harbour thee: I flye

Thy Babish tricks, and freedome doe professe;
But O, my hurt makes my lost heart confesse:
I love, and must; so farewell liberty.

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Line 7. loose all his Darts, have sight: Cupid's emblematic paraphernalia, darts or arrows and a blindfold.
Line 9. Loves purblinde charmes: the prevailing sense of "purblind" was shifting in the 16C. and 17C. from totally blind to partially blind, dim-sighted, or by analogy, dim-witted


Although the differences in these poems far outweigh the similarities, the logical development of the sonnets have quite a bit in common. First, both poems essentially begin with the same question: "What, have I thus betrayed my liberty?" (924), and "Am

I thus conquered?" (1428). Both of them wonder if their freedom has been taken from them by an inevitable love for another person. Following the first line, each narrator begins to wonder how this has happened to them or what could have caused this love. Astrophil wonders if he was born with the tendency to love her and if his "neck becomes such yoke of tyranny…" (924). Pamphilia also wonders, how did she happen to fall in love? Despite her best efforts to abstain from love, it has happened. "Have I lost the powers that to withstand, which joys to ruin me?" (1428).

Sidney goes on to explain that he wishes to end this spiral because he is not praised for loving her but only scorned because he "may get no alms but scorn of beggary" (924). Here the poems begin to differ when Mary Wroth lists what must happen in order for her to give in to love. Her list is quite impossible with examples like "Desire shall quench Love's flames" and "Love shall loose all his darts" (1428). In both of the sestets, the scenario turns and Astrophil reminds himself to consider the inside when falling in love and not just the outside. He then decides it may be to his benefit to ignore this love altogether. Pamphilia already understands that love is best when ignored. She contemplates why it is so hard to resist love. Astrophil realizes the charm that makes love irresistible is beauty. In the couplets, both have a mutual realization that no matter what they try to do, love will not take pity on them. Astrophil lies to Stella because his eye has caught her magnificent beauty and he simply cannot bear to tell her that he does not love her. He remains a slave to her beauty. Pamphilia, like Astrophil, remains a slave to love because her pain forces her heart to admit that it does love and it has to love.

Pamphilia and Astrophil's experience and reactions to love are quite different and yet at the same time entail the same metaphor of love as a slave driver, mercilessly taking its victim's freedoms from them. Mary Wroth and Sir Philip Sidney have very different perceptions of love and this comes across strongly in their poetry causing a huge contrast from the feeling one gets when reading the sonnets. Some major themes in each of the sonnets are slavery vs. liberty, physical appearance vs. honest love, and inescapable passion. Although their differences are great, they still both employ the same raw feelings that love elicits in all persons throughout time