Analysis
Sir George Etherege, a notable figure in Restoration literature, offers a vivid exploration of the complexities of love through his poetry. Across approximately thirty poems, Etherege artfully examines the various facets of romantic pursuits, focusing on themes ranging from the playful to the poignant. His work is characterized by a detachment that allows him to portray the whimsical dynamics of love without moralizing or personal investment.
The Game of Love
Central to Etherege's canon is the concept of love as a game—a recurring motif in his comedies that extends into his poetry. He dissects the rituals of courtship, including wooing, rejection, and the spectrum of outcomes that define romantic endeavors. Etherege's objective stance gives his work a universal appeal, as he utilizes conventional forms such as pastoral dialogues and carpe diem themes, avoiding the philosophical or personal examination of love. His poetry captures myriad manifestations of love, showcasing its ludicrous and poignant sides alike.
Significant "Songs"
One of Etherege's notable poems, a "Song" from his play She Would if She Could, encapsulates key themes of his poetry. In this piece, Gatty candidly admits her affection for Courtall, only to be chided by her sister for her honesty—a move seen as contrary to the strategic pretense that the game of love demands. This interaction underscores a fundamental aspect of Etherege's exploration: the tension between genuine emotion and the societal expectations of romantic interactions.
Exploring Pastoral Poems
Etherege occasionally ventures into the pastoral mode, a tradition that idealizes rural life while often embedding a paradox of unhappiness within perceived perfection. "Song: Shepherd! Why so dull a lover?" is a call to action against passivity in love, urging the shepherd to seize the day. However, Etherege's pastoral works often carry a bittersweet or tragic tone, as seen in "Song: When Phillis watched her harmless sheep," where a shepherdess's innocence is lost, symbolized by her scattered sheep. This tension between rural bliss and its fleeting nature is a recurring theme, inviting pity rather than moral reflection from the reader.
Similarly, "When first Amintas charmed my heart," sung in The Man of Mode, presents pastoral happiness threatened by neglect, allegorically depicted through a shepherdess losing her flock to wolves. Etherege's message, subtly woven into these narratives, is the transitory nature of happiness rather than a call to fortify against love's capriciousness.
Carpe Diem and Transient Love
The carpe diem theme, a favorite of the seventeenth century, finds expression in several of Etherege's poems. "To a Lady, Asking Him How Long He Would Love Her" reflects this tradition by addressing the temporary nature of life and love. The lover's message to Cloris is one of accepting the fleeting nature of their relationship, with a rare warmth cutting through Etherege's usual amoral tone. In contrast, Etherege's "Song" depicts a more typical attempt to seduce through charming rhetoric, underscoring the impermanence of romantic pleasure.
Lamentations of Suitors
Etherege's exploration of love includes the laments of spurned suitors, often portrayed with a mix of irony and wit. His suitors, much like the character Sir Fopling Flutter in The Man of Mode, take a peculiar delight in their rejection. In "Voiture’s Urania," the rejected lover embraces his desolation with a masochistic resignation, while "Silvia" employs a lively meter that ironically undercuts the lover’s sorrow. This balance of form and content highlights Etherege's deftness in presenting love's complexities with a playful touch.
Homage to Feminine Beauty
Etherege also contributes to the tradition of extolling feminine beauty, albeit with his unique twist. "To a Lady Who Fled the Sight of Him" and "To a Very Young Lady" celebrate the...
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allure of women, while simultaneously alluding to the inevitable decline of beauty. The latter poem, while praising the girl’s beauty, implicitly reminds her of the fragility of such glory, hinting at the cruel passage of time. Etherege’s treatment of these themes often veers into the realm of the misogynistic, though not without an underlying complexity.
Misogyny in Etherege’s Work
In some poems, Etherege's exploration of love reveals a more pronounced misogyny. In "Song: Ladies, though to your conquering eyes," featured in The Comical Revenge, he openly criticizes women's tendency to spurn suitors, warning of love's potential revenge. Another "Song" from the same play advises men to avoid aloof women, suggesting that simpler pleasures are more rewarding. "Song: To happy youths" further emphasizes this theme, warning young men to steer clear of women altogether. These works reflect a temporary disenchantment with the game of love, devoid of any moralistic intent.
Diverse Poetic Styles
"The Divided Heart" stands out within Etherege's oeuvre for its courtly elegance, diverging from his usual effortless style. Contrastingly, "The Imperfect Enjoyment," belongs to a genre initiated by Ovid, where a lover's joy turns to disappointment at the critical moment. This diversity in style and subject matter underscores Etherege's multifaceted exploration of love, blending low comedy with high poetic form.
Engagement with Satire
Beyond love poetry, Etherege occasionally delves into satire, targeting the absurdities of human nature with light-hearted ridicule. In "A Song on Basset," he humorously critiques the fervor surrounding card games, while "Ephelia to Bajazet" mocks the grotesque vanity of John Sheffield, earl of Mulgrave. Perhaps his most insightful satire is "A Prologue Spoken at the Opening of the Duke’s New Playhouse," which reflects his concerns as a dramatist about pandering to public tastes. Through metaphor, he critiques the increasing ostentation demanded by theater audiences.
Across his body of work, Etherege embodies the Restoration spirit with an emphasis on wit, sophistication, and detachment. His poetry deftly navigates the terrain of love and satire without succumbing to moral didacticism. By focusing on the playful complexities of human interaction, Etherege crafts poems that resonate with the universal experience of love as a game—one that is perpetually enticing, yet never truly won.
