widely known. She was strikingly beautiful and more vibrant and captivating than Catherine, which appealed to Henry's love for displays of beauty. By January 1533, Anne was pregnant, and she and Henry had secretly wed. That same year, Henry convinced Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury, to annul his marriage to Catherine. By 1534, a series of parliamentary measures had diminished the pope's influence in England, prompting the pope to excommunicate Henry. This forced English clergy and court members to choose between allegiance to Henry or the pope; those who sided with the pope faced execution. Henry also dissolved monasteries, seizing their lands and possessions. The affair with Anne Boleyn led to the English Protestant Reformation, significantly increasing the King's revenues. Indeed, King Henry VIII held supreme authority in his realm and demanded unwavering support from his subjects. Those who opposed him were arrested, tried for treason, and executed. Wyatt's poem hints at the perils of pursuing royal interests, a danger that extended beyond the King's "hind" to encompass religious and political maneuvers.

Allegory

In literature, an allegory is a type of extended metaphor where objects and events carry deeper symbolic meanings beyond their literal interpretations in the story. In Wyatt's sonnet, the hunter's chase of the hind symbolizes Wyatt's courtship of Anne Boleyn, while the hind being owned by Caesar represents King Henry VIII's "ownership" of Anne Boleyn. The details of the hunt and the emotions of the hunter can thus be seen as reflecting the reality of this romantic situation.

Petrarchan Sonnet

The Petrarchan sonnet, also referred to as the Italian sonnet, is composed of two distinct parts. The first is the octave, an eight-line stanza that presents a problem or issue. The second is the sestet, which offers a resolution to the problem. In "Whoso List to Hunt," the octave depicts the hopeless chase of the hind, while the sestet reveals why the hunter cannot capture his quarry: she belongs to her royal master, and capturing her would bring danger to both the hind and the hunter. Wyatt's sestet is structured as a quatrain (four lines) followed by a couplet (two lines), evident through the rhyme scheme. Petrarch's sonnets were traditionally divided into octaves with a rhyme pattern of abbaabba and sestets with various schemes, typically cdecde or cdcdcd. Wyatt's rhyme scheme is slightly altered: abbaabba, cddc, ee. Within these structures, some rhymes may be somewhat irregular, particularly because certain words may have been pronounced differently during the Elizabethan era. For instance, in Wyatt's sonnet, wind, meaning "breeze," with a short i sound, is considered to rhyme with the long i of hind, behind, and mind. Similarly, in the final couplet, the long a of tame is paired with the short a of am. When reading this couplet aloud, one might adjust the sounds of one or both words to create a rhyme. By concluding with a couplet, Wyatt emphasizes both of the last two lines, whereas the Petrarchan form highlights the last line of the octave and the last line of the sestet.

Pentameter

During the Elizabethan era, the most prevalent poetic meter was pentameter, where each line of verse is composed of five metrical units or feet. When each foot consists of two syllables, like an iamb where the emphasis falls on the second syllable, the line totals ten syllables. This rhythmic pattern can enhance both the aesthetic appeal and the emotional impact of a poem on the reader. To grasp iambic pentameter effectively, it is helpful to read a poem aloud, focusing on the patterns of stressed and unstressed syllables. Wyatt's approach to iambic pentameter was unconventional; in fact, when his poems were published in Tottel's Miscellany, the printer adjusted and refined the meter. In "Whoso List to Hunt," lines 1, 4, 6, and 8 have eleven syllables, while line 14 contains only nine, with the rest of the lines adhering to the ten-syllable structure. For instance, line 10 can be interpreted as a sequence of five iambs, whereas in line 5, only the last two feet are true iambs; the first three feet are either trochees, which stress the first syllable, or spondees, with both syllables stressed. Wyatt's irregular use of meter and measure helped him develop a distinctive style.

Visual Imagery

In poetry, the interplay of images can convey significant meanings. Line 3, "The vain travail hath wearied me so sore," evokes the image of a hunter exhausted by the chase. When considering the poem's allegory, readers may link this image to a suitor worn out from attempting to win over the object of his desire. Throughout the poem, images of an active hunt are tied to the romantic scenario, infusing it with an excitement that might otherwise be absent. Indeed, powerful visual imagery allows readers to engage with a poem more vividly.

• 1500s: Henry VIII is awarded the title "Defender of the Faith" by Pope Leo X for opposing Martin Luther, who is labeled a heretic and excommunicated. After Luther's demise, Pope Paul encourages Emperor Charles V of Spain to wage war in Europe to eradicate Protestantism and reunify the Roman Catholic Church. The Church provides financial support and troops for this conflict.

  Today: Religion continues to be a significant factor in global politics, but conflicts now predominantly occur between governments rather than religious sects. However, in certain instances, religious fundamentalism and fanaticism are associated with terrorism, leading to the loss of many innocent lives worldwide.

• 1500s: Henry VIII demands that all his noblemen take an oath affirming him as the head of the Church of England. Sir Thomas More, a close friend of Henry and the lord chancellor, is arrested and eventually executed for refusing, as a devout Catholic, to swear the oath required by Henry VIII.

  Today: Queen Elizabeth II remains the ceremonial head of the Church of England, but an oath acknowledging the monarch as the church's head is no longer necessary. The Catholic traditions for which Sir Thomas More sacrificed his life continue to exist.

• 1500s: Throughout Henry VIII's long reign, he married six times. He divorced two wives, executed two for adultery, lost one to childbirth, and his final wife outlived him, even remarrying after his death. Royal marriages during this era were complex, often influenced by diplomatic treaties.

  Today: The divorce of Prince Charles from Princess Diana highlights how royal marriages have evolved. Despite the embarrassment caused by both partners' infidelity, Diana was not arrested, tried for treason, or executed. What remains unchanged since the sixteenth century is the public's enduring interest in royal marital affairs.

• Thea Musgrave adapted four poems by Wyatt, which were recorded in 1953 under the title Four Madrigals and published by Chester Music. These songs, performed by an a cappella choir, have a total duration of eight minutes.

Sources

Amussen, Susan Dwyer, "Gender Order in Families and Villages," in An Ordered Society: Gender and Class in Early Modern England, Columbia University Press, 1988, pp. 103, 117.

Bernard, G. W., "The Fall of Anne Boleyn," in the English Historical Review, Vol. 106, No. 420, July 1991, pp. 607, 609.

Daalder, Joost, "Introduction," in Sir Thomas Wyatt: Collected Poems, edited by Joost Daalder, Oxford University Press, 1975, pp. xi-xiii.

Dasenbrock, Reed Way, "Understanding Renaissance Imitation: The Example of Wyatt," in Imitating the Italians: Wyatt, Spenser, Synge, Pound, Joyce, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1991, pp. 19, 30, 31.

Greenblatt, Stephen, "Power, Sexuality, and Inwardness in Wyatt's Poetry," in Renaissance Self-Fashioning: From More to Shakespeare, University of Chicago Press, 1980, pp. 145-48, 152.

Petrarca, Francesco, "Rime 190," in The Poetry of Petrarch, translated by David Young, Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2004, p. 144.

Waller, Marguerite, "The Empire's New Clothes: Refashioning the Renaissance," in Seeking the Woman in Late Medieval and Renaissance Writings, edited by Sheila Fisher and Janet E. Halley, University of Tennessee Press, 1989, pp. 169, 173.

Wyatt, Thomas, Sir, "Whoso List to Hunt," in Sir Thomas Wyatt: Collected Poems, edited by Joost Daalder, Oxford University Press, 1975, p. 7.

Further Reading

Fraser, Antonia, ed., The Lives of the Kings and Queens of England, University of California Press, 1998.

Fraser's volume is a large-format book featuring numerous color illustrations and replicas of early English documents. It offers concise biographies of England's monarchs, presented in an accessible narrative style and organized chronologically. This resource is excellent for acquiring foundational knowledge about British royalty.

Guy, John, Tudor England, Oxford, 1990.

Guy's book, written in straightforward narrative prose, provides a historical overview of the religious and political developments during the Tudor era. It also discusses economic and social conditions influenced by the Protestant Reformation.

Jardine, Lisa, Worldly Goods: A New History of the Renaissance, W. W. Norton, 1996.

Jardine examines the Renaissance as a period not only of remarkable cultural achievements but also of significant commercial successes. She explores how property acquisition became a key indicator of success, analyzing various types of property such as jewels, luxurious fabrics, tapestries, and art, and discusses the importance of amassing goods.

Rose, Mary Beth, ed., Women in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, Syracuse University Press, 1985.

This compilation remains a valuable resource for understanding the diverse experiences of women during the era in which Wyatt composed his works. The essays curated by Rose delve into women's education, their roles within the church, and how they were portrayed in men's writings.

Schama, Simon, A History of Britain, 3 Vols., Hyperion, 2000–2002.

Schama's three-volume series includes numerous maps, illustrations, and photographs, alongside an engaging narrative of Britain's history. Often praised as a storyteller, Schama provides extensive information on both lesser-known British legends and well-documented events, covering early chronicles, national traditions, and the wars and monarchs that have shaped the country.

Singman, Jeffery L., Daily Life in Elizabethan England, Greenwood Press, 1995.

This book delves into the intricacies of sixteenth-century England, detailing how people lived, the attire they donned, their dietary habits, and the various occupations they pursued.

Weir, Alison, Henry VIII: The King and His Court, Ballantine Books, 2001.

This engaging biography offers extensive insights into the Tudor court and its inhabitants. Weir shares numerous intriguing details about Wyatt's involvement in the court, making her book a particularly enjoyable read for those who appreciate Wyatt's contributions.