Pamphilia to Amphilanthus
Encyclopedia
'Pamphilia to Amphilanthus' is a sonnet sequence
by English
Renaissance
poet Lady Mary Wroth
, first published as part of The Countesse of Montgomeries Urania in 1621, but subsequently published separately. It is the first known sonnet sequence by a woman writer in England. The poems are strongly influenced by the sonnet sequence Astrophel and Stella
(1580) penned by her uncle Sir Philip Sidney
.
The power of the patriarchal society on her views is evident. The influence is exemplified in line 6, “I am thy subject, conquered, bound to stand.” Voicing her situation, Pamphilia feels subjected to male dominance. However, her desires are unclear on this matter because she says, “behold I yield,” (5) as if a declaration of her choice to the relations with Amphilanthus. The idea of free choice for women would be classified as a protofeminist thought because they were grossly oppressed and not allowed to think for themselves. Stephen Mullaney provides insight into the reason that Mary Wroth’s work survived by stating, “What comes to reside in a wonder-cabinet are, in the most reified sense of the phrase, strange things: tokens of alien cultures, reduced to the status of sheer objects, stripped of cultural and human contexts in a way that makes them eminently capable of surviving the period that thus produced them.” This essay was first published in 1983 and was subsequently included as chap. 3 in Mullaney's extended study of The Place of the Stage: License, Play, and Power in Renaissance England.. The social analysis of the survival of the oppressed writings comes from “Strange Things, Gross Terms, Curious Customs.” The treatment of women caused Pamphilia to question whether she even has a choice in who she loves (consent) or if that is determined by society (coercion). Her inability to differentiate in the poem is probably due to the subjugation of inferior treatment that she has experienced. Mullaney refers to this as being “reduced to the status of sheer objects” . She is forced to analyze if she is merely an object at the disposal of men. As a result, her ability to analyze, invoke higher level thinking, and even her personhood is examined.
Wroth’s representation of female emotions conjured with the interaction with of a male suitor puts expected women’s values into action. The sonnet explores the “obedience” attribute of what Bernadette Andrea refers to as the “triple injunction” of English culture in the 17th century. The “triple injunction” concept was communicated through many different forms including: educational tracts, religious sermons, and legal codes. Its purpose was to define the perfect woman as upholding social norms through the values of chastity, obedience, and silence . Pamphilia ends the sonnet resolving to “obey” (14) Amphilanthus’ “charms,” (14) regardless of her own wants. Her conclusion to persevere despite her personal feelings speaks to the cultural understanding of women heroism which is equated with endurance . Pamphilia does not concede all hope of having a choice in the relationship, but does wish to avoid physical hurt.
The sonnet does make an intriguing reference to Astrophel and Stella: in line 13 of the Petrarchan
sonnet, Wroth writes, “…Sir God, your boyship I despise.” The phrase “Sir God” is linked to the late 16th century poem, Astrophel and Stella . Sidney’s Astrophel is referred to as “Sir Foole” . According to Catherine Bates, Astrophel contracts similar difficulty as he, “is not only overmastered, the willing victim of a superior power, he is also emasculated” . Perpetuating the gender roles of the time, Bates argues that Sidney paints Astrophel, a boy, as feminine . Wroth includes traces of Astrophel and Stella to provide ties to previous gender inequality. Astrophel only experiences the struggle between coercion, “overmastered,” and consent, “willing,” because he is cast as feminine . Bates’s understanding of downward mobility in social status by moving from male to female through Sydney’s Astrophel and Stella is strongly supported by Bernadette Andrea’s analysis of social norms. Wroth’s echo of Sydney’s work is to address the gender issues from a new voice: the female perspective.
's Masque of Blackness (1605). This masque was designed by Inigo Jones
and written for Queen Anne
of Denmark . Gary Waller, in his book The Sidney Family Romance, explains that this masque was controversial because Wroth and the other female actors appeared in blackface as the twelve daughters of Niger .
Anita Hagerman, in her article "'But Worth pretends': Discovering Jonsonian Masque in Lady Mary Wroth's Pamphilia to Amphilanthus", discusses Wroth's role in Jonson's The Masque of Blackness and the specific influence of the theme of darkness on Sonnet 25. She states that Wroth played a character named Baryte, an Ethiopian maiden. Hagerman suggests that Wroth created a courtly persona for herself in these masques and that the themes of this persona are themes in Pamphilia to Amphilanthus. One idea of Wroth's courtly persona was darkness, probably stemming from her reputation of seriousness. The theme of dark versus light is explored in Sonnet 25 and is representative of her uncertainty of whether she wants her desires for Amphilanthus to be fulfilled or not, because either way will prove "torturous" .
The idea of theatricality influences the way this poem is interpreted. Because it is understood that Wroth is talking about her experience in a theatrical performance, the theme of the artificial aspect of the masque performance needs to be taken into account. To understand this sonnet, we must understand how Wroth felt about taking part in courtly masques. Hagerman says that in the way that Pamphilia is ambivalent about what to do with her love for Amphilanthus, Wroth herself is ambivalent about the life of courtly masques. The contradiction of allowing women to have "feminine expressive display" of feelings and then strictly "enforced silence" could have represented the good and the bad of courtly life for Wroth. In the masques, Wroth was given a voice, but after she was no longer affiliated with the court life, she recognized the artificiality of the voice she had because the courtly life and the masques require a level of falseness. Gary Waller states that Wroth's female characters describe the pressure they feel in terms of theater and display. For a female to take part in a masque, she is creating the illusion of power because she is entering the space of the court and commanding attention. However, it subjects her to the gaze of men and makes her feel powerless and victimized .
Sonnet sequence
A sonnet sequence is a group of sonnets thematically unified to create a long work, although generally, unlike the stanza, each sonnet so connected can also be read as a meaningful separate unit....
by English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
poet Lady Mary Wroth
Lady Mary Wroth
Lady Mary Wroth was an English poet of the Renaissance. A member of a distinguished literary English family, Wroth was among the first female British writers to have achieved an enduring reputation...
, first published as part of The Countesse of Montgomeries Urania in 1621, but subsequently published separately. It is the first known sonnet sequence by a woman writer in England. The poems are strongly influenced by the sonnet sequence Astrophel and Stella
Astrophel and Stella
Likely composed in the 1580s, Philip Sidney's Astrophel and Stella is an English sonnet sequence containing 108 sonnets and 11 songs. The name derives from the two Greek words, 'aster' and 'phil' , and the Latin word 'stella' meaning star. Thus Astrophel is the star lover, and Stella is his star...
(1580) penned by her uncle Sir Philip Sidney
Philip Sidney
Sir Philip Sidney was an English poet, courtier and soldier, and is remembered as one of the most prominent figures of the Elizabethan Age...
.
Sonnet 7
The eighth sonnet in Pamphilia to Amphilanthus supports Wroth’s overarching themes of a woman’s struggle in the 17th Century English society. The sonnet introduces female struggle between coercion and consent to a male lover. Bernadette Andrea’s “Pamphilia’s Cabinet: Gendered Authorship and Empire in Lady Mary Wroth’s Urania” addresses the reasons why a female character would confront the reality of choosing between coercion and consent. One of the main aspects that Andrea approaches is the limits that the historical context put on the author’s freedom of speech. Andrea states, “She may write, but only from the limits of her own room; she may preserve her writing, but only within the confines of her own mind.” Sonnet 8 is Pamphilia’s expression of her own thoughts, emotions, and views.The power of the patriarchal society on her views is evident. The influence is exemplified in line 6, “I am thy subject, conquered, bound to stand.” Voicing her situation, Pamphilia feels subjected to male dominance. However, her desires are unclear on this matter because she says, “behold I yield,” (5) as if a declaration of her choice to the relations with Amphilanthus. The idea of free choice for women would be classified as a protofeminist thought because they were grossly oppressed and not allowed to think for themselves. Stephen Mullaney provides insight into the reason that Mary Wroth’s work survived by stating, “What comes to reside in a wonder-cabinet are, in the most reified sense of the phrase, strange things: tokens of alien cultures, reduced to the status of sheer objects, stripped of cultural and human contexts in a way that makes them eminently capable of surviving the period that thus produced them.” This essay was first published in 1983 and was subsequently included as chap. 3 in Mullaney's extended study of The Place of the Stage: License, Play, and Power in Renaissance England.. The social analysis of the survival of the oppressed writings comes from “Strange Things, Gross Terms, Curious Customs.” The treatment of women caused Pamphilia to question whether she even has a choice in who she loves (consent) or if that is determined by society (coercion). Her inability to differentiate in the poem is probably due to the subjugation of inferior treatment that she has experienced. Mullaney refers to this as being “reduced to the status of sheer objects” . She is forced to analyze if she is merely an object at the disposal of men. As a result, her ability to analyze, invoke higher level thinking, and even her personhood is examined.
Wroth’s representation of female emotions conjured with the interaction with of a male suitor puts expected women’s values into action. The sonnet explores the “obedience” attribute of what Bernadette Andrea refers to as the “triple injunction” of English culture in the 17th century. The “triple injunction” concept was communicated through many different forms including: educational tracts, religious sermons, and legal codes. Its purpose was to define the perfect woman as upholding social norms through the values of chastity, obedience, and silence . Pamphilia ends the sonnet resolving to “obey” (14) Amphilanthus’ “charms,” (14) regardless of her own wants. Her conclusion to persevere despite her personal feelings speaks to the cultural understanding of women heroism which is equated with endurance . Pamphilia does not concede all hope of having a choice in the relationship, but does wish to avoid physical hurt.
The sonnet does make an intriguing reference to Astrophel and Stella: in line 13 of the Petrarchan
Petrarchan
The Petrarchan sonnet is a verse form that typically refers to a concept of unattainable love. It was first developed by the Italian humanist and writer, Francesco Petrarca. Conventionally Petrarchan sonnets depict the addressed lady in hyperbolic terms and present her as a model of perfection and...
sonnet, Wroth writes, “…Sir God, your boyship I despise.” The phrase “Sir God” is linked to the late 16th century poem, Astrophel and Stella . Sidney’s Astrophel is referred to as “Sir Foole” . According to Catherine Bates, Astrophel contracts similar difficulty as he, “is not only overmastered, the willing victim of a superior power, he is also emasculated” . Perpetuating the gender roles of the time, Bates argues that Sidney paints Astrophel, a boy, as feminine . Wroth includes traces of Astrophel and Stella to provide ties to previous gender inequality. Astrophel only experiences the struggle between coercion, “overmastered,” and consent, “willing,” because he is cast as feminine . Bates’s understanding of downward mobility in social status by moving from male to female through Sydney’s Astrophel and Stella is strongly supported by Bernadette Andrea’s analysis of social norms. Wroth’s echo of Sydney’s work is to address the gender issues from a new voice: the female perspective.
Sonnet 25
It is suggested that the line "Like to the Indians, scorched with the sun" recalls Wroth's role in Ben JonsonBen Jonson
Benjamin Jonson was an English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor. A contemporary of William Shakespeare, he is best known for his satirical plays, particularly Volpone, The Alchemist, and Bartholomew Fair, which are considered his best, and his lyric poems...
's Masque of Blackness (1605). This masque was designed by Inigo Jones
Inigo Jones
Inigo Jones is the first significant British architect of the modern period, and the first to bring Italianate Renaissance architecture to England...
and written for Queen Anne
Anne of Denmark
Anne of Denmark was queen consort of Scotland, England, and Ireland as the wife of King James VI and I.The second daughter of King Frederick II of Denmark, Anne married James in 1589 at the age of fourteen and bore him three children who survived infancy, including the future Charles I...
of Denmark . Gary Waller, in his book The Sidney Family Romance, explains that this masque was controversial because Wroth and the other female actors appeared in blackface as the twelve daughters of Niger .
Anita Hagerman, in her article "'But Worth pretends': Discovering Jonsonian Masque in Lady Mary Wroth's Pamphilia to Amphilanthus", discusses Wroth's role in Jonson's The Masque of Blackness and the specific influence of the theme of darkness on Sonnet 25. She states that Wroth played a character named Baryte, an Ethiopian maiden. Hagerman suggests that Wroth created a courtly persona for herself in these masques and that the themes of this persona are themes in Pamphilia to Amphilanthus. One idea of Wroth's courtly persona was darkness, probably stemming from her reputation of seriousness. The theme of dark versus light is explored in Sonnet 25 and is representative of her uncertainty of whether she wants her desires for Amphilanthus to be fulfilled or not, because either way will prove "torturous" .
The idea of theatricality influences the way this poem is interpreted. Because it is understood that Wroth is talking about her experience in a theatrical performance, the theme of the artificial aspect of the masque performance needs to be taken into account. To understand this sonnet, we must understand how Wroth felt about taking part in courtly masques. Hagerman says that in the way that Pamphilia is ambivalent about what to do with her love for Amphilanthus, Wroth herself is ambivalent about the life of courtly masques. The contradiction of allowing women to have "feminine expressive display" of feelings and then strictly "enforced silence" could have represented the good and the bad of courtly life for Wroth. In the masques, Wroth was given a voice, but after she was no longer affiliated with the court life, she recognized the artificiality of the voice she had because the courtly life and the masques require a level of falseness. Gary Waller states that Wroth's female characters describe the pressure they feel in terms of theater and display. For a female to take part in a masque, she is creating the illusion of power because she is entering the space of the court and commanding attention. However, it subjects her to the gaze of men and makes her feel powerless and victimized .