the scrutiny - richard lovelace

historical context? (regarding attitudes to women) (3 points)

• gender hierarchy was assumed god’s plan

• the man’s role was the same the king’s

• women seen as property

author context? (3 points)

• he focused on love and relationships

• made many improvised poems

• cavalier poet - wrote about the glory of war and linked charles i with jesus

how does the poem start? what is the effect?

media res - draws in the reader

‘‘why should you swear i am forsworn’ - technique?

‘swear’ and ‘forsworn’ have a funny echoing rhythm

significance of ‘vowed’, ‘swear’, 'forsworn’?

biblical and legal connotations - similar to marriage vows

what is the significance of the woman only being called ‘lady’?

it dehumanises her

structural significance?

flip flops between iambic and trochaic metre - the idea that he would be faithful is silly

‘last night i swore to thee / that fond impossibility’ - meaning?

contradiction - it’s impossible for him to love her

what does the speaker do in the second stanza? (give meaning)

sophism - justifies his errors

‘ tedious 12 hours’ - techniques? signficance? (3 points)

• hyperbole

• alliteration - hard to say, adds to hyperbole

• shows impatience for women

‘rob thee of a new embrace’ - meaning? (2 points)

• justifies him ditching her, tells her it’s a good thing

• ties to idea of carpe diem

‘could i still dote upon thy face’ - significance?

shows selfishness- he wants to ditch her but still appreciate her beauty

‘joy in thy brown hair…/ but i must search the black and fair’ significance? technique? (3 points)

• dehumanises women as things to try

• relates to contextual beauty standard of black hair

• synecdoche - referring to a whole thing as one part of it

‘like skillful mineralists that sound / for treasure…’ techniques? significance? (2 points)

• simile - compares women to treasure, objectifies them

• looking for ‘treasure’ reflects britian’s colonial explorations

‘treasure in un-plowed-up ground’ - meaning of ‘un-plowed-up ground’?

means to dig in ground - innuendo for sex

‘ i laden return to thee / ev’n sated with variety’ - meaning?

he’ll return when he’s satisfied - ingenuine, he only cares about her body