Critical Appreciation of Spenser's "Sonnet No. 75" in "Amoretti" (One day I wrote her name upon the strand)

"So let us love, dear Love, like as we ought,
Love is the lesson which the Lord us taught."

Edmund Spenser (1552? - 1599)

English poet.

Amoretti

 Introduction:

Spenser’s Amoretti, a finest specimen of Elizabethan sonnets, is addressed to Elizabeth Boyle whom Spenser marries later. Thus his is the Amoretti a saga of love, without sin or remorse, its changing fortune, and the sighs of the lover until lies accomplishment and final joy. Though we do not find in Spenser’s sonnets Sidney’s unquietness or Shakespeare’s complaint against his mistress, his Sonnet No. 75 (One day I wrote her name upon the strand) highlights a traditional question of transience and permanence.

The problem of time & a dramatic situation:

Sonnet No. 75 carries out a discussion on the problem of time and transient world and the permanency of love, en route writing poetry of magnum opus. The sonnet is also noted for its dramatic texture. Read More Poetry Though the lyrical and dramatic are two contradictory terms, Spenser brings about a magnificent harmony between them. Here Spenser speaks of his own subjective approach regarding writing poetry. But his sonnet is devised through a dramatic situation and a dialogue between him and his beloved.

Mutiny against time & a poetic win:

The sonnet begins in a perfect romantic setting where the poet-lover and his beloved are sited on the sea shore in amorous mood. In the meantime the poet writes his beloved’s name on the sandy beach, the sea waves comes and washes it away. As the lover repeats the task, the waves do the same. Read More Poetry The ladylove watches this tug of war inquisitively and relishes the merry situation. The lady at last raises the voice of protest by saying that hers is ordinary, trail, fragile and transitory creature and neither the name nor her personae can claim to do beyond death. Thus; 
            “Vayne man”, sayd she,“that doest in vaine assay,

            A mortall thing so to unmortalize,

           For I my selve shall lyke to this decay,

            And eek my name bee wiped out likewise”.

Though the ladylove is doubtful and even disdainful, the poet with firm conviction declares that his love shall triumph over death and live ever through. Being romantic and idealist, the poet asserts that the gross, insignificant and sordid things might be the part of transient world, but his beloved is a fulsome personality, a subject of immortality-

            “Not so”, quod I, “Let baser things devize

            To dy in dust, but you shall live by fame”

There is no fallacy, no hogwash in the poet’s contention. In fact, here is a poetic devize. Read More Poetry Mortality might be cul-de-sac of human world bringing inevitable catastrophe, but the world of human art has the way to permanence. Thus the poet wishes to articulate the love to his dear in his poetry of artistic excellence. The poetry, he thinks, will renew their love beyond their physical years –

            “My verse your virtues rare shall eternize”.

            And in the heavens wryte your glorious name.

            Where when as death shall all the world subdew,

            Our love shall live, and later life renew”.

Thus, the sonnet's final couplet reaffirms the poet's faith in the power of love and poetry to defy death. He envisions that when death eventually claims the world, their love will persist and be rejuvenated in the afterlife. This notion of transcending death through love and art is a recurring theme in Renaissance poetry, and Spenser eloquently captures this idea in "Sonnet No. 75."

Conclusion and Critical Comment:

In conclusion, Spenser's "Sonnet No. 75" is a masterful exploration of love's ability to conquer mortality. Through the metaphor of writing the beloved's name on the strand, the poem evokes a sense of transience and the inevitability of passing time. Yet, the poet's unwavering belief in the power of his verse to immortalize her virtues adds a profound depth to the sonnet. The poem serves as a testament to the enduring nature of love and the enduring power of art to transcend the limitations of the human condition, offering solace and hope in the face of mortality.

Spenserian devise of triumph of poetry over time and by the process the glorification of love is a traditional way of thinking. Read More Poetry Shakespeare dares the verse

            “So long as men can breathe or eyes can see

            So long lives this and this gives love to thee”.

                                                                                    (Sonnet No. 18)

 Keats too by the 'viewless wings of poesy' wishes to defeat the transitory world. None the less Spenser is here original for its perfect blend of dramatic mood and indomitable passion of love.

 Ardhendu De

Now Try to Answer These Questions:

1. Do you think the introduction of dialogue in Sonnet No. 75 makes the poem more dramatic than lyrical? 

Hints: The introduction of dialogue adds drama by presenting contrasting viewpoints, but lyrical elements persist in the poet's passionate declaration of love.

2. Spenser provides a beautiful dramatic setting in his Sonnet No. 75 (Amoretti). Do you agree?

Hints: The poet promises that his verse will immortalize the beloved's exceptional virtues, preserving her legacy for eternity through his poetry.

3. My verse your virtue rare shall eternize – Bring out the essence of the above statement.

Hints: Yes, Spenser's vivid portrayal of the shore, waves, and the beloved's response creates a beautiful and dramatic setting.

4. How does Spenser connect the theme of love with the theme of immortality? Do you think the argument of the poem convincing?

Hints: Spenser connects love's enduring power to defy mortality, asserting that his poetry will grant immortality to the beloved's virtues. Convincing argument.

References: 

Edmund Spenser’s Amoretti and Epithalamion : a critical edition : Spenser, Edmund, 1552?-1599 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. (n.d.). Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/edmundspensersam00spenuoft