Jade Stevens To what extent does Wyatt present the male narrator as a powerful, dominant role?

Thomas Wyatts poem, They flee From Me is an ambiguous poem in which gender roles challenge dominancy as in certain stanzas the male character appears to be dominant however most of these moments are illusions. The poem also reflects court life in the time of Henry VIII and mostly shows a masculine view of women typical of this Renaissance era. The poem is written in iambic pentameter with a rhyme scheme of ABABBCC. It also includes rhyme royal mostly used around this time era. In the first stanza, Wyatt opens the poem on a more intimate tone, naked foot, also suggesting some kind of vulnerability. Also as the current setting is in his Chamber, suggesting secrecy. He also shows a paradox in the opening line, They flee from me, that sometime did me seek, although they run from him now however before they used to seek him out implying that when they stalked within his chamber, showing that they had a desire for him. In this stanza, the male character holds the dominant role, as Wyatt depicts the women as vulnerable by creating a metaphoric image of the women as tame animals, and he is offering them Bread at my Hand tempting them, this also shows how submissive the women are towards, suggesting further that he is the dominant role in poem so far. Furthermore, the stanza also shows the masculine view of women as being, gentle, tame, meek, however Wyatt brings us back to reality and showing the true female persona as wild, here Wyatt shows this is in a negative way by showing women as man eaters, Busily seeking with a continual change. Also showing their sexual appetite in a scene where the male seems to have the dominant standing, To take Bread at my Hand. This stanza could come from Wyatts own personal experiences, as at the time Wyatt was rumoured to have an affair with Anne Boleyn, evident in this first stanza of his poem, within my Chamber and put themselves in danger suggesting that she has taken a great risk to be with him. It also shows sexual danger in the court of Henry VIII, do not once remember suggesting that if they were found out, they would be shamed or disgraced and would damage their reputations, they would be seen as sinners, loose women or even whores, especially in Anne Boleyns case. In the second stanza however, there is a role reversal, now the woman is supposedly the dominant role and the male narrator has now taken on the vulnerable, passive female character. This is shown as she herself shows erotic temptation towards the male narrator and showing control in the rhetorical question she gives, Dear heart, how like you this? showing furthermore the similarity in the female character by using the metaphorical image of animals in the male narrator, as a dear is a male stag showing him as vulnerable also. However, this supposed role change is only an illusion as she is offering herself And she me caught in her arms. Also she is still depicted as the passive female character, Arms long and small showing her vulnerability once more. She is furthermore being the object of the male gaze, In thin Array...her loose Gown did from her Shoulders

Jade Stevens fall revealing her body through a sheer gown. Yet this can also be her in her dominant role, tempting the narrator in an erotic manner as well. In addition, the male narrator finds this sexual experience more gratifying as he recalls this occasion Twenty times better after showing her devotion to the narrator by ever pleasing him by wearing such a sheer gown and revealing much of her body. Finally, in the third stanza, Wyatt describes this particular lover (shown in the second stanza) and their relationship an example of courtly love, a strange fashion of forsaking in a negative way showing a sense of betrayal by the word forsaking as this can also mean abandonment, showing a contrast of the lovers abandonment in the first stanza and this particular lover. Wyatt also shows irony and spite in this verse, I have leave to go of her goodness showing again that she is the dominant one as she is giving him permission to go. Therefore Wyatt is showing the contrast between the double nature of women being irrational and wild and the other being strong and confident. However, in the concluding lines of the poem the male narrator starts to show resentment and heartfelt anger to the realisation that he has been abandoned. He objects to the role change or the change of morals in the female character- he does not like this, And she also to use new fangleness showing yet again that this poem shows a masculine view on women. Therefore at the end of the poem the male narrator becomes bitter and vengeful I would fain to know what hath she deserved. Suggesting that she will pay for her sin or crime, and asking the audience their view to what her actions and behaviour deserve too. In Anne Boleyns case, the punishment for infidelity and adultery was death. Although Wyatts liaison with Anne Boleyn is strongly reflected in the poem, however his marriage could also easily be reflected as his wife was also adulterous, henceforth their separation as fit a punishment. Such critics, like Cecile Williamson Carey challenges the speculation about sexual identity and also about gender relations in the historical context of Henry VIIIs court, which love and power twined together in many ways, some deadly. She writes that the male narrator was not only betrayed by a woman, but his own expectations of who men and women are. Also the assumption that women were in danger, yet discovers a weakness of his, a vulnerability considered to be feminine. She also writes that if the poem is about Wyatts liaison with Anne Boleyn, therefore the irony in sexual politics with vengeance. During this time era, men were the power figure in both political and sexual standing, but Anne Boleyn not only rejecting to having no authority of her own in the sexual relationship, however became Queen, and so the male narrator is emotionally and politically servant to her. So does critic Stephen Greenblatt, focusing on the hunt for domination shown in courtly politics around Wyatts time. Also, Richard Jacobs recognises that the use of skin in the second stanza is a contributing factor to the sexual features used in the poem as he says that bodies are often eroticised in Renaissance literature.

Jade Stevens In conclusion, Wyatts poem, They Flee from Me has clearly made good reference of sexual nature. Wyatt makes it quite clear that the male narrator is indeed the dominant one throughout the poem, however, there are moments when the female character appears to be in control, by using erotic temptation towards the male narrator, but this is only an illusion as her erotic temptation does seem to be dominating him, however she is offering herself to him and he has continued to be in control. In the concluding stanza however, she is in power, as she dismisses him, Wyatt therefore through his poem explores the role reversal between men and women and what effects this has on a masculine point of view.

Bibliography www.gradesaver.com http://www.helium.com/items/2300738-poetry-analysis-they-flee-from-me-by-sirthomas-wyatt http://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/nap/Cecile_Williamson_Cary_Thomas.htm www.enote.com A beginners guide to critical reading: an anthology of literary texts- Richard Jacobs Literature and Politics in the English Reformation- Thomas Betteridge