George Gascoigne's For That He Looked Not Upon Her

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Recommended: Analysis of for that he looked not upon her by George Gascoigne

Through Desire Comes Depression
The speaker of George Gascoigne's "For That He Looked Not upon Her" agonizes over by his loss of trust in his lover and discusses the distress he experiences due to her betrayal. The poem itself is a sonnet with distinct quatrains and rhyming couplet which all are interconnected to portray the speaker's suffering and agony. Gascoigne's depressing and bitter word choice reflects the melancholy attitude of the scorned speaker, which helps set the tone of the poem. Vivid imagery throughout the sonnet depicts the deceit and betrayal experienced by the speaker by the hands of his lover. The form, diction, and imagery of "For That He Looked Not upon Her" develop the betrayed disheartened and guarded attitude of the
He states, "The mouse which once hath broken out of trap / Is seldom 'ticed with trustless bait" (5-6) to express how he is still weary of trusting people because of how badly he was hurt by his lover. In the next quatrain, he compares himself to a scorched fly "which once hath 'scaped the flame / Will hardly come to play again with fire" (9-10) in order to convey that he will never again fall into the same trap as before. Because the speaker was hurt by love, he is now cautious with it. Just as flies and mice want to avoid being hurt by the same traps as before, the speaker wants to learn from his mistakes, and it now leery of other people and their intentions. However, he still loves this woman which is why he "[winks] or else [holds] down [his] head" (13) when he is around her; he knows he cannot resist her, but does not want to get hurt again.
Throughout the poem, "For That He Looked Not upon Her", the speaker creates a guarded and betrayed tone. He explains to his lover why he avoids looking at her face and laments over how desire causes agony and despair. Through the usage of imagery, diction, and form, the speaker successfully conveys his distraught and guarded warning based in past experience to all those who are tempted by desire while also expressing to his lover why he is hurt by her

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