Pamphilia To Amphilanthus Comparison

ENGL2002 Discussion Paper
Reigan Gilbertson
C3275675
Word Count: 809 (not including quotes, and citations)

In the play The Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare, and the poem “Pamphilia to Amphilanthus,” by Lady Wroth, love is an occurrent theme. Unattainable love in particular, is an aspect to these two seperate writings that plays a focal role, and by analysing the powerful techniques of symbolism and tone, the similarities and differences between the two Elizabethan works can be explored and exploited. Additionally, both works also display a sense of gender affiliated thought; Wroth using unwanted inward feminine desire and Shakespeare using gender-fluidity, which is crucial to the discussion of the theme of unattainable love and
Society, in this time and age, is overwhelmingly patriarchal and paired with misogynistic court, the ideal behaviour in a woman was staged around chastity, obedience and silence (Shaver, 63.) Lady Wroth, displays this in Pamphilia to Amphilanthus repeatedly. Wroth uses her literary powers to create an ambiguous, double-sided perspective. One sees this, for example, in the line from Sonnet 1, “But one heart flaming more than all the rest / The goddess held, and put it to my breast” (lines 8-10), Wroth creates the image of the speaker, Pamphilia, being unable to stop the ‘Goddess’ from giving her this desire, which makes her an involuntary subject. If chastity was one of the virtues that women were supposed to have and make peace with, then being the unwilling holder of desire, given to Pamphilia by a higher entity, allows the readers to feel a sense of
Shakespeare is widely known for his literary genius, but that is not the only reputation he gained, as his take, and rendition of love was particularly interesting as well. Orsino, for example, is the symbolic representation of the archetypal Petrarchan lover; as Orsino says. “If music be the love of food, play on, give me excess of it that, surfeiting,” (Act 1.1, 1-2, pg. 1080) which openly resembles the Petrarchan convention that was popular during the Renaissance period, (Gargian, 62-63) The second example of love offered by the play is the link between marriage, love, and power seen in the relationship between Cesario/Viola and Orsino. In both these affairs of love, the unattainable aspect mentioned previously is discovered in different ways. For Orsino who at the time, is in ‘love’ with Olivia, it is one sided. And for Viola, while she loves Orsino, it is impossible to act on that love while she is disguised as Cesario. The most interesting attempt of love, is the anti-Petrarchan love Olivia has for Cesario/Viola, which she confesses