Women & Sex: a Desire That Says Equality

Women & Sex: A Desire That Says Equality In selective works from some of the 17th century 's most influential poets, a collective theme often appears: the poets allow the women they write about to assume the roles of sexually charged characters in a new fashion. Treating topics ranging from chlorosis to premature ejaculation to impotence, these poets not only address the issue of sex but also many of the concerns that may arise during sexual encounters. More importantly, each explores the divisions between the men and women 's behaviors provoked by these experiences. In "A Remedy for the Greensickness," by an anonymous poet, the reader encounters a woman who suffers the tortuous effects of intense sexual desire. Whereas this piece offers the notion that only men possess the prowess to remedy this sort of illness, it also explicitly reveals a distinctive incurability in the woman 's condition. Further compelling the idea that men lack this supreme ability, "The Women 's Complaint to Venus," found in Some Songs from Bassus, depicts women who prefer the pleasures of men but nonetheless find greater satisfaction from other, unconventional sources. Introducing more overt evidence of men 's sexual limitations, John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester, and Sir George Etherege illustrate the effects of premature ejaculation from a male perspective and consider the disenchantment caused for the female in their poems, both entitled "The Imperfect Enjoyment." While the males receive some mocking from the poets, the females command the compassion of the writers and the audience. Perhaps the most intuitive representation of a sexually unfulfilled woman emerges with Aphra Behn 's "The Disappointment," in which a young virgin 's first sexual encounter ends without ever having begun. This particular poem differentiates itself from the rest, for no other poet communicates the female perspective of dissatisfaction first-handedly. Considering these poems within the context of each

Cited: Zeitz, Lisa M. and Peter Thoms. "Power, Gender, and Identity in Aphra Behn 's ‘The Disappointment '." Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900. 37.3 (1997): 501-516.