Table of Contents
Introduction:
The poem “When I was fair and young” was written by Queen Elizabeth I. The poem was written around 1560. The poem is written from the point of view of Queen Elizabeth I. The poem mainly focuses on the themes like pride, virginity, love, young, realisation.
Historical Background:
Queen Elizabeth I denied all the suitors who proposed her. But she loved Robert Dudley. He was already a married man. But after his wife’s death, he found Elizabeth to be fit for the role of his mistress. In Queen Elizabeth I coronation in 1559 people get the clear picture of Elizabeth’s love towards Robert Dudley.But due to political reasons she did not marry him. Yet, her love towards him stayed alive till her death.
Form:
The poet Queen Elizabeth I’s poem “When I was fair and young” consists of four stanzas. Each stanza consists of four lines each. Thus it has sixteen lines in total.
Speaker of the Poem:
The poet Queen Elizabeth I is the speaker of the poem “When I was fair and young”.The poem is written from the first person point of view. So, she used the pronoun “I” to express her feelings.
When I was fair and young, then favor graced me.
Of many was I sought their mistress for to be.
Meter:
The poet Elizabeth I written the poem “When I was fair and young” using the meter called iambic hexameter.
Poem Analysis:
Stanza 1:
Lines 1-4:
When I was fair and young, then favor graced me. Of many was I sought their mistress for to be. But I did scorn them all and answered them therefore: Go, go, go, seek some other where; importune me no more.
The poem begins with the speaker saying how her beauty was admired by men. She being a fair and young woman was the first choice for men. The suitors started preferring her over other women. But she was so proud of herself and didn’t allow anyone to take control of her life. There were many men who proposed to her but her oy answer to them was to find some other woman for them.
Stanza 2:
Lines 5-8:
How many weeping eyes I made to pine in woe, How many sighing hearts I have not skill to show, But I the prouder grew and still this spake therefore: Go, go, go, seek some other where, importune me no more.
In the second stanza the speaker says that she feels sad for hurting the feelings of men. Actually in these lines she is not feeling regret. Instead she is trying to show others how many proposals she got during her young life. The speaker started refusing the proposals of every other man and broke their hearts. The more proposals she received the more proud she grew. Thus, the ego made her reply to the men to find some other woman and not to annoy her. In this way her ego started growing inside her, that replied without bothering about others emotions.
Stanza 3:
Lines 9-12:
Then spake fair Venus’ son, that proud victorious boy, Saying: You dainty dame, for that you be so coy, I will so pluck your plumes as you shall say no more: Go, go, go, seek some other where, importune me no more.
In this stanza the speaker Queen Elizabeth I started alluding to the God Cupid who is the son of Venus, the God of love. The Cupid is the god of desire. The Cupid saw her attitude towards the other men. So, the Cupid planned to teach a lesson for the speaker. So, the Cupid plucked the plumes of the speaker. Here, the speaker is conoared to a bird. The “plumes” protects the bird inner parts. Here, the speaker is protected by self control. So, the Cupid started removing that self control from the speaker. As a resukt, Cupid succeeded in his action.
Stanza 4:
Stanza 13-16:
As soon as he had said, such change grew in my breast That neither night nor day I could take any rest. Wherefore I did repent that I had said before: Go, go, go, seek some other where, importune me no more.
The speaker says,the Cupid succeeded in his action. So, the change started to grow in her heart. She lost her control and cannot take rest during the day or night with the desire of love burning in her heart. So,
Elizabeth started falling in love madly with a man. Previously she told everyone to seek some other woman to soothe their heart. But now, she is regretting her words. Because she now realised the importance of love. After falling in love with a man she started lamenting her attitude towards the other men to satisfy her ego.
Thus, the speaker Elizabeth has written this poem describing the changes that have taken place in her life. Earlier, her ego made her reject men. But later her love towards a man named “Robert Dudley” made her realise her mistake. She started loving him madly so she couldn’t stop thinking about him.
