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Summary Of For That He Looked Not Upon Her By Gascoigne

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The poem “For That He Looked Not upon Her” is written by a man that has been ravaged by love. The author fears love’s fierce power and ability to destroy as he attempts to escape his own uncontrollable desire. In his poem “For That He Looked Not upon Her”, George Gascoigne develops his complex attitude towards love and desire through the use of diction, imagery, alliteration, and poetic form. In the poem’s first quatrain, Gascoigne introduces his misery. He holds his “louring head so low”, and his “eyes take no delight” in his surroundings. The author is distraught by his pain, and he is beginning to fear love. As he addresses the woman, he states that he no longer desires to see “the gleams which on [her] face do grow.” Although he …show more content…

His first example is that of a mouse who “Is seldom ‘ticed with the trustless bait” after their first encounter with a trap. Once Gascoigne was hurt by love, he wanted to avoid it due to his great lack of trust, as he did not want to be trapped in the confines of desire again. He then continues to explain, saying that “The scorched fly which once hath ‘scaped the flame / Will hardly come to play again with fire.” One who is burned by love is not likely to return to its fire, and, as the author has demonstrated, they know all too well the suffering induced by it. Gascoigne quickly intensifies the dangers of desire through this quick change in imagery. The example of the mouse being trapped seems almost inconsequential, but the following idea of a fly being burnt alive greatly escalates the danger and the pain that may be induced by the flame of love. The author very clearly describes his attitude regarding this flame, as he feels that it is an inescapable trap and a blazing fire that burns men alive. If love is a fire, it has scorched him beyond repair - he is drawn to something that only harms him. Through these analogies, Gascoigne discovers “that grievous is the game / Which follows fancy dazzled by desire.” His use of alliteration brings a focus to the content of lines 11 and 12, as they hold the meaning of the poem as a whole: love is but an agonizing game that is difficult …show more content…

He can not look directly at his love, as he will not be able to resist her temptation. Gascoigne must take these precautions “Because [her] blazing eyes [his] bale have bred.” Alliteration brings considerable focus to this line in the poem, as the excessive repetition of “b” brings with it a preview of the author’s extreme disdain for love. He creates a negative connotation for his lover when he describes her eyes as “blazing”. The description of desire has changed from a positive view of the “gleams” on her face to a negative and dangerous “blazing” in her eyes. The “gleams” on her face entice him still, but the “blazing” fire of desire in her eyes terrifies him to the point of solitude - she is no longer safe to be around. This illustration of Gascoigne’s conflicting feelings is furthered by the fact that this poem is a Shakespearean sonnet. Shakespearean sonnets tend to be tragedies or romances that describe love, and this poem comments on the torment induced by love. The author’s choice for the form of the poem reinforces the meaning as a whole, that love itself is a

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