Analysis Of The Poem For That He Looked Not Upon Her By Gascoigne

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Sometimes an individual’s desires cause them to face internal suffering. The poem “For That He Looked Not upon Her” by sixteenth-century English poet George Gascoigne explores this idea through illustrating the reasoning of why a man cannot look into the eyes of the women he once loved anymore. Gascoigne portrays the man in the poem as being hopeless and unable to unhook himself from the passion he has for the women which mesmerized him.
Gascoigne depicts his hopelessness, and rather bleak almost cautious outlook on love after coming out of a bad relationship through the use of diction. In the opening of the poem Gascoigne paints an image of how the man hold his “louring head so low” to portray the sullen attitude which has appeared as he
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Also throughout the poem multiple references to fire are made such as “the scorched fly,” …show more content…
The Utilization of a metaphor between a mouse who “hath broken out of trap” to portray him breaking out of his relationship, emphasizes how he fears being trapped again. As mice become wary of eating out of traps do to the fear of being hurt again, a parallel is drawn to his situation showing how he is cautious of getting into a new relationship as he fears getting betrayed again in the trap of a relationship. He also relates his wariness of staring into the eyes of the woman he loved, to the mouse's fear of eating. This indicates he equivocates staring at her to eating showing he views her as a necessity in his life. This metaphors complex imagery illustrates the multiple aspects to the situation. Gascoigne also creates a parallel between the man and a “scorched fly” within the poem by comparing the twos situation. He portrays how the man naturally looks in to the women’s eyes as if he’s incapable of containing his desire, or some external force is making him. This is similar to how flies naturally drift towards light as a natural instinct which is illustrated in the phrase "Which follows fancy dazzled by desire". This illustrates his desire is simply a natural instinct. Reiterating that he wants to start again but is in fear of rejection and is consumed by his sense of

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