Respond in a paragraph. Answer is written in complete sentences.
What do the speakers have in common in the sonnets "Whoso List to Hunt" by Sir Thomas Wyatt and "Sonnet 30" by Edmund Spenser? How are they different? Consider the focus of the speaker in each work.
1 answer
The speakers in both "Whoso List to Hunt" by Sir Thomas Wyatt and "Sonnet 30" by Edmund Spenser have in common their unrequited love for someone who is unattainable. In both sonnets, the speakers express their longing and desire for the object of their affection, despite knowing that pursuing them is futile. They both use metaphors to compare their pursuit of love to hunting, suggesting that they are driven by a sense of desperation and determination. However, the speakers are different in their focus. In "Whoso List to Hunt," the speaker emphasizes the unattainability of their love interest, describing her as a deer who is protected by a powerful hunter (presumably representing King Henry VIII). On the other hand, the speaker in "Sonnet 30" reflects on the passage of time and the inevitability of death, ultimately concluding that love is the only thing that can offer solace and transcendence.