2. One of lyric poems
written by Sir Walter
Raleigh wrote to queen
Elizabeth (his beloved)
a lot of poems and this
is one of his famous
poems which is called
“silent lover “
3. Walter Raleigh represents the courtly love
themes in this poem ,which is one of the
common themes in the “Renaissance-age”
Walter Raleigh the lover of queen “Elizabeth”
gives the reasons of his silence and expresses
his great love to her ,but because “Elizabeth”
is so high above him and because of his duty to
her ,he must suffer knowing that she will never
return his affections or love, so that the
relationship will remain platonic.
4. Raleigh starts giving logical reason of silence. He
begins with a simile comparing
passions(love) to stream and floods
Simile:
Like………
His passion or love……… Vehicle
Streams and floods ………..tenor
5. Our passion consists of two parts
exactly as the flood ,which consist
of the shallow and the bottom.
The shallow always murmurs
(babble or speak )
The bottom(deep water) is always
silent
6. THE BOTTOM LIKE
SUITORS OR LOVERS OF
Elizabeth with a deep
feeling who are always
silent ( Raleigh
considers himself as one
of them ,so that he
dose not complain his
love to her )
(deep water)
shallow
7. Raleigh justifies his silence that he
was been quiet about his love
because his love is deep and because
of his great amount of his love (no
words can explain his love ).
8. Personification…………..dumbThe deep are
dumb: one who can’t speak .
(deep water as a person who can’t speak)
dumb/ word concerns with human being.
the shallow symbol of a lover with shallow
feelings .
The deep water symbol of a lover with deep
feelings .
Shallow/ deep……… are opposites.
Murmur/ dumb………… are opposites.
He uses two opposites in a one sentence to
exaggerate the meaning.
It’s one of the rhetorical devices which uses
opposites to convey meanings.
9. So, when affections
yield discourse, it
seems
The bottom is but
shallow whence they
come.
They that are rich in
words must needs
discover
That they are poor in
which makes a lover.
Raleigh explains
that when he joins
a discourse, his
words seem the
bottom, but in
fact, they are the
shallow. He can’t
find any words
which are fitting
with his feeling.
10. His words are poor and rich .
Rich because it is full of meanings that need
to discover.
Poor because it can’t give the correct feeling
,so the clever talker is actually shallow and
silence will be a better option than talk.
His words rich and poor………. Oxymoron.
11. Wrong not, dear
empress of my heart,
The merit of true
passion
With thinking that he
feels no smart
That sues for no
compassion;
Since, if my plaints
serve not to prove
The conquest of your
beauty,
They come not from
defect of love
But from excess of
duty.
Walter urge Elizabeth
to not misunderstand
his silence by
reducing his love for
her because he does
not ask for her
compassion and he
does not complain his
love. He is feels the
pain (smart) of her
un-returned
affections, but he
doesn't beg her to
change because of his
duty.
12. He remmbers that he was an
adviser and a guard to the
Queen. His duty is to serve
her not to court her. He is
not silent about his love for
her because he doesn't love
her, he is silent because he
could not win her with his
words(she is so high above
him), and his duty prevents
him from trying.Dear
empress of my heart, he uses
the calling manner in order
to court her.
13. For knowing that I sue to
serve
A saint of such perfection
As all desire, yet none
deserve,
A place in her affection,
I rather choose to want
relief
Than venture the revealing;
When glory recommends the
greif,
Despair distrusts the
healing.
He serves the perfectly
woman. No man can have
her and no man could
deserve her. She is perfect
and all would want to
accept her love, yet none
of them will ever have it.
Instead of complaining, or
getting relief by
expressing his emotions to
her (which would be the
selfish thing to do), he
takes glory in the amount
of grief he suffers by
keeping his feelings to
himself. His point is that
he is being heroic, brave,
and self-less by not
declaring his love for her.
14. Despair (personification) despair is a sick person
who doesn’t expect his healing.
Elizabeth (metaphor) like a saint.
A place in her affection (metaphor) her
affection is a place which no one deserves a
seat in there.
15. Those desires that aim too
high
For any mortal Lover,
When reason cannot make
them die
Discretion doth them
cover.
Yet, when discretion doth
bereave
The plaints that they
should utter,
Then your discretion may
perceive
That silence is the best
suitor.
If Elizabeth loves
someone, it will be a
miracle, because that is
too high for any mortal
lover.
He explains that when a
man wants a woman he
can’t have, discretion or
silence will cover his
emotions so that no one
would know but you are
clever that you can know
the silence is the best
suitor.
16. Silence in love bewrays
more woe
Than words, though ne'er
so witty;
A beggar that is dumb, you
know,
Deserveth double pitty.
The misconceive not,
dearest heart,
My true though secret
passion;
He smarteth most that
hides his smart
And sues for no
compassion
bewrays (betray/ reveal).
Deserveth (deserves).
smarteth( (hurts).
Silence, speaks louder than
words. Actually, Raleigh
argues, he should be pitied
doubly just like a beggar
who cannot speak. She
should have mercy on him
because the depth of his
love for her prevents him for
declaring it. He asks for her
understanding. His secret
passion is stronger than all
of her other suitors, he
suffers with his feelings, and
he doesn't beg for her
understanding or
compassion.
17. *Silence betrays more woe
(personification) silence is
a one who betrays secrets.
*(dearest heart) he uses a
calling manner to court
her.
19. -:Question
Is writing five stanzas of poetry on how his passion
is secret, actually keeping his emotion to himself
and suffering with unreturned love without relief
or help?
In another way, do you trust the writer? Why? Give
your evidence.
20. No, I don’t trust the writer because:
•* Writing five stanzas of poetry about his secret
love is too much (he wants to reveal his secret).
* He courts her by using the calling manners twice
(dearest heart, dear empress of my heart) he
courts her and forgets his duty.
* He starts with a comparison between two kinds
of lovers to show her that he is her best rival.
* A bigger is dumb deserves double pity (he means
himself, so he begs for her pity and compassion,
this is opposed to what he said).
* He said “a silence is a suitor” he means that he
is a suitor, so he doesn’t care for his duty as he
declared before.
