From Pamphilia to Amphilanthus: 7

Pamphilia to Amphilanthus is a sonnet sequence written by a poet, Mary Wroth. Throughout this poem, the 7th sonnet in the sequence, it seemed to be very dramatic. This sonnet describes Mary Wroths thoughts and views on the male dominance during this time period. She goes on to discuss her life through the dominance of her male lover.

"I ame thy subject, conquer’d, bound to stand"

From this line, I understood that she obeys her male lover in any way that he pleases. During this time, as we have read and seen through out class discussions, it is very common for the men to be in full control of their women lovers. But she also says...

"Beehold I yeeld: lett forces bee dismist;"

She is contradicting herself throughout this poem, as far as I'm concerned. In the first quote, she is stating that she will and does whatever her lover tells her to do. But, in the second quote she says that she doesn't immediately do these things because she "yields" first. She is

Mary Wroth was very educated, just as Queen Elizabeth 1 was. But the difference between the two is that Mary Wroth was looked at as a suspicious and provacative woman because she was a mistress, as well as her writings were very out there compared to other women during this time period. But, interestingly enough, Mary Wroth still continued to write her poems even through the negative feedback that they received in return from her audience.

Comparing this to our time period, it is hard for me to fully grasp the struggle of having a serious male dominance society. But, from the writings that we have read in class, I understand that it is not something that I wish I was a part of.