For That He Looked Not upon Her Essay

Flames allure is undeniable. While it is captivatingly beautiful and enables life, there is

an inherent duality to flame because its capriciousness makes it dangerousall creatures are

born with an intuitive wariness of fire; those who have been burned before are especially fearful.

As is made clear in George Gascoignes poem For That He Looked Not upon Her, burning

love and passion can be like the unpredictable vivacity of flame in their penchant for destruction.

In Gascoignes poem, the speaker was once hurt by a fiery lover with blazing eyes (14) and is

now wary of such strong emotions; he desires his beloved but is fearful of returning because their

relationship was very unhealthy and destructive.

In the poem For That He Looked Not upon Her the speaker reveals that he was burned

by the fire of love and is reluctant to allow the same thing to happen again. Gascoigne creates

two metaphorsthe mouse and the flyto allegorically convey the speakers reasons for not

returning to his beloved. Gascoignes choice of the mouse and the fly, as opposed to a strong and

feared animal like a lion, is significant because these two creatures are meager and helplessjust

as the speaker was when he was together with his lover. In the first metaphor, it is implied that

the speaker is the mousehe was once trapped by his toxic relationship, but now he is wary of

more mishap (7) and will not be lured in another time. The speaker is also the scorchd fly (9)

that was once burned by his lovehe will not make the mistake again of being drawn into the

flame because he is dazzled by desire (12). These metaphors elucidate the speakers

knowledge that he was once foolishanimalistic evenin his romantic decisions, but will not

be again.
 Significantly, an image of dejection in the speakers drooping head permeates the piece.

The title of the poem For That He Looked Not upon Her is the first instance of this imagery:

He, the speaker, refuses to look at Her, his lover. This imagery of the speaker hanging his

head down continues into the first stanza, in which he proclaims that he holds his louring head

so low (2) so that he will not have to gaze into the eyes of his beloved. Gascoigne also

concludes the poem with this image; in the couplet, the speaker hold[s] down [his] head (13).

Because Gascoigne titles, starts, and ends his poem with the image of the speaker hanging his

head, it is of heavy consequence. This image contributes to the sorrowfully pensive tone of the

poem, which is furthered by the speakers claim that he no longer takes delight to range (3) his

eyes on his beloveds facesomething that once brought him happiness is now only a reminder

of what he has lost. The speaker is suppressing his emotion in order to avoid being hurt once

again.

Additionally, For That He Looked Not upon Her follows the English sonnet form very

closely; in such a poem, the poet explores the main topic for the three quatrains and either

resolves it or poses more questions in the couplet. In this poem, the speaker reaches a finite

resolution in the couplet: he will not be with his beloved ever again, because she caused him

great misery. This closing thought is indicative of Gascoignes tone: melancholy over his lost

love, but desensitizedthere is no chance that the speaker will acquiesce and return to the

woman to whom this poem is written. Furthermore, the form of the poem follows the sonnet

structure perfectlyexact ABAB CDCD EFEF GG rhyme scheme and ten syllables in each of

the fourteen lines; the speaker is no longer emotional on this subject, so all the stylistic choices

Gascoigne makes emphasize the finality of the speakers decision. His decision on this topic will

not be rescinded; it is final. He also includes an abundance of alliteration such as in doubt of

deep deceit (8) and your blazing eyes my bale have bread (14) to emphasize his strong and

unwavering resolve to not make the mistake of returning to his beloved. Gascoigne is purposeful

with each of his choices in the conception of For That He Looked Not upon Her; they all build

up and support the speakers resolution to not return to his beloved.

Fire supports life, and it is the gift of mankind, but it can be devastating as well; love is a

natural and beautiful part of the human experience, but it can be destructive. The speaker is still

attracted to his beloved, but there is a nuance to the way that he feels about her because he cant

help but remember all the ways their relationship hurt him in the past. In his poem, For That He

Looked Not upon Her, Gascoigne articulates that we must learn from our mistakes and not

allow our emotions to cause recklessness. Just as all creatures are naturally entranced by fire,

humans tend to follow our alluring emotions, occasionally despite our best interests. Sometimes

we must fight our unhealthy instincts and let our sensible minds win.