Love In Gascoigne's For That He Looked Not Upon Her

The speaker of Gascoigne’s For That He Looked Not Upon Her is conflicted due to his feelings toward the object of his love. He is in love with this unnamed woman, yet he appears to avoid her at all costs. Throughout the poem, the speaker’s attitude towards the woman and love constantly changes. The woman is presented as a beautiful woman. “Gleams” (4) appear on her face, which makes her glow. She radiates beauty so the speaker is automatically draws in the speaker. His attraction to her is as natural as a “mouse” (5) to a “trap” (5) or a “scorched fly” (9) to “the flame” (9). However, his ideal relationship with her is unattainable because she rejected him previously. Rejection instilled aloofness in him because he “fear[s] more mishap” (7). To avoid heartache, he decided to distance himself from love. When near her, he holds his “louring head so low” (2) in order to avoid her “blazing eyes” (14). The speaker takes his distance a step further when he claims to “take no delight” (3) in seeing her face. This claim contradicts the speaker’s urgent and natural attraction to her. The mouse and fly metaphors that display her lure are written in the lines immediately following “no delight”. Intentionally arranging the poem this way allows speaker to place a spotlight on his conflicting attitudes. …show more content…
Describing himself as “dazzled by desire” (12) shows a positive attitude. The line presents the brighter side of love where the speaker is moved by his desire. He takes pleasure in imagining a life with the woman that he desperately craves. However, being rejected prompted him to associate desire, a previously positive feeling that was filled with hope, with misery. Now, “grievous is the game” (11). Heartbreak has set in and left him feeling chronically upset. In one line the speaker sounds optimistic about love, and the next he is bitter about