To My Excellent Lucasia On Our Friendship Analysis

In early 17th century literature, there are several poems and texts that praise the beauty of carnal passion and the cleverness of seduction, but there is also a whole genre of text that glorifies the platonic love of a friend. Friendship is a powerful and essential aspect to understanding the connection writers have to their community and the way that society affects their work. In particular, Katherine Philips devotes herself to her friends through her writing and often creates Neoplatonic pieces specifically for female writers in the Society of Friendship. Philips is adamant that sexual love is not the absolute expression of love, but that true friendship is the testament of affection. Although some of her verses can be interpreted as homoerotic …show more content…
However, the narrator …show more content…
And they have “no false fear” forcing them to end their relationship or limit their time together because they are “innocent.” Since hetero-normative mannerisms are expected during this time, a poem cannot explicitly support homosexuality without subjection to censorship or other serious repercussions. Although this poem appears very romantic and zealous, it could be that Philips is merely sharpening her tools as a writer and proving she is equipped to compose passionate and eloquent pieces just as the male writers do. In that light, the poem “To My Excellent Lucasia, on Our Friendship” is merely sentiments of admiration expressed in a way that replicates the model utilized by the contemporary male poets of her time. So, there is no way of knowing how Philips truly intended her verses to be read, as an argument can be made that this is more than a mere friendship