Introduction: “Amoretti: Sonnet 75” by Edmund Spenser
“Amoretti: Sonnet 75” by Edmund Spenser first appeared in 1595 as part of the “Amoretti” sonnet sequence, a collection dedicated to chronicling his courtship of Elizabeth Boyle. This poem stands out for its contemplative meditation on the themes of love, immortality, and the transcendent power of poetry. Its popularity as a textbook poem lies in its timeless exploration of human desires for permanence in the face of impermanence. The speaker attempts to immortalize his beloved by writing her name on the sand, only for the waves to wash it away, symbolizing the inevitability of decay: “But came the waves and washed it away.” His beloved challenges his futile efforts, calling them vain: “Vayne man, that doest in vaine assay / A mortall thing so to immortalize.” However, the speaker asserts that poetry can transcend mortality, promising that her virtues and their love will endure through his verse: “My verse your vertues rare shall eternize, / And in the hevens wryte your glorious name.” The poem’s enduring appeal lies in its masterful interplay of ephemeral and eternal, making it a cornerstone of Renaissance love poetry and a compelling study of art’s power to defy time.
Text: “Amoretti: Sonnet 75” by Edmund Spenser
One day I wrote her name upon the strand,
But came the waves and washed it away:
Agayne I wrote it with a second hand;
But came the tyde, and made my paynes his pray.
“Vayne man,” sayd she, “that doest in vaine assay
A mortall thing so to immortalize;
For I my selve shall lyke to this decay,
And eke my name bee wyped out lykewize.”
“Not so,” quod I; “let baser things devize
To dy in dust, but you shall live by fame:
My verse your vertues rare shall eternize,
And in the hevens wryte your glorious name.
Where, when as death shall all the world subdew,
Our love shall live, and later life renew.”
Annotations: “Amoretti: Sonnet 75” by Edmund Spenser
| Line/Excerpt | Annotation |
| “One day I wrote her name upon the strand,” | The speaker begins with a metaphorical act of writing his beloved’s name in the sand, symbolizing his desire to immortalize her and their love. |
| “But came the waves and washed it away:” | The waves, representing the natural forces of impermanence and time, erase the name, illustrating the fragility of human efforts against nature. |
| “Agayne I wrote it with a second hand;” | The speaker’s persistence is highlighted as he repeats the act, signifying human resilience and the longing to defy impermanence. |
| “But came the tyde, and made my paynes his pray.” | The tide, like the waves, symbolizes the relentless and cyclical nature of time, consuming the speaker’s efforts, turning them into futility. |
| “Vayne man,” sayd she, “that doest in vaine assay / A mortall thing so to immortalize;” | The woman speaks, admonishing the speaker for his vain attempts to immortalize her mortal existence. Her tone is realistic and somewhat reproachful. |
| “For I my selve shall lyke to this decay, / And eke my name bee wyped out lykewize.” | She acknowledges her mortality and the inevitability of decay, paralleling her fate to that of the name in the sand. |
| “Not so,” quod I; “let baser things devize / To dy in dust, but you shall live by fame:” | The speaker defends his view, arguing that while lesser things may perish, she will achieve immortality through his poetic verses. |
| “My verse your vertues rare shall eternize, / And in the hevens wryte your glorious name.” | The speaker declares the power of poetry to immortalize her virtues and inscribe her legacy in the heavens, signifying spiritual transcendence. |
| “Where, when as death shall all the world subdew,” | Death is presented as an inevitable conqueror of the world, emphasizing the universal nature of mortality. |
| “Our love shall live, and later life renew.” | The poem concludes with hope and triumph, asserting that their love will outlast death, renewed through the eternal medium of poetry. |
Literary And Poetic Devices: “Amoretti: Sonnet 75” by Edmund Spenser
| Line/Excerpt | Literary/Poetic Device | Explanation |
| “One day I wrote her name upon the strand,” | Imagery | The line evokes a vivid image of the speaker writing on the sand, appealing to the reader’s sense of sight and setting the tone for impermanence. |
| Symbolism | The act of writing her name on the sand symbolizes the speaker’s attempt to immortalize his love and his beloved’s name. | |
| “But came the waves and washed it away:” | Personification | The waves are personified as actively “washing” away the name, giving nature human-like qualities to emphasize its dominance over human efforts. |
| Metaphor | The waves metaphorically represent time and nature’s erasing power over human endeavors. | |
| “Agayne I wrote it with a second hand;” | Repetition | The repetition of the act of writing signifies the speaker’s persistence and the recurring nature of human aspirations to overcome mortality. |
| “But came the tyde, and made my paynes his pray.” | Alliteration | The repetition of the “p” sound in “paynes” and “pray” creates a musical effect and emphasizes the futility of the speaker’s effort. |
| Personification | The tide is personified as “making” the speaker’s effort its prey, underscoring its relentless and overpowering nature. | |
| “Vayne man,” sayd she, “that doest in vaine assay / A mortall thing so to immortalize;” | Dialogue | The beloved speaks directly to the speaker, creating a dramatic contrast between their perspectives on mortality and immortality. |
| Irony | The beloved calls the speaker’s efforts vain, which is ironic because his poetry ultimately does immortalize her. | |
| “For I my selve shall lyke to this decay, / And eke my name bee wyped out lykewize.” | Simile | The comparison of herself to the name written in the sand (“lyke to this decay”) emphasizes her acceptance of mortality and impermanence. |
| Alliteration | The repetition of “w” in “wyped” and “wilkewize” draws attention to the inevitability of her name being erased. | |
| “Not so,” quod I; “let baser things devize / To dy in dust, but you shall live by fame:” | Contrast | The speaker contrasts “baser things” with his beloved, elevating her above the mortal realm by promising her immortality through poetry. |
| Alliteration | The “d” sound in “dy in dust” emphasizes the finality of death for ordinary things, contrasting with the eternal fame promised to her. | |
| “My verse your vertues rare shall eternize, / And in the hevens wryte your glorious name.” | Hyperbole | The speaker exaggerates the power of his poetry to “eternize” her virtues and inscribe her name in the heavens, reflecting Renaissance ideals. |
| Enjambment | The thought flows into the next line without a pause, mimicking the enduring nature of his poetic legacy. | |
| “Where, when as death shall all the world subdew,” | Personification | Death is personified as a conqueror that “subdues” the entire world, highlighting its inevitability and power. |
| Alliteration | The repetition of the “w” sound in “world” and “where” draws attention to the universality of death. | |
| “Our love shall live, and later life renew.” | Optimism/Triumph | The line reflects the speaker’s optimistic belief that love can transcend mortality, suggesting renewal and continuation through poetry. |
| Assonance | The repetition of the “i” sound in “live” and “life” emphasizes the eternal quality of their love. |
Themes: “Amoretti: Sonnet 75” by Edmund Spenser
1. Mortality and Impermanence: One of the central themes of the sonnet is the transience of life and human endeavors in the face of time and nature. This is introduced in the opening lines, where the speaker writes his beloved’s name on the sand, only for the waves to wash it away: “One day I wrote her name upon the strand, / But came the waves and washed it away.” The act of writing in the sand symbolizes human attempts to preserve something ephemeral, while the waves and tide represent time and the inevitability of decay. The beloved reinforces this theme when she remarks, “For I my selve shall lyke to this decay, / And eke my name bee wyped out lykewize.” Her acknowledgment of her mortality emphasizes the fleeting nature of human existence, highlighting the natural cycle of life and death.
2. Immortality Through Art: In contrast to the inevitability of decay, the sonnet explores the theme of immortality through the enduring power of poetry. The speaker vehemently rejects the idea that his beloved’s virtues and their love will succumb to time, declaring, “My verse your vertues rare shall eternize, / And in the hevens wryte your glorious name.” Here, he positions his poetic work as a medium that transcends physical decay, promising to immortalize her and their love through verse. By claiming that “Our love shall live, and later life renew,” the speaker suggests that art has the power to overcome mortality, preserving emotions and virtues for future generations. This theme reflects Renaissance ideals of human creativity as a means of achieving immortality.
3. Love’s Eternal Nature: The poem also delves into the timeless nature of true love. While mortality looms over the physical body, the speaker argues that love exists beyond the constraints of time. He boldly asserts, “Not so, quod I; let baser things devize / To dy in dust, but you shall live by fame.” This statement elevates their love to something that surpasses the ordinary and the perishable, suggesting that it will persist even after death. The concluding couplet, “Where, when as death shall all the world subdew, / Our love shall live, and later life renew,” portrays love as a force capable of defying death itself, renewing life and continuing in perpetuity.
4. Conflict Between Human Effort and Nature: Another underlying theme is the tension between human effort and nature’s overpowering forces. The speaker’s repeated attempts to write his beloved’s name on the sand symbolize humanity’s struggle against the inevitable. Despite his efforts, the waves and tide, representing nature’s supremacy, continuously erase his work: “But came the tyde, and made my paynes his pray.” This cyclical conflict highlights the futility of trying to control or halt natural processes, as well as humanity’s desire to leave a mark in a world dominated by impermanence.
5. Vanity and Humility: The sonnet reflects on human vanity and the speaker’s defiance of it. The beloved chastises the speaker, calling him a “vayne man” for attempting to immortalize her name in a mortal medium. Her words reveal the futility and arrogance of attempting to control mortality. However, the speaker’s response shifts this perspective, offering poetry as a more profound solution. His assertion that “let baser things devize / To dy in dust” shows his belief that art, unlike the physical world, is not bound by the vanity of fleeting existence but instead has the power to achieve a more meaningful permanence.
6. The Interplay of Realism and Idealism: The dialogue between the speaker and his beloved represents a conflict between realism and idealism. The beloved adopts a realistic perspective, accepting the inevitability of death and the futility of physical preservation: “For I my selve shall lyke to this decay.” In contrast, the speaker embodies idealism, proposing that poetry and love can overcome the boundaries of time and decay. His idealistic vision elevates their love to a spiritual and eternal plane, suggesting that it can “live by fame” and continue in “later life.” This tension enriches the poem, offering both a grounded acknowledgment of mortality and a hopeful vision of transcendence.
7. Renaissance Humanism: The sonnet reflects Renaissance humanist ideals, particularly the belief in the power of human creativity and intellect to transcend limitations. By declaring that his verse will “eternize” his beloved’s virtues and inscribe her “glorious name” in the heavens, the speaker underscores the role of the artist as a creator of lasting beauty and truth. This aligns with the Renaissance emphasis on individual achievement and the potential of art to challenge the transience of life.
Literary Theories and “Amoretti: Sonnet 75” by Edmund Spenser
| Literary Theory | Application to “Amoretti: Sonnet 75” | References from the Poem |
| Formalism/New Criticism | This approach focuses on the poem’s structure, language, and literary devices without considering external factors like authorial intent or historical context. | The formal use of dialogue between the speaker and his beloved enhances the thematic tension between mortality (“Vayne man”) and immortality (“eternize”). The sonnet’s rhyme scheme (ABAB BCBC CDCD EE) reflects the Spenserian form, reinforcing the poem’s sense of order and timelessness. |
| Romanticism | While predating the Romantic movement, the poem embodies Romantic themes such as the eternal nature of love and the redemptive power of art and creativity. | The speaker’s declaration, “My verse your vertues rare shall eternize,” reflects the Romantic belief in art’s ability to immortalize human emotions. The imagery of waves washing away the name symbolizes nature’s sublime and uncontrollable power. |
| Reader-Response Theory | This theory focuses on the reader’s interpretation and emotional engagement with the poem, emphasizing how different readers might perceive its message about love and mortality. | Readers may empathize with the speaker’s desire to preserve love against the forces of time, expressed in “Our love shall live, and later life renew.” Others may align with the beloved’s skepticism in “that doest in vaine assay / A mortall thing so to immortalize.” |
| Renaissance Humanism | This theory highlights the Renaissance ideal of human creativity and the belief that individuals can achieve immortality through intellectual and artistic achievements. | The speaker’s assertion, “And in the hevens wryte your glorious name,” exemplifies humanist confidence in poetry’s power to transcend mortality. The celebration of virtues (“My verse your vertues rare”) aligns with Renaissance ideals of celebrating human excellence. |
Critical Questions about “Amoretti: Sonnet 75” by Edmund Spenser
1. How does Spenser explore the tension between mortality and immortality in the poem “Amoretti: Sonnet 75”?
Spenser explores the tension between mortality and immortality by juxtaposing the transient nature of human life with the enduring power of art. The opening lines depict the futility of trying to preserve something mortal as the speaker writes his beloved’s name on the sand, only for the waves to wash it away: “But came the waves and washed it away.” This imagery highlights the inevitability of decay, as the beloved herself acknowledges in her reproach: “For I my selve shall lyke to this decay.” However, the speaker challenges this acceptance of mortality by asserting that his poetry will preserve her virtues and their love: “My verse your vertues rare shall eternize.” Through this argument, Spenser presents poetry as a medium that transcends the ephemeral nature of human existence, suggesting that while physical life fades, art can immortalize emotional and spiritual truths.
2. What role does the natural world play in the poem “Amoretti: Sonnet 75″‘s exploration of impermanence?
The natural world is central to the poem’s meditation on impermanence, symbolizing the unstoppable forces of time and decay. The waves and tide are personified as active agents that erase the speaker’s attempts to immortalize his beloved’s name: “But came the tyde, and made my paynes his pray.” This imagery underscores the power of nature to undo human efforts, reflecting its dominance over mortal endeavors. The cyclicality of the tide represents the relentless passage of time, which erodes physical existence and human legacies. Yet, by contrast, the speaker offers art and poetry as a way to counteract nature’s erasure, asserting that the immortalizing power of verse can defy nature’s temporal constraints: “And in the hevens wryte your glorious name.” This duality emphasizes both nature’s inevitability and art’s capacity to transcend it.
3. How does Spenser use dialogue to convey differing perspectives on immortality in “Amoretti: Sonnet 75”?
Spenser employs dialogue between the speaker and his beloved to highlight their contrasting perspectives on immortality. The beloved adopts a realistic, perhaps skeptical view, chastising the speaker for his vain attempts to immortalize her name in the sand: “Vayne man,” sayd she, “that doest in vaine assay / A mortall thing so to immortalize.” Her words reflect a pragmatic understanding of mortality, emphasizing the futility of preserving something inherently transient. In contrast, the speaker offers an idealistic rebuttal, asserting that poetry can immortalize her virtues and preserve their love for eternity: “My verse your vertues rare shall eternize.” This interplay of perspectives enriches the poem by presenting both the acceptance of human limitations and the aspiration to overcome them through creativity and art.
4. In what ways does the poem “Amoretti: Sonnet 75” reflect Renaissance humanist ideals?
The poem reflects Renaissance humanist ideals through its celebration of human creativity and the belief in the transformative power of art. Renaissance humanism emphasized the potential of individuals to achieve greatness and leave lasting legacies through intellectual and artistic pursuits. The speaker’s confidence in the immortalizing power of poetry is a direct expression of this belief: “My verse your vertues rare shall eternize, / And in the hevens wryte your glorious name.” This declaration underscores the humanist notion that art can defy the temporal limitations of the physical world, preserving human virtues and achievements for future generations. Additionally, the emphasis on individual excellence, as seen in the focus on the beloved’s “vertues rare,” aligns with the Renaissance celebration of human potential and individuality. Through this lens, the poem serves as both a personal love declaration and a broader assertion of the enduring value of human creativity.
Literary Works Similar to “Amoretti: Sonnet 75” by Edmund Spenser
- “Sonnet 18” by William Shakespeare
Similarity: Both poems explore the theme of immortality through poetry, with Shakespeare declaring that his beloved will live eternally through his verse: “So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, / So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.” - “When I Have Fears That I May Cease to Be” by John Keats
Similarity: Keats, like Spenser, contemplates mortality and the impermanence of life, balancing it with the enduring nature of artistic legacy and love. - “Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Similarity: Shelley reflects on the impermanence of human efforts and the power of time, mirroring Spenser’s meditation on the futility of writing in sand and the immortalizing power of art. - “The Canonization” by John Donne
Similarity: Donne, like Spenser, elevates the power of love to transcend mortality, asserting that the lovers’ story will be eternalized in poetic legend: “We can die by it, if not live by love, / And if unfit for tombs and hearse, / Our legend be.” - “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” by John Donne
Similarity: Both poems emphasize the spiritual and eternal nature of love, with Donne asserting that true love is not diminished by physical separation, much like Spenser’s declaration of love surviving death.
Representative Quotations of “Amoretti: Sonnet 75” by Edmund Spenser
| Quotation | Context | Theoretical Perspective |
| “One day I wrote her name upon the strand,” | The speaker begins by describing his attempt to immortalize his beloved by writing her name in the sand. | Formalism: Symbolizes human efforts to resist impermanence, setting the central tension of the poem. |
| “But came the waves and washed it away:” | Nature, represented by the waves, erases his efforts, signifying the inevitable decay of mortal things. | Naturalism: Reflects the power of nature over human aspirations and the futility of resisting time. |
| “Agayne I wrote it with a second hand;” | The speaker persists, illustrating human resilience despite the inevitability of failure. | Existentialism: Highlights human perseverance in the face of life’s transient nature. |
| “But came the tyde, and made my paynes his pray.” | The tide metaphorically devours the speaker’s efforts, emphasizing the futility of controlling time. | Symbolism: The tide represents time and its relentless passage, overpowering human ambition. |
| “Vayne man,” sayd she, “that doest in vaine assay” | The beloved criticizes the speaker’s attempts to immortalize her in a physical, impermanent way. | Reader-Response: Encourages readers to reflect on the tension between realism and idealism in human efforts. |
| “A mortall thing so to immortalize;” | The beloved emphasizes the impossibility of preserving mortal things in an eternal form. | Realism: Challenges the speaker’s idealism with a pragmatic acknowledgment of mortality. |
| “Not so,” quod I; “let baser things devize” | The speaker rebuts her argument, asserting that she is above mortal decay and deserving of immortality. | Renaissance Humanism: Elevates human virtues and creativity as transcendent and eternal. |
| “My verse your vertues rare shall eternize,” | The speaker asserts the power of his poetry to immortalize her virtues and preserve her memory. | Formalism: Demonstrates the poet’s belief in the transformative and lasting power of art. |
| “And in the hevens wryte your glorious name.” | The speaker metaphorically places her name in the heavens, signifying spiritual immortality. | Romanticism: Emphasizes the idealized, eternal nature of love and art’s spiritual transcendence. |
| “Our love shall live, and later life renew.” | The poem concludes with the assertion that their love will transcend death and continue into eternity. | Reader-Response: Invites readers to interpret love as a force that outlasts physical decay through creative legacy. |
Suggested Readings: “Amoretti: Sonnet 75” by Edmund Spenser
- Blick, Fred. “Spenser’s Amoretti and Elizabeth Boyle: Her Names Immortalized.” Spenser Studies 23.1 (2008): 309-315.
- Dasenbrock, Reed Way. “The Petrachan Context of Spenser’s Amoretti.” PMLA, vol. 100, no. 1, 1985, pp. 38–50. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/462199. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
- Curbet, Joan. “EDMUND SPENSER’S BESTIARY IN THE ‘AMORETTI’ (1595).” Atlantis, vol. 24, no. 2, 2002, pp. 41–58. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41055069. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
- CUMMINGS, PETER M. “Spenser’s Amoretti as an Allegory of Love.” Texas Studies in Literature and Language, vol. 12, no. 2, 1970, pp. 163–79. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40754092. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.