They Flee From Me

Sir Thomas Wyatt's They Flee From Me

Sir Thomas Wyatt's poem "They Flee From Me" stands as a quintessential example of early Renaissance poetry in England, embodying the tumultuous political climate of Henry VIII's court while simultaneously marking a pivotal moment in the evolution of English verse. This analysis will explore the poem's multifaceted nature, examining its formal structure, thematic content, historical context, and literary significance.

Formal Structure and Poetic Innovation

Wyatt's poem is structured as a rhyme royal, a form consisting of seven-line stanzas with a rhyme scheme of ABABBCC. This choice of form is significant for several reasons. Firstly, it demonstrates Wyatt's familiarity with continental poetic traditions, as the rhyme royal was popularized by Chaucer, who adapted it from French forms. Secondly, the intricate rhyme scheme allows for a complex interplay of ideas within a tightly controlled structure, mirroring the carefully orchestrated social interactions of the Tudor court.

The poem's metrical structure is equally noteworthy. Wyatt employs iambic pentameter, but with frequent variations and substitutions. This metrical flexibility reflects the poem's thematic concern with change and instability. For instance, the opening line, "They flee from me that sometime did me seek," begins with a trochaic foot ("They flee"), immediately unsettling the expected iambic rhythm and echoing the sense of disruption described in the poem's content.

Thematic Analysis: Power, Gender, and Mutability

At its core, "They Flee From Me" is a meditation on the transient nature of power and favor, particularly within the context of romantic relationships. The speaker reflects on past liaisons, contrasting former intimacy with present abandonment. This personal narrative, however, serves as a microcosm for broader social and political dynamics.

The poem's central metaphor, comparing past lovers to wild animals that the speaker once tamed, is rich with implications. It suggests a reversal of the traditional courtly love dynamic, where the male suitor pursues the elusive female beloved. Here, the speaker claims to have been pursued, "With naked foot, stalking in my chamber." This inversion of roles speaks to the poem's complex treatment of gender dynamics and power relations.

The second stanza introduces a specific memory, notable for its sensual imagery and intimate tone. The description of the woman's "loose gown" falling from her shoulders and her embrace of the speaker represents a moment of vulnerability and connection. However, this memory is tinged with a sense of unreality, as emphasized by the line "It was no dream: I lay broad waking." This insistence on the reality of the experience suggests a lingering disbelief, perhaps indicating the speaker's struggle to reconcile past intimacy with present estrangement.

The final stanza returns to the theme of change, but with a more bitter tone. The speaker's "gentleness" has been repaid with "a strange fashion of forsaking." The use of the word "newfangleness" to describe the woman's behavior is particularly loaded, suggesting fickleness and a pursuit of novelty at the expense of loyalty.

Historical Context: The Tudor Court and Wyatt's Biography

To fully appreciate "They Flee From Me," one must consider its historical context. Wyatt was a courtier in Henry VIII's court, a environment known for its political intrigue, shifting alliances, and dangerous liaisons. The poem's themes of inconstancy and the precarious nature of favor would have resonated deeply with Wyatt's contemporaries, who lived under the constant threat of losing royal approval.

Some scholars have suggested that the poem may allude to Wyatt's rumored relationship with Anne Boleyn before she became Henry VIII's second wife. While such biographical readings should be approached with caution, the poem's preoccupation with past intimacies and present estrangement certainly aligns with Wyatt's known experiences at court.

Moreover, the poem's final line, "I would fain know what she hath deserved," can be read as a subtle critique of the court's system of rewards and punishments. If we consider the female figure in the poem as a stand-in for Fortune or the fickle nature of royal favor, this closing question takes on a pointed political dimension.

Literary Significance and Influence

"They Flee From Me" occupies a significant place in the development of English poetry. Wyatt, along with his contemporary Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, is credited with introducing the sonnet form to English literature. While this poem is not a sonnet, it demonstrates many of the qualities that would come to define the English Renaissance lyric: introspection, complex metaphor, and a preoccupation with mutability and time.

Wyatt's innovative use of enjambment and caesura, evident in lines such as "To take bread at my hand; and now they range," anticipates the more fluid, speech-like rhythms of later English poetry. His ability to infuse conventional forms with personal emotion and contemporary relevance paved the way for the great flowering of Elizabethan and Jacobean verse.

The poem's influence can be traced through subsequent generations of English poets. Its combination of erotic frankness and political subtlety finds echoes in the works of John Donne and Andrew Marvell. The theme of romantic disillusionment, expressed through the contrast of past and present, becomes a staple of lyric poetry, reaching its apotheosis in works like Shakespeare's Sonnet 30 ("When to the sessions of sweet silent thought").

Conclusion

"They Flee From Me" is a poem that rewards close reading and contextual analysis. Its formal sophistication, thematic complexity, and historical resonance make it a key text in the English poetic canon. Wyatt's ability to synthesize personal experience, political commentary, and literary innovation within the confines of a short lyric demonstrates the power of poetry to encapsulate the tensions and preoccupations of an entire era.

As we continue to grapple with issues of power, gender, and constancy in our own time, Wyatt's poem remains startlingly relevant. Its exploration of the interplay between personal relationships and broader social structures, its nuanced treatment of memory and desire, and its acute awareness of the ways in which language can both reveal and conceal truth all speak to enduring human concerns. In this sense, "They Flee From Me" is not merely a historical artifact, but a living text that continues to invite interpretation and reflection.

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