Megan O’LoughlinEsther DettmarEnglish 11528 September 2012“Touch me not, for Caesar’s I Am”: The Portrayal of Women in Wyatt’s “Whoso list tohunt” The social structure of England during the sixteenth century discouraged theequal treatment of woman. Not only were they seen as inferior to men, but they were treated like second-class citizens. In Thomas Wyatt’s “Whoso list to hunt” this sexist treatment of woman is depicted throughout the poem.After reading, “Whoso list to hunt”, it was evident that the author was writing about the hardships that he faced with a love interest. In line one, tThe sonnet begings by asking the audience if they like hunting, and then proceeds to explain that he knows where to find a worthy female deer. Figuratively, this female deer actually represents a lover. The lover that Sir Thomas Wyatt is depicting is thought to be Anne Boleyn, due to the fact that he was accused of committing adultery with her in 1536 (GreenblattNA pg.348-349 p. 2). This caused quite the scandal because she was queen to Henry VIII. By comparing her to a deer, a lowly, unintelligent animal obtained forcibly during the hunt, he is degrading her. In line two, he continues by explaining how he, regrettably, is no longer up to the chase which provides contrast to the anticipation built in the previous line. This regret could stem from the fact that he desperately wants to catch her despite knowing the task is impossible. The reader gets a sense of defeat as he states how his efforts haveall been in vain for the deer has made him sore and tired. It is important to note that his efforts to obtain her have made him tired not only physically, but mentally aswell. In fact, these effects make it seem like he is obsessed with her. The reasoning behind hunting a deer is mostly for sport, but also to kill and use it’s body for your own advantage. To compare his love to this is revolting since he sees only how she can benefit him, rather than seeing her for who she is. The way he describes his relationship with this woman reflects the unusual, and from today’s standard’s offensive, idea of love. It also puts the deer, or Anne, in a bad light making her seem like a temptress, purposely toying with him. This line is odd because he begins the poem by tempting others to hunt this great deer, but by describing the hardship that this deer has brought on him, it seems to be doing the opposite. In lines four and five, Wyatt illustrates that although he has been back from the hunting party, he still cannot draw his mind away from thoughts of the deer. Even in his head, she is running from him and he can’t catch her, a task in which he compares to trying to catch the wind in a net. This comparison is further evidence that the woman he is talking about is Anne Boleyn, since she was a queen and he was not of royal lineage. Due to these differences in social stature, there was no way the two could be together and he was forced to stop seeing her. Although this division made her unattainable, he still wanted her, which is similar to the feeling that he illustrates with catching wind in a net. However, by making these comparisons, it makes it seem like she is a trophy rather than a person. Also, by using the term hunting party, it seems that many men were after this one woman. It makes it seem as though it was a competition to see who could capture her first, which further exemplifies how she is viewed as a trophy. This dehumanization of Anne Boleyn is an accurate depiction of how men oppressively viewed women at thetime. This net metaphor also shows how Wyatt viewed his love for her as a burden instead of beautiful thing. The tone of bitterness we see during this part is almost shocking since love is usually viewed as a transcendent experience (GreenblattNA p. 348). In the last section of the poem, he confidently expresses to others who have followed the hunt, that the pursuit is futile. He comes to this conclusion based on thefact that the deer wears a diamond collar that says “Noli me tangere, for Caesar’s I am,/And wild for to hold, though I seem tame(Whoso lit to hunt, line 13-14).”(13-14). This passage roughly translates to, “Ttouch me not for I belong to Caesar, and although I seem tame due to this collar, I am wild at heart.” The beginning of this statement almost sounds like a warning, which is fitting for the situation Wyatt and Anne found themselves in. In this case, Caesar represents Henry VIII, so if it got out that she was with Wyatt, Wyatt would face dire consequences. Also, the mere use of a collar suggests that she is a possession, much like that of a pet. It deprives her of basic human rights, since pets are unable to make their own decisions and are forced to follow their master’s orders. Furthermore, the inscription on the collar makes it seem like while Caesar owns her, she does not want to be in this position. It appears that she is being forced into the situation since on the outside she seems tame, but inside she still is wild with her own thoughts and desires. Also, the fact that the word ‘belong’ is used is just as degrading as having a collar. It suggests that she is something that Caesar, or Henry VIII, is the owner of rather than being seen asan equal. By referring to the deer as royal property, he acknowledges the fact that Anne is the Kings’ and must not be pursued by others, including him. This collar notonly reminds suitors to keep themselves away from her, but also is a constant reminder to her of where her place is. This use of woman as possessions rather than humans is as degrading as it is accurate, since this was very common back in the sixteenth century. Throughout Sir Thomas Wyatt’s “Whoso List to Hunt”, we see the stereotypical roles cast upon the male and female characters. Usually, one idealizes the person that they love but in this case, he makes is a point to shame her. However, by reducing her to a wild animal, it shows more about his character than hers. He obviously is insecure about how things ended, so to make himself feel better, he portrays her in a degrading manner. His efforts to take her power away inadvertentlymade her gain power, since she had such an effect on him. Throughout all of time, prejudice is proven to represent ignorance, and this example of prejudice towards women proves no