Summary Of For That He Seen Not Upon Her By George Gascoigne

Men in literature are often times displayed as strong willed and lacking emotion. In the poem “For That He Looked Not upon Her” by George Gascoigne, the speaker is, presumably, a man who has suffered an emotional blow. Through his work Gascoigne illustrates the struggle between a man’s self-image and his temptation to be with a woman who was hurt him in the past. The attitude of the speaker is developed through the use of literary devices such as form, diction, and imagery. First, the author uses words such as “louring” and “no delight” in description of himself. The general diction surrounding the speaker shows he is feeling very negative about himself, and lacking in confidence. In contrast, words such as “dazzle” and “desire” describe the

The speaker at first acknowledges that it is “strange” for him to be acting afraid of this woman, as most men would most likely be able to at least face a person who has wronged them. The speaker tries to justify himself with the metaphors of the fly and mouse, but in doing so also likens himself to two creatures that seem weak and helpless. Even though in the beginning of the poem the speaker seems to acknowledge that he is acting unusual, it seems as though he has simply had bad luck in dealing with women. By the end of the poem the speaker’s attitude is revealed to be more than this though, as he seems to claim that he could not help but being attracted to this woman, and that it was completely her fault that he was hurt. This is the complex attitude of the speaker: he may realize deep down that it is mostly his fault that he has allowed himself to be hurt, and that he is tempted to let it happen again, but the speaker has convinced himself that all his pain has been caused by this woman instead, allowing him to preserve his image of himself as a strong