The Scrutiny

• Lovelace


  Cavalier poet
• Form:


  Dramatic monologue
• Quote 1:

  Why should you swear I am forsworn since thine I vowed to be.
• A02:

  Dismissive, impersonal, cold and detached tone

  Starts in media res and immediately renders the subject as voiceless - crests an instantaneous bias (short-term love)

  
  

  Repetition of personal pronoun in the opening stanza exemplifies how the speaker prioritises his needs and desires over hers

  
  

  Change in tense in two lines illustrates how his thoughts are fleeting/fickle (temperamental)
• Quote 2:

  'A tedious twelve hours' space?
• A02:

  Mocking satirical tone

  Alliteration and assonance literalises the tediousness
• Quote 3:

  'With spoils of meaner Beauties crowned, I laden will return to thee
• A02:

  'Beauties' feminine reductionism

  Only humanises women because of their beauty; only values women for their beauty

  
  

  'Spoils' militaristic lexis believes he is a 'conqueror'

  Immoral self-gratification

  Exploitation of male privilege
• A03:

  Patriarchal expectations of conquering the 'ingénue woman'

  
  

  aristocratic courtship due to the climate of entitlement the speaker (arguably Lovelace's) title as a Cavalier poet sanctioned this power abuse.
• A05:

  "Lovelace focusses' on lust rather than love in this poem"- carnal desire masked under the false illusion of love
• A03:

  'The woman referred to in this poem would be likely be a working class woman and a false instillation of hope that the speaker would elevate them (her) to his higher class status
• A03:

  Cavalier poetry was also different from traditional poetry in its subject matter. Instead of tackling issues like religion, philosophy, and the arts, cavalier poetry focused on the pleasures of the moment such as drinking and sensuality. expressing a 'carpe diem' philosophy.

  
  

  Many of the Cavalier poets were courtiers and sensual and romantic love were a main focus. It also celebrated beauty, nature, fellowship, honour and social life, attempting to revel in society and life life to the fullest. The latter often meant having sex with women and gaining material wealth and resulted in Cavalier poetry taking on a boisterous and triumphant tone.
• Further characteristics of Cavalier poetry include metaphor, fantasy, and platonic love. The latter consisted in the man showing his divine love to a woman, who would be worshipped as a creature of perfection. As such, it was common to hear praise of womanly virtues as though they were divine. Praise is largely absent from 'The Scrutiny', whose speaker is derogatory.