Such reinforcement in the poem has triggered the poet himself to make some defence, which has been the aftermath of guilt (the problematique in Kenneth Burke's Dramatistic Analysis).
All life is a drama. Such is the claim of Burke referring to any text. In such a written product of Spenser, drama is an essential framework to use. Since the poem is a well-celebrated sonnet, it evokes the very realm of love and romance. Sonnets sprouted from the love poetry of court officials in the then English countries. And drama was first encapsulated by the play of emotions and romanticism in the early centuries.
The poem, as part of Amoretti, which is a series of sonnets depicting the tones and moments of Spenser's courtship particularly to Elizabeth Boyle, may have purposively dramatized the sequencing aspect. The dialogic paradigm used in the sonnet proves to have highlighted the conflict between the comment of the woman on his failed writing and Spenser's feeling of guilt.
Burke's dramatistic analysis initially expounds on the guilt feeling of the author and how he redeems himself through consubstantiality. Later, this critique shall focus on the so-called pentad.
The poem, which was mounted in the 16th century Europe, was probably inspired with the rigors of poetry that even included the famous William Shakespeare, weaving the threads of romance into the intricate arrangement of words, verses, and songs. But, since Burke's approach is necessary, hierarchy is a cardinal factor to look into.
The patriarchal society that emerged and emerging until now has influenced the poem in its most significant possibility. The poet itself was a political bigwig during his time and was among those prominent people who possessed remarkable credentials as to academic achievements. The poet's machismo that could have been incorporated in his poem (such a probability is a desideratum since the poet is not necessarily the agent himself) might have been challenged by the “waves” and the “tide.” Such a fact already weakens the very role of men as superior human beings. Man's hubris overpowers even the supposed undaunted nature.
But another challenge comes-the judgment from the opposite being. The woman in the poem has castigated, intentionally or not, the very apex of the man's ego. The disproving implication of the woman's statement breaches the tradition of the engendered status quo. It is mortal sin to debunk the socially fixed authority's endeavours.
In any state of normalcy in the realm of societal sexes, such an instance was abnormal and worthy of a law suit. The common reaction would be the man's vengeance, argumentative stance, or simply, opposition. But what Spenser is trying to convey is the very essence of authentic love. In existential philosophy, authenticity is measured upon an individual's willingness to compromise everything in order to pave way for his happiness and priority in the world. With this, Spenser exposes the man's priority to be his patient and compassionate love to the woman in such a way that the man's response to the woman was a simple explanation of hope and optimism regarding his strokes that would symbolize eternity. The feeling of guilt in this stage is about to embark on purification, as he seemed to have deliberately rejected the social hierarchy he is in. In plots, this stage refers to denouement.
With the initial disbelief and distrust the woman cast on him, he, ironically, persevered to formulate non-offensive words just to defend his side. He rather explained that albeit nature would disturb his love (through the gesture of writing) for her, the virtues (the fidelity, fervor, patience, and sincerity) shall eternize whatever it is that lurks between them. With this comes identification that may have been achieved after the man's response. The man might have identified himself as a loyal soldier to the woman or an eternal someone who would veer away from the temptations of a concubine. The promise or oath implicit in the man's words could have conveyed truthfulness and ethos, especially if these were delivered by the reputable Spenser to his wife Elizabeth Boyle. The man or the poem now could have achieved rhetorical sensitivity as to have satisfied the traditional emotional and gullible woman of the 16th century.
Such a broader handling of dramatism over Spenser's sonnet might also be relegated to the famous brief and well-classified devise: the dramatistic pentad.
The act in the poem is clearly the writing of the name on the strand-a gesture to instill in the earth a truth behind hearts, a symbol of cathartic interaction with nature as outlet of human emotions and sensations. The act is more of a child-like one since it may delineate a child's naivete on the use of paper or the writing material itself. But Spenser might want to convey the phenomenon of purported regression-that an adult may return to his childhood when he is touched with all the deepness of love, such as a normal individual may be as immature as he could get knowing that his social environment (family, close peers, or lover) would not judge his actions in a shallow and an unfounded way.
