To althea from prison. To Althea, From Prison Summary 2022-10-27
To althea from prison Rating:
7,8/10
1951
reviews
"To Althea, from Prison" is a poem written by the 17th-century English poet Richard Lovelace. The poem is written in the form of a letter from a prisoner to his beloved, Althea. It is a poignant and moving expression of love, longing, and the desire for freedom.
In the poem, the speaker reflects on his imprisonment and the ways in which it has affected his relationship with Althea. He speaks of the distance that separates them and the sense of loneliness and isolation that he feels as a result. Despite this, he maintains a sense of hope and optimism, believing that their love will somehow find a way to transcend the barriers that have been placed between them.
The speaker also reflects on the idea of freedom and the ways in which it is valued and sought after. He speaks of the "stones" that confine him and the "bars" that keep him from Althea, but he also suggests that these barriers are not as formidable as they seem. To him, true freedom is not a physical state, but rather a state of mind and spirit. He believes that as long as he has Althea in his heart, he is truly free, regardless of his circumstances.
Throughout the poem, the speaker's love for Althea shines through. He speaks of her beauty and grace and the ways in which she has brought light and joy into his life. He also speaks of his deep desire to be reunited with her and to once again experience the happiness and love that they shared before his imprisonment.
In conclusion, "To Althea, from Prison" is a beautiful and touching expression of love and the enduring power of the human spirit. It speaks to the ways in which love can transcend even the most difficult of circumstances and the ways in which it can give us strength and hope in times of darkness and hardship.
To Althea, from Prison, by Richard Lovelace Flashcards
See eNotes Ad-Free Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts. When like committed linnets I With shriller throat shall sing The sweetness, mercy, majesty, And glories of my King: When I shall voice aloud how good He is, how great should be, Enlarged winds, that curl the flood, Know no such liberty. When love with unconfined wings Hovers within my gates; And my divine Althea brings To whisper at the grates; When I lye tangled in her haire, And fetterd to her eye, The birds, that wanton in the aire, Know no such liberty. Lovelace was a member of the school of cavalier poets, wealthy supporters of King Charles I who were known for their elaborate dress and their fondness for the good life. Less than a decade later, in 1657, he died.
It was also set by American composer Lucasta Et Cetera for tenor and instrumental ensemble. He was the oldest son of a wealthy family, and had four brothers and three sisters. These consolations permit him to feel psychological liberty even though physically he is behind bars. When like committed linnets I With shriller throat shall sing The sweetness, Mercy, Majesty, And glories of my King; When I shall voice aloud how good He is, how Great should be, Enlargèd Winds, that curl the Flood, Know no such Liberty. The last date is today's date — the date you are citing the material.
Presumably these friends are social equals and political comrades who share the same set of fundamental values. When flowing cups run swiftly round With no allaying Thames, Our carelesse heads with roses bound, Our hearts with loyal flames; When thirsty griefe in wine we steepe, When healths and draughts go free, Fishes, that tipple in the deepe, Know no such libertie. That year, Richard Lovelace presented a petition to the British parliament that protested the Bishops Exclusion Bill. From a physical prison, Lovelace perhaps has memories of Althea tangled in his mind, unable to free himself from her memory. This satisfies the overall theme of restricted freedom by describing the feeling of infatuation that comes with being in love, like a positive imprisonment. This Bacchanalian revelry outdoes the pleasure and freedom afforded to the fish, who can drink deep of the sea. The poet's intention is to juxtapose physical confinement of prison with the freedom of love and the mind.
They also chose traditional monarchist values over the growing movement toward Republicanism. In the present stanza, however, he anticipates feeling a kind of liberty associated with the huge waves of the sea. When flowing cups run swiftly round, With no allaying Thames, Our careless heads with roses bound, Our hearts with loyal flames; When thirsty grief in wine we steep, When healths and draughts go free, Fishes that tipple in the deep Know no such liberty. When like committed linnets I With shriller throat shall sing The sweetness, Mercy, Majesty, And glories of my King; When I shall voice aloud how good He is, how Great should be, Enlargèd Winds, that curl the Flood, Know no such Liberty. When flowing Cups run swiftly round With no allaying Thames, Our careless heads with Roses bound, Our hearts with Loyal Flames; When thirsty grief in Wine we steep, When Healths and draughts go free, Fishes that tipple in the Deep Know no such Liberty. Lovelace remained a staunch supporter of the king as he began his poetic career. If I have freedom in my Love, And in my soul am free, Angels alone that soar above, Enjoy such Liberty.
A Short Analysis of Richard Lovelace’s ‘To Althea, from Prison’
He declares that his poetry about Charles will make him feel even freer than mighty winds that make the ocean curl—imagery that achieves part of its power from its contrast with much milder imagery used earlier in the poem. When, like committed linnets, I With shriller throat shall sing The sweetnes, mercy, majesty, And glories of my King. Friendships between and among men were considered, in the Renaissance, loftier and more spiritual than physical relations between the sexes, and so in stanza two the speaker seems to have left his focus on Althea behind him in order to concentrate on the consolations and freedoms associated with friendships with other males. The citation above will include either 2 or 3 dates. If I have freedom in my love, And in my soul am free, Angels alone, that soar above, Enjoy such liberty.
The speaker expresses that even forces of nature like wind and sea, despite their vastness and power - do not posses the extent of liberty that one has by supporting the King. When I shall voyce aloud, how good He is, how great should be, Inlarged winds, that curle the flood, Know no such liberty. When Love with unconfinèd wings Hovers within my Gates, And my divine Althea brings To whisper at the Grates; When I lie tangled in her hair, And fettered to her eye, The Gods that wanton in the Air, Know no such Liberty. Angels the speaker says know and enjoy this kind of freedom, and it is this kind of liberty that the speaker seeks and values most of all. However, evidence suggests she was a woman named Lucy Sacheverell. Ironically, a poem whose title suggests that it is merely a romantic love song finally becomes a celebration of God. Paradoxically, in the very act of promising to sing the glories of King Charles, the speaker does just that.
The second date is today's date — the date you are citing the material. Althea is the woman whom the speaker is in love with. Stanza two opens by alluding to plentiful cups of wine, undiluted by the waters of the River Thames which runs through the heart of London. Her whispering implies her grace and delicacy but also, perhaps, her sense of the danger of her visit. Stone Walls do not a Prison make, Nor Iron bars a Cage; Minds innocent and quiet take That for an Hermitage. This poem is directed towards to the passionate supporters of the King at that time. Just as the pleasures of associating with Althea are ephemeral, so are those of drinking alcohol with male companions.
In stanza three, the speaker anticipates feeling a kind of liberty when he celebrates the virtues of his king almost certainly a reference to King Charles I, to whom Lovelace remained loyal throughout the English Civil Wars of the 1640s. . It is as if the speaker is ascending a kind of neo-Platonic ladder, moving from the physical to the spiritual, from the earthly to the heavenly. Finally, in stanza four, the speaker declares that although a prison can confine the body, nothing can confine the innocent mind and the soul that loves God. Despite being in prison, the sheer writing of the poem expresses the speaker's view on freedom - it is fostered within the human mind, as thoughts and creativity cannot be incapacitated.
The following version of the poem was used to create this guide: Lovelace, Richard. A reading of a classic poem Richard Lovelace 1617-57 was a leading Cavalier poet, and an Englishman who supported, and fought for, King Charles I during the Civil War. The second is the date of publication online or last modification online. Afterwards, he studied at Oxford, and completed a degree at Cambridge. He acts as the kind of celebrant he vows to be. Any earthly king, in fact, was expected to imitate and exemplify the virtues of his heavenly Lord. In stanza one, the speaker feels a kind of liberty when he interacts with his beloved Althea a conventional name for a beautiful woman in this era.
