Michael Drayton1563–1631

Sonnet 61

Michael Drayton (1563 – 23 December 1631) was an English poet who came to prominence in the Elizabethan era.

Drayton was born at Hartshill in Warwickshire, and as a youth he became page to Sir Henry Goodere of Polesworth. He fell in love with Sir Henry's daughter, Anne, and worshipped her as ideal in his poetry. Even after her marriage to Sir Henry Rainford, he continued to celebrate her charms in verse. He never married.

Drayton had wanted to be a poet from the age of ten, and achieved his ambition through hard work and a succession of noble patrons, in spite of ill fortune.

In 1591, he produced his first book, The Harmony of the Church, a volume of spiritual poems, dedicated to Lady Devereux. It is notable for a version of the Song of Solomon, executed with considerable richness of expression. However, with the exception of forty copies, seized by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the whole edition was destroyed by public order.

When James I became king in 1603 Drayton angled for royal favor with To the Majesty of King James: A Gratulatory Poem. Unfortunately, he forgot to include the customary tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth, and this gaffe probably cost him an appointment at court.

In spite of this setback, Drayton had a fairly successful career as a poet, and he counted Ben Jonson, William Drummond, and William Shakespeare amongst his friends.

He died in London, was buried in Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey, and had a monument placed over him by the Countess of Dorset, with memorial lines attributed to Ben Jonson.

Background Information

THEME: Drayton unveils the emotions of a distraught lover whose dreams of spending the rest of his life with his beloved have been shattered. In doing so, the poet successfully depicts the rambling sentiments of said lover as he seeks to rationalize his decision of parting with the love of his life.

Drayton adopts an angry TONE laced with bitterness, conveying his message through curt sentences. However, the couplet features brief hope, which is nonetheless tinged with sadness as the poet realizes that his plea will most likely fall on deaf ears. 

Analysis 1There’s no help] there’s nothing for itI have done] I have finishedYea] yes, indeedLatest] finalGiven him over] given him up for deadYet] stillSince there's no help, // come let us kiss and part; aNay, // I have done, // you get no more of me, bAnd I am glad, // yea, // glad with all my heart aThat thus so cleanly I myself can free; bShake hands for ever, // cancel all our vows, cAnd when we meet at any time again, dBe it not seen in either of our brows cThat we one jot of former love retain. d Now at the last gasp of Love's latest breath, eWhen, // his pulse failing, // Passion speechless lies, fWhen Faith is kneeling by his bed of death, eAnd Innocence is closing up his eyes; fNow if thou wouldst, // when all have given him over, gFrom death to life thou mightst him yet recover. g

“Sonnet 61” is written in the style of an

English, or Shakespearean,

sonnet. It is composed in iambic pentameter,

although initial trochaic inversions are frequent, and it is end-

rhymed abab-cdcd-efef-gg. Hypercatalexis

occurs only once, in line 13, but differences in pronunciation prove it irrelevant (i.e., the words “given” and

“over” in line 13 would have been pronounced as one syllable). The sonnet is divided into three quatrains and a

couplet, and this division is

substantiated by the rhyme scheme. The

volta is introduced in the couplet.

Enjambment is used sparingly—in fact, it appears only twice, in lines 3-4 and 7-

8; both of these instances convey Drayton’s eagerness to expedite his message with all possible alacrity;

alternatively, if one considers the import of the lines in question, the enjambment

hints at anxiety on the poet’s part, as though he did not believe in his own

words. The prevalence of end-stopped lines, on the other hand, expresses a

reluctant finality: the very brusqueness of the sentences implies that Drayton

has not yet accepted the separation, but he is nevertheless forcing it upon

himself out of necessity.First Foot Second

FootThird Foot

Fourth Foot

Fifth Foot

/ x x / / x x / x /

Since there’s

no help, come let us kiss and part;

/ x x / x / x / x /

Nay, I have done, you get no more of me,

x / x / / / x / x /

And I am glad, yea, glad with all my heart

The meter in the first quatrain varies, as shown in the table: in line 1, there are two trochaic substitutions, line 2 exhibits only one, and

line 3 showcases a spondaic substitution in its third metrical foot. The fact that the stress falls on the word “since” (l. 1) creates the

impression that Drayton attempts to justify his decision to end the relationship by saying, in an almost apologetic tone, that he has no

other choice. The caesura just before the second trochaic inversion in line 1 may imply that the poet needs a pause to steel himself,

solidifying his resolution, and said inversion makes the word “come” (l. 1) sound like a command, as though Drayton were purposely

unemotional to hasten the process. The word “nay” (l. 2) is emphasized so as to add to the impact of the phrase “you get no more of me” (l. 2), which implies that the relationship was draining for the

poet. As for the word “yea” (l. 3), which is emphasized by both caesurae and the spondaic inversion apparent in the line in question,

it implies that Drayton tries to convince himself of the judiciousness of his decision. The adverb “cleanly” in line 4 allows readers to infer that

the relationship ended amicably, without acrimonious arguments.

Analysis 2

Since there's no help, // come let us kiss and part; aNay, // I have done, // you get no more of me, bAnd I am glad, // yea, // glad with all my heart aThat thus so cleanly I myself can free; bShake hands for ever, // cancel all our vows, cAnd when we meet at any time again, dBe it not seen in either of our brows cThat we one jot of former love retain. d Now at the last gasp of Love's latest breath, eWhen, // his pulse failing, // Passion speechless lies, fWhen Faith is kneeling by his bed of death, eAnd Innocence is closing up his eyes; fNow if thou wouldst, // when all have given him over, gFrom death to life thou mightst him yet recover. g

In the second quatrain, the word “vows” (l. 5) might imply that the poet and the lady were

either betrothed or married. Furthermore, the phrase “any time” (l. 7) conveys Drayton’s wish

to cease all association with the lady, eliminating the possibility of reconciliation.

The third quatrain is based on a metaphor: Drayton portrays four of the qualities of a successful relationship—namely, love, passion, faith, and innocence—as dying. The

word “now” (l. 9) is part of an initial trochaic inversion and emphasizes the fact that Love is not yet dead; providing

subtle foreshadowing, this ties in with the revelation in the couplet, according to which Drayton would welcome the rekindling of his romance with the lady should she be so inclined. Passion is said to be “speechless” (l. 10), which implies that words have become meaningless. The two caesurae in line 10 draw one’s attention to the phrase

“[Passion’s] pulse failing,” once again showcasing the fact that the relationship has not succumbed to death just yet. As for the fact that Innocence “is closing up his eyes” (l. 11), it

implies that on a subconscious level Drayton wishes he would be spared the sight of his relationship crumbling to

pieces; alternatively, it may hint at the cause of the separation, namely adultery on the lady’s part, to which the poet was blind until recently. It is to be noted that all four characteristics are personified as male, possibly implying that they were not mutual—that is to say, Drayton’s love

might have been one-sided. The volta appears in the

couplet, introducing the idea that Drayton would not be

opposed to reconciliation. The word “now,” which is also

present in line 9, is repeated in line 13, giving the impression that celerity would be key in reviving the relationship. The

caesura in the selfsame line has a similar purpose, juxtaposing

the lady with everyone else: she alone can still rekindle the

former love between her and the poet. While the couplet

does indeed bear faint traces of hope, the quiet, sober tone

implies that Drayton is stating a fact, but his beloved is not

there to hear him.