“Behold, Love” (directly taken from the poem’s refrain – poetic, striking, and timeless)

1. Personification of Love

The poet speaks directly to Love as though it were a sentient, powerful being—armed with a bow, like the Roman god Cupid. Love is treated not as a personal feeling, but a force outside the speaker, capable of action and intervention.

“Weaponed thou art, and she unarmed sitteth”

Here, the speaker reminds Love of his power, suggesting that the woman should be vulnerable to Love’s weapons, yet she remains untouched and indifferent.

Why this matters: In Renaissance poetry, personifying emotions or abstract concepts (like Love, Fortune, or Time) was common. It allowed poets to dramatize internal feelings as external battles, often creating a sense of helplessness or fate. The speaker can’t force the woman to love him—so he begs Love to act.

2. Unrequited Love and Despair

The central theme is the speaker’s pain over being rejected. He laments that:

His “great pain” is met with indifference

His “holy oath” has been broken—perhaps referring to a promise of love or loyalty

The woman remains “right at her ease”, unconcerned, despite her betrayal

“To me spiteful without cause or measure”

He sees her cruelty as unjustified and extreme, heightening his sense of injury.

“I am in hold”

This line suggests that he is imprisoned—perhaps by his emotions, or metaphorically by her rejection.

This emotional imprisonment is a common trope in courtly love poetry, where the male lover often describes himself as the devoted servant or captive of a disdainful lady.

3. Call for Justice or Revenge

The speaker appeals to Love for revenge, asking him to use his bow to “break stony hearts” and punish the woman who wronged both him and Love itself.

“Go bend thy bow, that stony hearts breaketh”

This metaphor of the “bow” connects directly to Cupid, suggesting the speaker wants Love to force the woman to feel what he feels.

“Revenge the displeasure / Of thee and him, that sorrow doth endure”

He appeals to Love not just for personal justice, but as a matter of principle—she has offended Love itself by being heartless.

Historical context: In Wyatt’s courtly world, love was not just private—it was political. Romantic relationships could be dangerous, especially if they involved powerful people or were seen as dishonorable. Some scholars believe many of Wyatt’s poems express his frustration with Anne Boleyn, whom he may have loved but who married Henry VIII. This backdrop of betrayal and power games adds extra depth to the poem’s plea for justice.

4. Tone and Emotional Power

The poem balances elegant formality with intense emotion. Despite the measured rhythm and structured rhyme, the speaker’s voice feels urgent and raw.

The repetition of “Behold love” at the end of each stanza is like a refrain, a cry for attention and judgment.

Words like “spiteful,” “displeasure,” “sorrow,” and “endure” create a mood of suffering and bitterness.

The shift from describing the woman to demanding revenge makes the poem feel like a legal or spiritual complaint—as though the speaker were putting his case before a higher court.

Literary Devices

Device Example Effect

Personification Love is treated as a warrior or god Gives a mythic tone; externalizes emotion

Imagery “Weaponed thou art,” “bow that stony hearts breaketh” Suggests force and struggle in matters of love

Repetition “Behold love” Emphasizes plea and structure

Alliteration “Spiteful without cause or measure” Adds musicality; intensifies feeling

Contrast The speaker suffers while the woman “sitteth” at ease Highlights emotional imbalance

Conclusion and Modern Relevance

Wyatt’s “Behold love” is a powerful, structured lament about unreturned affection and the emotional pain it causes. It captures a timeless feeling—the desire to be loved and the agony of rejection—and dramatizes it through the lens of Renaissance ideals, where love was both noble and dangerous.

Even today, people grapple with heartbreak and the feeling of being unfairly treated in love. The idea of calling upon “Love” as a force to judge or correct injustice still resonates. The poem invites us to reflect on our own emotional struggles and the universal wish for love to be fair, mutual, and sincere.