Sonnet LXVII Explained: Spenser's "Like as a Huntsman" & The Hunt for Love

 

An Explanation of Edmund Spenser's Amoretti Sonnet LXVII

Edmund Spenser's Sonnet LXVII is one of the most famous and artistically accomplished poems in the Amoretti sequence. It stands as a pivotal moment in the narrative, marking a definitive shift from the poet's long and arduous courtship to the happy, mutual acceptance of love. The sonnet's enduring power comes from its central, beautifully executed metaphor of a hunter and his prey, which Spenser uses to challenge traditional notions of romantic conquest.

Here is the sonnet for reference:

Like as a huntsman after weary chace,¹

Seeing the game from him escapèd quite,

Sits down to rest him in some shady place,²

With lank and weery limbs all spent with might.

Yet after being to his rest a space,

The gentle Deere, so soone as she him spies,

Forgetting all her feare and former flight,

Comes to her selfe, and to his hand replies.

This gentle Deere, thus weary of her wildness,

comes to me, with a lowly looke full lowe,

and licks my hand, and follows me, and playes,

and in her humble neck a silken band doth weare.

Thus when I have her won, I will her tame,

and with her gentle looke my long-due rest bestow.

This is the correct version of the Sonnet LXVII. Let's analyze it based on its structure and content.

Structure and Rhyme Scheme

The sonnet adheres to Spenser’s unique interlocking rhyme scheme (ABAB BCBC CDCD EE), which creates a continuous and flowing narrative:³

• A chace / B quite

• A place / B might

• C space / D spies

• C flight / D replies

• E wildness / F lowe

• E playes / F weare

• G tame / G bestow

This structure prevents the ideas from being compartmentalized, mirroring the smooth and seamless transition from the poet's pursuit to his lady's voluntary surrender.

Stanza-by-Stanza Analysis

Quatrain 1 (Lines 1-4):

The sonnet opens with a simile: "Like as a huntsman after weary chace."4 The poet casts himself as a hunter who has spent a long time pursuing a deer, but the chase has been in vain.5 The deer has "escapèd quite." The poet is physically and emotionally exhausted, his "limbs all spent with might."6 This stanza perfectly encapsulates the frustration and weariness that have characterized the poet's pursuit of his beloved throughout the sequence. He has reached his limit.

Quatrain 2 (Lines 5-8):

Here, the narrative takes a sudden and beautiful turn, marking the central reversal of the poem. The poet gives up and sits down to rest.7 Paradoxically, this act of ceasing the chase is what allows the "gentle Deere" to return. She "spies" him, and "Forgetting all her feare and former flight," she comes to him on her own accord.8 The hunted has willingly become the willing "prey."9 This stanza is a triumph of poetic metaphor, showing that true love cannot be forced but must come from a place of trust and free will.

Quatrain 3 (Lines 9-12):

The poet elaborates on the deer's submission. She comes to him with a "lowly looke," an image of humility and trust. She "licks my hand, and follows me, and playes," demonstrating a newfound gentleness and domesticity. The "silken band" in her neck is a crucial symbol: it signifies her willing acceptance of a bond. This is not a chain of captivity but a symbol of a chosen, tender relationship. She is no longer wild and free because she chooses to be his.10

Couplet (Lines 13-14):

The final couplet serves as a powerful volta, moving from the narrative of the deer to a profound reflection on the nature of love. The poet’s initial thought is to "tame" her now that he has won her. However, the last line, "and with her gentle looke my long-due rest bestow," changes the tone completely. He is not the one doing the taming; she, with her "gentle looke," is the one bestowing the "rest" he has been longing for. The power has shifted. Her willing submission is a gift that rewards his patience and brings him peace. This is the moment of triumphant union, where the poet's long struggle finally ends in the fulfillment of his love.

Thematic Significance

Sonnet LXVII is a landmark poem in Amoretti for several reasons:

• Reversal of Roles: It brilliantly subverts the traditional hunting metaphor, where the male's persistence is the key to conquest. Spenser argues that love is won not by force, but by a graceful act of mutual surrender.¹¹

• Spiritual Allusion: The image of the "gentle deer" returning to the hunter after he has given up on the chase subtly alludes to a divine grace, much like a lost soul returning to God.¹²

• Culmination of the Courtship: This sonnet marks the dramatic and happy resolution of the central conflict of the sequence, paving the way for the celebration of their love and marriage in the following poems and in Epithalamion.

In essence, Sonnet LXVII is a lyrical argument for a tender, patient, and morally virtuous vision of love—a vision that is the very heart of Spenser's entire poetic project.¹³