Pamphilia's Argument Essay: Captive

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Captive broadly refers to two meanings, one is where a person is taken to prison, the other is an animal that has been confined. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) defines captive as “imprisoned or confined”, as well as “having no freedom to choose alternatives or to avoid something.” The word captive originated in late Middle English, from the Latin word captivus. Mary Wroth uses captive in the fourth line of sonnet 16, where she describes love has “captivating” her. Pamphilia becomes prisoner of love, where she feels “bound, unfree?” Pamphilia views love as taking someone’s personal freedom, and rather love entangles an individual as though they were held captive in prison.

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