Spenser's Epithalamion as a Battle with Time

Differing slightly from the traditional Greek example of a “wedding lyric,” (Britannica) Edmund Spenser’s Epithalamion is Spenser’s way of sharing both his fears and apprehensions, but also his hope and optimism in regards to his own new marriage to Elizabeth Boyle in 1594. The entire poem is written from the bridegroom’s point of view; from the moment he awakens on the wedding day, to the night, after the couple has consummated their nuptials. The poem’s structure and form are extremely complicated and often highly debated, but there are obvious patterns and insight in the poem’s form in connection to time. The most important interpretation of Spenser’s structure is the number of stanzas in direct correlation to the number of hours in a day. Thematically, the continuous change of tone in the poem during the 16th stanza - when the wedding day turns to the wedding night – suggests that, despite Spenser’s immense joy in his new marriage, he has deep fears regarding time, and the possibly damning effects time may have on his wedded bliss.

The content of this particular stanza proves his frustration with the regularity of time – he spends much of the stanza impatiently waiting for the night, and fears nature may be against his new marriage - but there is a more subconscious reaction in his rhythmic structure. Through the varying line durations – the rhythm ranging from trimetre to hexameter – it seems that only in moments of optimistic action from nature – such as the sun setting and the moon rising – does the slow, regularity of time not seem so painful, and in moments of fear or apprehension, the time seems to go slower. Spenser seems to truly fear the threat of time destroying his happiness, and his poem seems to be the only way...

... middle of paper ...

...nce time’s threat. With this realization – one brought on by his own “immature and ineffective” way of gaining perspective – Spenser is able to feel optimistic about himself, his bride, and their future together. Though Spenser’s Epithalamion does not follow the exact traditional formula the “wedding lyric” usually follows, it has the same effect on the bridegroom; through his epithalamium to himself, Spenser is able to “invoke good fortune” on his marriage and, ultimately, his life.

Works Cited

"Epithalamium." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2011. Web. 10 Feb. 2011. .

Spenser, Edmund. "Epithalamion." The Norton Anthology of English Literature. By M. H. Abrams and Stephen Greenblatt. 7th ed. Vol. 1B. New York: W. W. Norton, 2000. 863-78. Print.