I think that in this poem, the writer is criticizing a woman's way of dressing up for a feast. He talks about the "art" she uses to get ready for the party, which would be make-up and other beauty supplies. All this "art" though does not strike the writer since he prefers simplicity and grace over the use of so much "art". He finally says that the "art" only strikes his eyes but not his heart, in other words that the outer beauty only strikes his eyes and therefore is not an important factor when seraching for true love. I believe that the writer is trying to promote simplicity and inner beauty over the "arts" and fake outer beauty.
Giuseppina ScottoDiCarlo
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Just as a side-note the speaker says the lady had dressed as though she were going to a feast. Meaning she's not going to a feast thus she's dressed inappropiately for whatever occasion they maybe going to. By her dressing differently then she should be the speaker believes she must be hiding something from him, she must be covering something up.
This song also relates back to Hamlet when Claudius says "O, 'tis too true! How smart a lash that speech doth give my conscience! The harlot's cheek, beautied with plast'ring art, is not more ugly to the thing that helps it than is my deed to my most painted word. O heavy burthen!" They both are reffering to makeup on someone that is hiding something beneath it. In Hamlet it would be an STD, and in this song it is her natural beauty. It could also be her true fealings for the one she is with.
i really liked this poem. jonson did a good job of expressing how a woman covers up her true feelings and not being honest with herself. hiding something from yourself and not being honest with yourself about your problems is damaging to your mind, i think. by dressing fancy won't cover up whats going on inside your mind.
The more we discussed this in class the more i really liked how this poem was set up. At first it just seemed like the guy was suspicious of the woman because she was dressed nice, but then it turned into the struggle with natural vs artificial beauty. It became not so much what she may be hiding from the man but what feelings she was trying to hide from herself.
Here are my notes in this peom... The first two lines contain a slant rhyme. Drest and feast don't really rhyme but are considered a slant rhyme. The gist of the first stanza is that the look you have right now is not who you really are. Your attire should be flowing free. Simplicity in appearance enables you to let your guard down. You can show everyone else who you really are by doing this. If you want to make the connection with your innerself you have to be honest. Casual allows you to do this. You should dress like nature. Nature is true and doesn't have to hide anything. IT certainly has it's mechanisms of protecting itself but it doesn't care about privacy like humans do. Spretzatura is also an element in this poem. This is defined as a careless grace. Jonson believed in this and so did the poets of his time.
Although this poem may seem to have many different ideas or themes, I believe that the bottom line that Jonson is trying to get across is that, in the end, simplicity is much better than complexity.
MATTHEW NEAL-MINK
I the first stanza the woman is deressed up like she's going to a party, but in truth she's not. She is described as wearing make-up on her face. In the second stanza her husband finds out sees her dressed up and he sees two faces. One of the faces he sees is the one with make-up , which is the one that he doesn't trust. The other face is one that he does trust.
I think this poem raises a point that is really interesting. Woman feel that they have to dress up to be considered beautiful. Jonson is saying that dressing up is like putting on a mask to hide who you really are, and if you are not honest in what you are showing yourself to others, you are fooling yourself as well. This poem also makes sense in today's society. People look to the media and celevrities for ideas about how to dress and act which only helps the people today more and more change their appearances. On the one hand I think that people should do whatever they want to make themselves feel comfortable with who they are even if they do need to change their appearances. But I also think that if you hide who you really are inside and out, how do you expect people to see who you really are and have them trust you. I think that this poem will always be valid because everyone has their own opinion about this topic and I don't think that will ever change.
-ERICA SPAIN!
Basicly this is about a man acusing a woman of adultery but here more to it that that. he explains that she is all dressed up as though she is going out with her make up done and every thing. he is saying this because make up is like a mask changing who she really is she never dresses up like some one else with him and she doesn't need to. he likes the s2weet neglect or the simplicity of her flawed self. he loves her not the maded up charater she made herself to be.
Caitlin McCarty
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