Comparison between ‘Lullaby’ and ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore’
Love often results in physical passion, and as time went on – the description and depth of passion have been more explicitly explored. In Lullaby, Auden presents a post coital situation, which is suggested by the title, as well as the phrase ‘sleeping head’, on the other hand the extract from Tis Pity She’s a Whore reaches its climax by the strong suggestions of consummation of the relationship of Annabella and Giovanni. Although the two differ in the timings of physical action, both of the writings offer language full of sexual as well as passionate connotations. Auden, illustrates the force of passion between him and his lover with ‘ Soul and body have no bounds’ as well as ‘ not a whisper, not a thought, not a kiss nor look be lost’. The repetition of ‘not’ in these two lines, might hint to a fact that the lovers need to savour every moment with each other in fear of a negative force. This phrase might hold a greater meaning as the tone of it suggests that the poet is torn between the reality and the kind of passion – still condemned in wider societies. The tone of illicit and sinful affair is set in Ford’s text as well, by the language such as ‘ suppressed the hidden flames’ where Ford uses natural imagery to present the sheer force of Giovanni’s passion, or Annabella’s ‘For every sigh thou hast spent for me, I have sighed ten’ crying back to her brother. In contrast with Auden’s poem Ford can not afford, in XVII century, to illustrate physical passion in such manner as Auden does, however the stage directions of three kisses as well as Giovanni’s suggestions, masked with innocent question ‘ what must we do now?’, implement the thought of the consummation of their newly formalised relationship.
It is important to note that Auden presents a homosexual relationship in its every aspect including the ‘mortal and guilty’ – the traits which were associated with homosexuality in 1940s. This can be contrasted with Proulx’s Brokeback Mountain where Ennis tries to repress his desires and identity by, instead of embracing his sexuality, he claims that he is ‘ non queer’. However, both of the texts use physical passion as a mean to convey how right the partners were for each other. This can be seen in Lullaby when after experiencing the sinful passion of no bounds, Auden admits that his partner is ‘ but to me, entirely beautiful’. In a similar way, Proulx illustrates Ennis and Jack’s reunion as ‘the right key turns the lock tumblers’ in spite of the ‘hot jolt’ that Ennis felt as a sheer passion.
In both of the texts the reader encounters the description of lovers by their partners. However,While Auden admires the flaws of his partner and loves him because of them, Ford constantly reminds the audience of the beauty and perfection of Annabella. In ‘Lullaby’ Auden describes his lover as ‘Mortal, guilty’ as well as underlining the fact that he is a ‘human on my faithless arm’. This can be taken as a mature approach to the idea of love, as Auden continues loving his partner despite all his flaws and humanness, saying that :he is ‘to me the entirely beautiful’. This suggests the idea that the lovers do not need to be perfect, to be perfect for each other. On the other hand Giovanni’s descriptions of Annabella in ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore’ exceed those of human standards. Annabella is said to possess ‘such pairs of stars as thine eyes’ as well as ’such lips would tempt a saint’. Giovanni is seen to idealize the woman he loves, which could hint at Jacobean prescriptions of women.
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