A Study Guide for Sir John Suckling's "Song (Why So Pale and Wan?)"

By Gale and Cengage

A Study Guide for Sir John Suckling's "Song (Why So Pale and Wan?)," excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Poetry for Students. This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Poetry for Students for all of your research needs.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cengage Learning - Gale
• Release date: Sep 28, 2016
• ISBN: 9781535833585

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Song (Why So Pale and Wan?)

Sir John Suckling

1637

Introduction

Sir John Suckling's poem Song (Why So Pale and Wan?) was originally written for the author's play Aglaura, a romantic comedy performed in London in 1637. The poem presents the advice of an older man to a young friend who has been rejected by the woman he loves. With the great wit and wordplay that characterizes all of Suckling's works, the narrator advises the younger man that he is only making his situation worse when he lets his life become overrun by sorrow. He says that the young lady will not be interested in a man who sits around complaining about how unlucky he is in love. Ultimately, it is up to her to just decide to love him, and if she does not, then he is better off without her.

Suckling was one of the premier writers of the early seventeenth century. In his day, he was perhaps best known as a wealthy gambler and soldier, a favorite in the court of King Charles I. Today, he is considered a prime example of the group of writers referred to as the cavalier poets, a group of wealthy gentlemen soldiers who supported the king in his struggle to keep Parliament from controlling the country. The cavaliers were known for their love of fine foods, wine, clothes, and, as poetry in particular displays, verbal wit.

Because this poem is taken from a play, it was not given a title upon publication. It has been published throughout the centuries under different titles, including Song (Why So Pale and Wan?); Song; Why So Pale and Wan?; and Why So Pale? A version under the last title appears in The Cavalier Poets: Their Lives, Their Day, and Their Poetry, published in 1911.

Author Biography

Suckling is believed to have been born in late 1608 or January of 1609, a time frame determined by the fact that he was baptized on February 10, 1609. He was the second of six