WYATT’S “THEY FLEE FROM ME”

WYATT’S “THEY FLEE FROM ME”

The poem falls into 3 stanzas (each of 7 lines) each rhyming ababbcd. The main theme is false love or false relationships of any kind.
The poet uses one main image: a seductress who is changeable and strong at the same time. According to the speaker, she uses her charm to control him then, suddenly and for no good reason, she leaves him. The diction associated with her reveals a powerful character: “stalking” and “caught,” for instance. Though unexpected of a female, she is the operator of the scene as all the real action is done by her while the speaker is a passive observer.
The contradiction in the character of the lady can be interpreted in two ways: either the speaker is imagining a female character (due to emotional emptiness) or she is real and of a higher status than him (a queen, for instance) and, thus, giving herself the right to play with his feelings all she likes.


More to Discuss:
1. Natural Imagery
2. The seduction scene as an imaginary one
3. Psychological analysis of the male (speaker) in the poem
4. Psychological analysis of the female in the poem
5. The use of diction as associated with both the male and the female
6. The contrast between the male’s past and present