ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the self-negating currents within English Petrarchan and other amatory verse. It begins by taking a different perspective on the sonnet sequences from that in Chapter 3, their preoccupation with the theme of wishing for death. From there it moves to the misogynistic labelling of women as nothing by males, and then to the more sophisticated responses to that usage by Donne and Shakespeare. In the case of Michael Drayton, I show how there is a fear of loss of self in relationships that he tries to convey, especially in later iterations of his sonnet sequences, but also an understanding that giving of yourself is necessary and desirable in relationships. Finally, the poetry of John Davies of Hereford shows similar anxieties, expressed through his metaphysical engagement with the dynamics of relationships. Both Petrarchan and anti-Petrarchan impulse seem to drive the self-negation found in love poetry of the time.
