“Now lett your constancy your honor prove...”: “Constant Art” of Lady Mary Wroth

Abstract

The paper intends to analyse developing of the literary representation of women in Elizabethan and Jacobean culture, forming an integral part of female authorship during this period. However, instead of taking aim at the male poetic tradition, the genius of Wroth is to absorb it and use it for her own ends. Reclaiming the virtues of the woman through constancy, she upends the conventional views of the woman. Thus, Wroth strengthens the autonomy of the woman by allowing her to make the decision to accept a role subordinate to man.

Keywords

• Lady Mary Wroth
• Literary Culture
• Elizabethan Renaissance
• Jacobean Court
• William Herbert, Third Earl of Pembroke
• Philip Sidney