James Beck
Honors English 11
17 December 2014
Since there’s no help
In Michal Drayton’s “Since there’s no help”, the speaker expresses his separation with God by communicating it through his relationship with Faith, Innocence, and Passion. The speaker emphasizes his contentment of the separation by relating it to a romantic relationship with a woman he is no longer in love with. In a literal point of view of the poem is viewed as a breakup, but in fact it is the illusions the speaker creates that mirror not only the battles he has with God, but also himself.
The speaker’s love for his Faith is slowly dying, this is shown though his constant comparison to a failing romantic relationship. He wants all ties with God gone “cancel our vows” these emotions are put to halt when the speaker sees his faith kneeling by the bed. The praying indicates that there is still hope to revive this love. This then contradicts with his initial illusion of being pleased, “glad with all my heart”, of the separation which brings up questioning of the speakers emotional state.
The speaker is frequently fighting with his innocence, the separation from God is the solution for the freedom of his sins “That thus so cleanly I myself can free”. Although again this ideal of separation is repeated multiple times throughout the poem, the speaker indicates in the afterlife he will reunite with God “And when we meet at any time again”. During this parting any sins committed the speaker emphasizes his want for free of judgment from God. His innocence “is closing up his eyes” and when the speakers passes from the physical world he stresses the fact that in this new world he would like God to still view him without any doubt as pure “Be it not seen in either of our brows”. This goes to show the speaker is having a miscommunication with himself and is not ready to make any final decisions.
The Passion and Love that was once there