Essay Questions

Many of Herrick’s poems feature a woman or several women as the subject of the story. Explain why Herrick may have chosen to represent many different ideas using women as the subjects.

Several of Herrick’s poems, including “Corinna’s Going A-Maying,” “Upon Julia’s Unlacing Herself,” and “Upon Julia’s Fall,” feature a woman as the subject of the poem. It is likely that Herrick chose to use women as the subject of his poems because, historically, women have been representative of several different ideas. In “Corrinna’s Going A-Maying,” for example, Corrinna embodies the warmth and rejuvenation of summer. Her spirit and demeanor represent the whimsy sense of summer. Similarly, in “Upon Julia’s Unlacing Herself,” Herrick uses Julia as a representative of feminine lust and passion. Her physical features, as well as her scent, are described in great detail. In this way, Herrick uses a woman in this poem to depict a feminine sense of lust and passion. Finally, in “Upon Julia’s Fall,” Herrick uses this same woman—Julia—to embody the woman’s sense of purity and innocence. In this poem, Julia represents all that is innocent and virginal. As a result, it can be concluded that Herrick uses women in many of his poems to make a point about specific emotions or qualities that have historically been tied to women.

Herrick’s poems were once condemned for being obscene and indecent. Why would this have been so?

Robert Herrick lived and published poems during the 17th-century. His poems often broached topics that would have been controversial for this time—including female sexuality, the naked human body, lust, passion, and sexual endeavors. His poems also approached these topics from a positive perspective, and he made this perspective quite evident throughout many of his poems. In “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time,” for example, Herrick uses the poem as a warning to fathers that they must be aware of and protect their daughters’ virginity and virginal natures against the evils of man. Herrick’s unabashed discussion of virginity would have been considered quite obscene in the 1600s. Similarly, his poem, “Upon Julia’s Unlacing Herself,” delves into the sexual passion and lust that women can have. Such a suggestion—of women having the ability to experience sexual pleasure—would have been very suggestive for the seventh century and would likely have been frowned upon by the greater society. In short, Herrick’s poems were likely labelled as being obscene and indecent due to their content, wherein Herrick unabashedly approached controversially topics pertaining to sex and female sexuality.

Seventy-four of Herrick’s published poems mention a woman named Julia. In fact, poems about this woman account for nearly 10% of Hesperides. Why might this woman have appeared so often?

Nothing is known about Julia. It is unclear if Julia was a real woman or if she is simply a placeholder for another woman in Herrick’s life. What is clear is that Herrick was obsessed with this woman. The content of the poems that feature Julia vary greatly, though many of them address topics that are related to sexuality, passion, and/or sex. It is possible that Julia may have been a woman that Herrick, himself, fantasized about being with sexually. Julia may have been a lover that Herrick once had. Though this woman will likely never be identified, it is clear that she played a prominent role in Herrick’s poetry because she—or someone she represents—profoundly impacted his emotional existence. It can be assumed that Herrick’s poems are meant to serve as reminders for him and tributes to her.