To the Ladies
by Lady Mary Chudleigh
Wife and servant are the same,
But only differ in the name :
For when that fatal knot is tied,
Which nothing, nothing can divide :
When she the word obey has said,
And man by law supreme has made,
Then all that's kind is laid aside,
And nothing left but state and pride :
Fierce as an eastern prince he grows,
And all his innate rigour shows :
Then but to look, to laugh, or speak,
Will the nuptial contract break.
Like mutes, she signs alone must make,
And never any freedom take :
But still be govern'd by a nod,
And fear her husband as a God :
Him still must serve, him still obey,
And nothing act, and nothing say,
But what her haughty lord thinks fit,
Who with the power, has all the wit.
Then shun, oh ! shun that wretched state,
And all the fawning flatterers hate :
Value yourselves, and men despise :
You must be proud, if you'll be wise.
Notes:
The word obey
The traditional marriage service called for the wife to "love, honour, and obey" her husband; the husband promised to "love, honour, and cherish" his wife.
Questions
Who are the intended audience of this poem?
Unmarried women
According to this poem, when does a man start to treat a woman as a servant?
When she the word obey has said,
And man by law supreme has made,
Then all that's kind is laid aside,
And nothing left but state and pride
How is the tone of the poem "To the Ladies"?
Her tone is desperate, regretful, despair.
She uses words like fatal,nothing, and never throughout the poem.
List the terms used to describe men in the poem.
An eastern prince, God, a haughty lord
Vocabulary
Vocabulary in "To the Ladies"
The Poet
Lady Mary Chudleigh (1656-1710)
Lady Mary Chudleigh (1656-1710) was a devout Anglican who educated herself and, ahead of her time, challenged traditional gender roles. “To the Ladies” appeared in Poems on Several Occasions (1703); it echoes the feminist argument she set forth in The Female Advocate; or, A Plea for the Just Liberty of the Tender Sex and Particularly of Married Women.
Reference
To the Ladies By Mary, Lady Chudleigh
Edited by Jack Lynch
Selected Bibliography:
Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Project
Mary, Lady Chudleigh from Wikipedia
Lady Mary Chudleigh
What is the theme of Mary, Lady Chudleigh's poem "To the Ladies"?
Close Reading "To the Ladies" by Mary, Lady Chudleigh
