Literature in English (0475) | Aphra Behn, ‘Song: Love Armed’

IGCSE Literature (0475) Study Notes: Aphra Behn, ‘Song: Love Armed’

Hello! Get ready to explore a fascinating poem by one of the most exciting writers of the 17th century. Aphra Behn's ‘Song: Love Armed’ gives us a powerful, and perhaps painful, view of love. It’s not about flowers and romance—it’s about warfare and sudden attack!

By studying this poem, you will master the use of extended metaphor, understand how a writer uses martial (war-related) imagery to express deep personal feeling, and sharpen your skills in responding to language (AO3).

Who Was Aphra Behn? (Context Check)

It’s helpful to know a little about the writer, even though IGCSE focuses on the text itself. Behn lived during the Restoration period (17th century) in England. This was a time of wit, theatre, and new social freedoms.

• Did you know? Aphra Behn was one of the first professional female writers in English. She had to fight hard against the expectations placed on women to earn a living solely by writing.
• Her work often explores themes of passion, freedom, and the challenges faced by women in love—themes that were quite shocking for the time!

1. Summary and Literal Meaning (AO1: Knowledge)

This poem is written in the form of a 'Song,' which suggests it was meant to be set to music. The speaker is describing how the powerful feeling of Love suddenly and violently overtook her.

The Quick Plot Breakdown:

1. Love arrives: Love (personified) doesn't just walk in—it sneaks in dressed as something harmless (a shepherd boy).
2. The attack: Love then throws off its disguise and reveals its true, armed form, attacking the speaker’s heart.
3. The outcome: The speaker is utterly defeated. She is now a captive, suffering from the wounds of love, and she warns others to be careful.

Quick Takeaway: The poem is an account of the speaker's total and painful surrender to the force of romantic love.

2. Structure and Form (AO3: Writer's Methods)

Understanding the structure helps us understand the writer’s effects.

Form: The ‘Song’

Because the poem is titled "Song," we expect it to have a strong rhythm and musicality. This makes the serious subject matter (pain and war) seem lighter and more digestible, which was a typical stylistic choice for the period.

Rhythm and Rhyme

• The poem uses short, punchy lines, generally following a pattern that is easy to sing.
• Behn uses simple AABB or couplet rhyme schemes (e.g., "came" / "flame," "surprise" / "eyes"). This simple, bouncy rhythm often contrasts sharply with the violent content, creating a feeling of playful danger.
• Example: "For he in Ambuscade did lie, / And out of ambush shot at me." The tight rhyme reinforces the feeling of suddenness.

The Flow of the Poem

The poem follows a narrative progression (a story):

Stanza 1: Introduction of Love in disguise.
Stanza 2: The sudden, painful moment of attack.
Stanza 3: Describing the weapons and the extent of the damage.
Stanza 4: Warning the reader and declaring complete defeat.

Struggling with Rhythm? Read the poem aloud! Notice how the regular beat carries you along, almost like a march or a dance. The sound itself is cheerful, even though the words are talking about being shot.

3. Key Theme: Love as Warfare (AO2: Understanding Themes)

The entire poem is built on an extended metaphor, where the abstract idea of Love is compared entirely to a military attack or a soldier.

Analyzing the Military Imagery:

Behn uses language of conflict to show that love is uncontrollable, dangerous, and aggressive.

• Disguise and Deception: Love first appears "disarm'd" and "like a harmless villager," or specifically, "a shepherd's boy." This emphasizes that love often surprises us when we least expect it. It tricks the speaker into lowering her defences.
• The Attack: The methods are violent. Love is armed with "flame" (fire/passion), "poison" (fatal harm), and "Ambuscade" (an ambush—a surprise attack).
• The Weapons: Love is not armed with traditional weapons, but elements of romance are turned into tools of destruction: "Bright Scrip" (a bag for a shepherd) becomes a bag full of "darts" (sharp arrows) and his "crook" (shepherd’s stick) becomes a "Bow" (for shooting).
• The Result: The speaker is left a "Prisoner" and is now kept "all by Love's Tyrannic power." (Tyrannic means cruel and oppressive ruler).

Analogy: Love is a Surprise Invasion

Imagine being told a tiny, harmless puppy is coming to visit (the shepherd boy disguise). Then, when the puppy arrives, it suddenly transforms into a ferocious, armored T-Rex (Love Armed). That’s the level of shock and overwhelming power Behn is describing.

Key Takeaway: By comparing love to war, Behn portrays it not as mutual affection, but as a hostile, destructive force that strips the individual of their freedom and autonomy.

4. Language and Poetic Devices (AO3: Response to Language)

Focus on how Behn manipulates words to achieve her desired effect.

A. Personification

The most important device. Love is treated as a living character—an aggressive, sneaky child (Cupid imagery is implied but darkened by the war setting).

• Effect: Giving Love human traits makes it feel like an active enemy the speaker had to fight, rather than just an internal emotion. It excuses the speaker for her surrender, as no one can fight an army alone.

B. Imagery and Sensory Detail

The contrast between the soft and the hard imagery is crucial:

• Soft/Pastoral Imagery (The Lie): "shepherd's boy," "villager," "soft and innocent."
• Hard/Military Imagery (The Truth): "armed," "Ambuscade," "darts," "Prisoner," "Tyrannic."
• Effect: This contrast emphasizes the deceit and the painful transition from innocence (not being in love) to suffering (being wounded by love).

C. Hyperbole (Exaggeration)

The description of Love’s power is often exaggerated—the speaker is not just sad, she is wounded with "fatal wound" and captured by a "Tyrannic power."

• Effect: Hyperbole expresses the intensity and overwhelming nature of the speaker's emotional state. When you are in love (or heartbreak), it often feels like a matter of life and death.

D. Alliteration

Behn uses alliteration to draw attention to important phrases, often related to the attack:

• "Where Bright Bow and Burning Brand." (The repetition of the 'B' sound makes the line sound forceful and weaponized.)
• "With all her Silent, Subtle Skill." (The 'S' sound suggests the sneaky, serpentine nature of the attack.)

5. Themes and Personal Response (AO2 & AO4)

The Nature of Love

What is Behn saying about love through this aggressive depiction?

• Love is not always a choice; it is an external force that strikes without permission.
• Love is painful and requires total surrender. The speaker is utterly powerless once she has been hit.
• The poem reflects a cynical or realistic view that passion brings suffering and loss of self-control.

The Warning to the Reader

The final stanza serves as a direct address and warning:

"Then sighing said, 'Ah, welladay!'" (Ah, welladay! is an exclamation of sadness or regret.)

The poem doesn't just describe an experience; it offers advice. The speaker tells others to "Trust not his seeming simple look." This turns the poem into a moral lesson about being vigilant against the deceptive nature of passion.

Your Personal Response (AO4):
Think about how you feel about this portrayal. Do you agree that intense love can feel like a loss of freedom or a painful injury? Behn uses highly dramatic language—do you find this exaggeration effective in conveying the power of emotion?

Don't worry if this seems tricky at first! The key is to remember that Aphra Behn is using the language of violence to describe something invisible—an emotion. Focus on what effect the word "darts" has compared to, say, the word "kisses." That difference is your analysis!

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Mistake: Assuming the poem is about a literal physical fight. Correction: Always remember the war terms are metaphorical, describing emotional and psychological damage.
• Mistake: Ignoring the 'Song' structure. Correction: Discuss the sound and rhythm. How does the light, musical feeling contrast with the dark theme? This contrast is a key feature of Behn's style.

Final Key Takeaway: 'Song: Love Armed’ uses the sustained metaphor of war to depict love as a deceitful, tyrannical, and powerfully destructive force that leaves the victim (the speaker) completely defeated and enslaved by passion.