Edmund Spenser's revolting description of Duessa being stripped in The Faerie Queen (Book I, Canto VIII, Stanzas 45-49) contrasts emotionally with the glorifying description of John Donne of his lover's body life in the poem "Elegy XIX: To His Mistress Going to Bed". Both works use diction to augment an already present “male gaze,” subjectively constructing an objectified female identity. The “male gaze” causes the objectification of women, a form of alienation that degrades them and the power they exercise over the “male gaze.” However, by evaluating both the authors' choice of diction and the characters' choice of actions, the texts reveal that in these relationships power is not despotic; although the “male gaze” objectifies women, both Duessa and Donne's lover play their roles in their objectification, resulting in their empowerment ironically. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The adornment of women is a common theme in both works. Spenser's Duessa strategically adorns herself with beautiful objects to hide the falsehood that lies beneath. In contrast, Donne's lover adorns himself to hide his femininity, a positive quality. In both cases, women voluntarily adorn themselves and, through their own objectification, empower themselves, creating a sense of mystique that fuels men's curiosity, leading to sexual attraction. It is only when Duessa is “deprived of royal robes and purple mantle” (Spenser 407) that her ugliness is revealed; he experiences public shame and "bewilders" them (line 402), no longer having the power of attraction. The ornaments she used to control the perception of her physical body have been taken away from her and, with them, the control and power over the “male gaze”. These ornaments, “gems” (lines 36, 37) “that women use" (line 35) may be understandable to men, but Donne attests that only women know how to "use" them and compares their "use" to the " Atlanta balls thrown from the men's point of view" (line 36). This comparison explains Donne's frustrated tone throughout the work, as he understands that their "use" causes the men's distraction and inability to achieve power complete on the female body. Even when Donne praises the mystical power of women, his simile emphasizes the idea of ​​the “male gaze”. The role reversal between Atlanta and Hippomenes characterizes Atlanta, the woman, as the swindler, the sinner. uses “apples” (an allusion to Adam and Eve's apple) to distract the man. Instead of the “earthly [desired] soul” of men (line 35) that of the woman, men are “fools” (line). 37) tricked into possessing women's "gems" (line 37) – "gems" useless to men because only women know how to "use" them (line 35). In Greek mythology itself, once they become a union, they both sin and are punished. Donne's simile justifies men's objectification of women because it infers that it would be better for women to give up their power rather than attempt to consciously "play the game." It is with the nakedness of his lover that Donne is able to “teach” her (line 47). Donne's superior tone throughout the play states this by implying that he feels that he, a man, could make better "use" of female power than the "male gaze" - a power that, in his hands, would save them both from sin. Donne's description of himself as a "teacher" parallels his reality as a poet, both being artistic occupations. His insistence on possessing complete power and his frustration with his inability to do so.”