Thomas Wyatt: A 16th Century Imtiaz Ali Protagonist
– Tanmayi Vaishnav
Sir Thomas Wyatt was an English poet and politician who lived in the 16th century during a time of political turmoil in England. A man belonging to the court, he inherited court connections along with many riches and power. He joined the court early and was married at a very young age. During the drastically changing rule of Henry VIII and his courtship, came his stories of flirtatiousness. Out of all these stories, the most popular is his rumoured affair with the King’s soon-to-be wife, Anne Boleyn. This affair has often been speculated to have influenced some of his poems.
Wyatt had power along with the story of a forbidden love, a man of diplomacy and performing poetry, i.e., work and art together.
His poetry is at times structurally unconventional, not mistakenly, but to raise the impact it has on its readers. Many of his popular poems deal with themes of longing, betrayal and rejection. All of these characteristics remind us of a few characters we see in modern Hindi cinema. He resonates with our Imtiaz Ali heroes.
The heroes of Imtiaz Ali’s films are often read as differing from conventional mainstream heroes in Indian cinema of the modern era. Unlike heroes of other popular melodramas and romantic comedies, they are not perfect, they are not certain, and they are not designed to entertain us. They are rather flawed, full of mistakes, presenting a perspective rather than a blueprint of how a hero should be, and they are often immoral, rigid and stubborn. If there is one thing Imtiaz Ali is commendable at, then it is presenting the inner-conflicts of such characters, who in real life, we might avoid, thinking of them as unconventional or emotionally complex.
Wyatt’s marriage was arranged by his father at a very young age, but later, he separated from his wife and charged her with adultery.
There is no conclusive historical evidence to confirm an affair with Anne Boleyn or not, let alone determine the nature of his feelings. But his poetry, which was initially supposed to be court poetry, was too direct and in danger of being recognised, especially in such a small and private circle, in such a circumstance, why would a man write so intensely about merely a fling could be a big question.
In addition to it, his arrests, Tower imprisonments, and the other dangers at court add tension to his story, showing the higher stakes of his personal life. And this is the difference between a Bollywood hero and a hero of an Imtiaz Ali movie, a Bollywood hero knows his way out, he looks at these as milestones in between of his way, but for an Imtiaz Ali hero, they alter his whole persona to such an extent that sometimes even the hero feels alienated from himself.
Wyatt’s poetry was his artistic side, a side which was somewhat removed from the political workings of the court. It is also very evident in his poems that they held a personal reflection and were not mere poems for the entertainment of the courtiers. This balance of art and work is a strong reminder of the movie ‘TAMASHA’ for Imtiaz Ali fans.
In the film, Ved, the protagonist, had two sides to his personality. Both depicted on the two sides of his mirror, one was robotic, working at a corporate office, agreed with all of his father’s decisions and lived according to what his rational mind dictated for him. The other side, however, represented his artistic self. It acted like himself, like an artist, and was far away from the life of a 9 to 5 employee.
Wyatt’s poetry showcases different kinds of emotions, and the three poems that caught my attention, especially while comparing him with an Imtiaz Ali hero, were the following:
“I FIND NO PEACE”, “FORGET NOT YET” and “MY LUTE AWAKE”
‘I Find No Peace’ captures the overall essence of an Imtiaz Ali film. The hero is in an inner conflict, confused about what to do; he does not know what sets him free and binds him down, and he wishes to have both of them but none. Loving someone impacts him a lot, but he just can’t break free.
‘Forget Not Yet’ resembles a pleading Jordan from Rockstar who cannot let his beloved go away, but has no alternative. Additionally, if this poem was written for Anne Boleyn, then it draws a strong parallel because in both narratives, society plays a large role in their being away. The separation is caused by external forces and not by the lovers themselves.
‘My Lute Awake’ sounds like a lover in betrayal bidding farewell to his beloved and abandoning the hope he held for her return, or her loving him back. In Wyatt’s poetry, this depicts his heartbreak as he accepts the lady’s rejection of him as his failure, and it might be a probable indication of the execution of Anne along with her five lovers, as he mentions in the poem by writing:
“Think not alone under the sun
Unquit to cause thy lovers plain
Although my lute and I have done.”
The poem reminds us of the note Qais finally sends to Laila, mentioning that he will no longer return to her and if she wishes, she may find him.
The poetic emotions of Wyatt’s work could be compared to Imtiaz Ali’s heroes because, unlike other heroes, his heroes are not based on what the audience admires, but rather what the audience resonates with. Hence, they are built on their inner feelings. Their heartbreaks are lived and expressed loudly, and not silently.
And Wyatt’s life, from an observer’s view, was impulsive (if the rumour of the affair is true), emotional (as visible in his poems) and self-conflicted (depicted perfectly in I Find No Peace). And Imtiaz Ali’s heroes are mostly messy.
Although there is one part where there is an uncertainty about the similarities between Imtiaz Ali’s heroes and Wyatt, that is the aspect of self-discovery in his movies. And aware of the fact that Wyatt belonged to the 16th century, it is difficult to figure out if he achieved one or not, as it is not evident in the historical records. But if he had been a character in his films, this would have been included in the plot, as it is one of the major themes of his movies.
Another aspect which would remain untouched is the character of his wife and Anne. If it had been an Imtiaz Ali film, the insights on them would have been more. As we read through Wyatt’s story, we might not get to know as much about them, as the central focus is set to be on him. Imtiaz Ali’s film creation has a major detail in it, that is, his films do not treat the women in the movie as secondary characters, but the characters who guide, mould, and shape the hero and the story completely.
Ultimately, everybody has their own perception of both films and literature, but with the complexities of Wyatt’s story, it could be said that if Imtiaz Ali had a chance to make a movie about someone from the Tudor Court, he would have chosen Sir Thomas Wyatt.
It would not be wrong to say that Wyatt’s poetry has a strong contemporary appeal because of its emotional intensity. As emotion is universal, the centuries and cultures cannot limit the experiences of a human being. Imtiaz Ali’s heroes and Wyatt share the same emotional grammar- both consist of love, of betrayal, of longing and of conflict within themselves.
Sources:
The London Magazine –
https://thelondonmagazine.org/article/the-life-and-art-of-sir-thomas-wyatt/
In Other Words –