Kent-Drury
English 202
Fall 2001 Lanyer, "Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum"

1. According to Lanyer, who are the enemies of women? To what are such people compared?
2. How does Lanyer justify writing a poem celebrating women?
3. To whom does Lanyer dedicate her poem? why?
4. Look up any Biblical references you notice (your footnotes give you the locations). One helpful website may be http://www.nku.edu/~rkdrury/bible.html.
5. What poetic devices do you notice as you read? Which have you seen before? (find metaphors, similes, personification, allusions).
6. Why doesn't Lanyer want to write about beauty, a standard theme for Renaissance poetry?
7. What does Pilate's wife want him to do? What is her argument?
8. What point does Pilate's wife make about the fall of Adam and Eve? who is more to blame? Why? And why does she bring it up?