Desire In The Poem Thou Blind Man's Mark

Desire brings forth blindness and self-destruction. At least, that seems to be the message Sir Philip Sidney tries to convey in “Thou Blind Man’s Mark.” Sidney uses poetic devices like imagery, personification, and tone to address his complex attitude towards desire. “Thou blind man’s mark, thou fool’s self-chosen snare” (line 1). Sidney invokes metaphors to describe the subject of his poem before revealing what it actually is. The contradicting and confusing images are likely due to his passionate stance on this subject. “Fond fancy’s scum, and dregs of scattered thought;/ Band of all evils, cradles of causeless care;/ Thou web of will, whose end is never wrought” (lines 2 - 4). All of the images come across as vivid and intense, trying to