eking for, “Oh was there a man (but where shall I find Good sense,and good nature so equally joined?)” (Montagu, 2567, Ln. 11), whowill love her unconditionally, “To all my whole sex obliging and free,Yet never be fond of any but me.” (Montagu, 2568, Ln. 19), andsomeone who she can depend on “In whose tender bosom my soulmight confide, Whose kindness can soothe me, whose counsel couldguide...” (Montagu, 2568, Ln. 35). These aspects of an ideal mate canbe interpreted to Montagu’s own personal love life. AlthoughMontagu’s speaker will remain chaste, she does not think of herself“...as cold as a virgin in lead...” (Montagu, 2567, Ln. 5), referring tothe Virgin Mary, until she finds her ideal mate, Montagu marriedEdward Wortley Montagu. Just as in her writing Montagu does notfollow the traditional rules and had an adulterous affair with thebisexual Italian writer Francesco Algarotti. Whether she finds she isdisappointed with what marriage is or what she got out of her marriageto Montagu she unfortunately does not find her ideal mate throughAlgarotti either. Montagu’s style of writing clashes with the practiced format ofballads at this time but her ideas and feelings are clearly portrayed inthis six stanza, eight line anapestic tetrameter rhyming couplets. Theonly true following of writing in this ballad is the use of the rhymingcouplets. This technique was perfected by Dryden and Pope and manypoets were trying this new highly sophisticated technique. The firsttwo stanzas of the ballad set off the way the remaining four will belinked together. Sentence structure, emphasis of ideas and method ofaddressment are all introduced in the introductory stanzas. The use ofenjambment is prevalent in every stanza, even linking the separatestanzas together. Every stanza can be summed up as a single idea andthe use of enjambment has these ideas flowing together while the useof a period bri...
