Love sometimes seems unattainable but you don't truly know it is out of reach unless you try, Edmund Spencer portrays this message in his poem "My Love Is Like to Ice." This poem was taken out from his literary work the "Amoretti," which was written as a part of the courtship of his second wife Elizabeth Boyle. This poem can be seen as his struggle for love, knowing the intent of the poet's reason for writing such beautiful poetry gives us the advantage when analyzing. Spenser uses two interesting elements to convey his feelings and emotions in reference to love to show us why love is mutual and shouldn't be given up upon. Symbolism is seen through out the poem very often in respect to human emotions and feelings. The nature of these two elements shows the reader that there is no such thing as impossible love.
             Spencer splits his poem into four different sections, each section being a question, which illustrate human emotions and feelings through different states of love. The first section carries its own tone and mood, set by the first line, "My love is like to ice, and I to fire," Spenser chooses two elements that are incompatible and completely opposite from each other giving the feeling of impossibility, hopelessness. He personifies his love different from himself in affect to give it its own personality so that he may relate it to himself and others easier. He uses a metaphor to display his negative response towards love. He questions himself in affect to love by giving him the element of fire, and love ice. The attributes of fire towards ice is conflicting, fire melts ice and ice diminishes fire. "How come it then that this her cold so great," he is asking why is that the one he has affections for is cold, cold connotes emotionless, impassive, inexpressive, but looking deeper, the cold represents her love, that is unresponsive to the poet's fire. "Is not...