"To Althea, from Prison" is a poem written by Richard Lovelace in 1642. The poem is one of Lovelace's best-known works, and its final stanza's first line "Stone walls do not a prison make, Nor iron bars a cage" is often quoted. Lovelace wrote the poem while imprisoned in

Gatehouse Prison Gatehouse Prison was a prison in Westminster, built in 1370 as the gatehouse of Westminster Abbey. It was first used as a prison by the Abbot, a powerful churchman who held considerable power over the precincts and sanctuary. It was one of the pr ...

adjoining

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

due to his effort to have the

Clergy Act 1640 The Clergy Act 1640 ( 16 Cha. 1. c. 27), also known as the Bishops Exclusion Act, or the Clerical Disabilities Act, was an act of the Parliament of England, effective 13 February 1642 that prevented men in holy orders from exercising any temp ...

annulled.

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Overview

"To Althea, from Prison" was written by Richard Lovelace in 1642 as a result of his imprisonment. That year, Richard Lovelace presented a petition to the British parliament that protested the Bishops Exclusion Bill. The bill prevented those heavily involved with the Church of England from enacting any temporal control. Lovelace, in contrast, protested that the role of Anglican Bishops that were excluded should be restored in Parliament. Althea's identity is unknown. "She may even have been a product of Lovelace's imagination. However, evidence suggests she was a woman named Lucy Sacheverell." The poem is quoted in the sixth chapter of Charlotte Brontë's novel '' Villette'', and may have inspired the scenario of Emily Brontë's much-admired poem "The Prisoner". It is also mentioned in Charlotte Smith's novel ''Marchmont'', which has a protagonist named Althea.

Margaret Atwood Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian novelist, poet, literary critic, and an inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of nonfiction, nine collections of short fiction, eight chi ...

also quotes the famous lines in her novel '' Hag-Seed'' when Felix is bringing Anne-Marie into Fletcher Correctional Center (Ch 24, p. 145).

Natalie Babbitt Natalie Zane Babbitt ( Moore; July 28, 1932 – October 31, 2016) was an American writer and illustrator of children's books. Her 1975 novel, '' Tuck Everlasting,'' was adapted into two feature films and a Broadway musical. She received the ...

also uses a quotation from the poem in her novel ''

Tuck Everlasting ''Tuck Everlasting'' is an American children's novel about immortality written by Natalie Babbitt and published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in 1975. It has sold over 5 million copies and has been called a classic of modern children's literatu ...

'', when the main character Winnie Foster remembers the line "Stone walls do not a prison make, Nor iron bars a cage" while helping a jailed prisoner escape (Babbitt 123).

Musical settings and recordings

The poem has been set to music by the British folk group

Fairport Convention Fairport Convention are an English British folk rock, folk rock band, formed in 1967 by guitarists Richard Thompson (musician), Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol, bassist Ashley Hutchings and drummer Shaun Frater (with Frater replaced by Marti ...

with music by Dave Swarbrick and features on their album ''Nine''. A highly regarded version likewise appeared on the album ''Morning Tempest'' (2000) by Jane and Amanda Threlfall and often features as a highlight/encore of their live performances. It has also been recorded by the folk group Three Pressed Men on their first album ''Daddy Fox'' as well as by the Churchfitters on their album ''New Tales for Old''. It was also set by American composer Thomas Avinger in 1960 as one in a set of songs from ''Lucasta Et Cetera'' for tenor and instrumental ensemble. It is also suggested that American songwriter Robert Hunter drew inspiration from the poem for the song "Althea" performed by Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead.

References

{{wikisource Prison writings 17th-century poems 1642 works 1642 in England

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Musical settings and recordings

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