I Can’t Make You Love Me
The poem “ Why So Pale and Wan” was originally a song part of the second scene of the fourth act of Sir John Suckling’s play, Aglaura. After the instrumental performance of the song, Orsames starts saying his lines. The character of the stage play reveals that he is the author of the poem. Orsames tells a female character that his words of the song were only foolish counsel he gave his friend four or five years ago. The opening line of the poem is one of the most famous lines in seventeenth-century English literature.
The idea for the song “I Can’t Make You Love Me” by Bonnie Raitt came to her when she read an article about a man held on trial for shooting at his girlfriend’s car. The judge asked the man if he had learned anything from this experience, and he replied, “I learned, Your Honor, that you can’t make a woman love you if she doesn’t.” Finally, Raitt decided to record the vocals in one take in the studio after reading the newspaper article
The poem “Why So Pale and Wan” is about a young man telling his friend to give up any schemes of winning the heart of a girl he loves. The young man encourages his friend to give up trying to make the girl fall in love with him. He says that if she did not gain any interest in him when he was well, why would she suddenly become interested in him when he’s sick? Likewise, Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me” is about ending a romantic and one-sided relationship in brutally honest terms. “‘Cause I can’t make you love me if you don’t” is the one line repeated throughout the whole song.
Also, both the song and a part of the poem became well-known at specific points in history. The opening line of “Why So Pale and Wan” was one of the most known lines in seventeenth-century English literature. Similarly, Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me” was placed number 8 in Mojo’s Magazine’s ‘100 Greatest Songs of All Time’ back in the 2000s.
One key difference between “Why So Pale and Wan” and “I Can’t Make You Love Me” is the perspective in which they are spoken. “Why So Pale and Wan” is a poem that speaks from the friend’s perspective. The one talking is merely observing his heart-broken friend from afar. On the other hand, “I Can’t Make You Love Me” is spoken by a person who has had first-hand experience of one-sided love.
“Why So Pale and Wan” was a notable poem during its time. This poem was specifically made to be part of a play. On the contrary, “I Can’t Make You Love Me” was not well-known during its time. It gained popularity around ten years after it was released, and it was produced just as a song for the public.
Both the given poem and song have many similarities and differences. They were not written during the same time in history. Yet, this still shows us how emotions stay the same as time passes. Two people can feel the same thing although they do not live in the same period. Both the song and poem make us appreciate human emotions a little bit more.
