Isabella Whitney's poem "To her Inconstant Lover", is the first in her first book of poetry, The Copy of a Letter. The speaker is Whitney herself, who is, as the title of the poem suggests, writing to her unfaithful, or inconstant lover. Whitney begins by telling her lover that she has learned he's going to be married, despite trying to keep his wedding a secret, which she explains in the first line: "as close as you your wedding kept". Whitney alternates between speaking as the jilted lover, reminding her lover what he is missing out on by abandoning her, to acting as somewhat of a counsellor and giving him relationship advise. Whitney tells her lover, "you know I alwayes wisht you wel", and hopes that God will send him a "good wyfe", however she suggest that if he wanted her back, he could have her. Whitney makes note of numerous treacherous men from Greek mythology, including: Sinon (who persuaded the Trojan's to bring the Trojan horse into the city, and thus causing the downfall of Troy), Eneas (who abandons his lover Dido), Theseus (who deserted Ariadne), and Jason (who abandoned Medea, after she saves his life on countless occasions). Unlike these men, Whitney encourages her lover to be like Troilus, who faithfully died loving Criseyde. After Whitney makes her list of unfaithful men, she addresses the virtues she hopes her lovers' wife will have, so that he does not regret his decision. She hopes his wife will have: the beauty of Helen, the chastity of Penelope, the constancy of Lucres, and the true love of Thisbe. Whitney tells her lover that aside from Helen's beauty, she possesses all of these qualities, she only wishes she had Cassandra's gift of prophesy so she could see whether he ends up misfortunate, or she does. Although Whitney clearly feels abandoned, she takes the moral high ground by wishing her lover the best, and offering him relationship advice. She completes her poem, or letter, as a morally virtuous woman, and not a victim.
