On one hand stood the traditional Christian idea that women should be

subordinate to men - an idea accepted by Protestants and Catholics alike. In

Herrick' s society, women were viewed "regardless of social rank, as wives and
mothers . . . and were considered morally evil, intellectually inferior," and
"framed by God only for domestic duties" (Dunn, 15). Female submission was
considered essential to an ordered, stable society, so that "as wives were subject
to their husbands, so women were subject to men, whose authority was
sustained informally through culture, custom and differences in education, and
more formally through the law" (Amussen, 3) (181)
Herrick grew up in a home parented by the mother, and he seemed to have felt
the absence of his father, who died shortly after he was born, most acutely.
Roger Rollin noted that Herrick' s search for a father during his life can be seen in
several of his poems (46), but little, if anything, has been said of the shaping
influence his mother, Julia Herrick, ne Stone, had upon him. But the ambiguities
of gender we do find in Herrick's poetry suggest that his mother had a great deal
to do with how Herrick thought of women and how he presented them in his
poetical works. The sociological anomalies of his day did work to shape Herrick's
depiction of women, but the influence of his mother, and her existence as an
icon of femininity in his mind, shaped his attitude toward gender even more
profoundly (185)
Julia is a signifying character representative not of Julia Herrick directly but of the
need Herrick saw for the vindication of the feminine against the strictures English
society had leveled against women. (200-201)
Julia meaning. Feminine of Julius. Means youthful.

Robert Herrick and Julia

Robert Herrick has, over his years as a poet, written a significant amount of
poems about a mysterious Julia. It is not known who this Julia is, or whether she
existed. Many critics believe she is an imaginary creation by Herrick. Julia was
also the name of Robert Herricks mother, though it is doubtful his mother whom
he means by Julia, as he has written quite sexual poetry about her in poems like
Upon the nipples of Julias breast. The poem itself does not convey an overly
sexual tone, however, and when looked into on a deeper level seems to be quite
innocent. He seems to be describing purity, prosperity and love by focusing on
one specific part of Julias body her breasts through metaphor. He praises and
respects her, and many other women in Hesperides, his book of poems released
in 1648, and does so too in Upon the nipples of Julias Breast. Seeing as his
mother exemplified an independent woman, she possibly greatly influenced
Herricks depiction of women and his attitude toward gender.
In the second line of the poem, Julias nipples are being described as a red rose
peeping through a white, which could signify unity. In the War of the Roses from
1455 to 1485, the houses of Lancaster and York fought for the English throne.
Their houses were represented by a red rose and a white rose respectively
(Britannica). The war ended when Henry Tudor defeated Richard III leading a
Lancastrian army, and he was proclaimed King Henry VII, the first Tudor king,
who married Edward IVs daughter Elizabeth of York, thus uniting the houses

(history.com). Therefore the roses signify unity, and suggest that the power of
Herricks love is great enough to bring two parties that were at war together. The
subject of war also connotes physicality, as that is ever present in battles or
fights. Incorporating physicality in his metaphor about unity and love, implies it is
not something to be ashamed of, rather that physicality is a positive element.
In lines three and four Herrick describes the image of a cherry (double graced)
within a lily to represent Julias breast. The cherry is representative of a sweet
character, though it might also have a sexual connotation. The cherry is double
graced there are two of them. This creates the image of two cherries, which
joined at the top of their stem resemble testicles. The lily represents purity and
innocence, but also fertility, birth and motherhood. By linking the double
meanings of the cherry and the lily, Herrick could again be trying to emphasize
that sexuality should not be something shameful, and that a sex organ the
breast can best embody innocence and sweetness.
The strawberry of line six is a symbol of purity, sensuality, love and happiness.
Their shape is usually reminiscent of a heart, hence why they are also a symbol
for love. They have been associated with righteousness and spiritual merit in
Christian art
(http://www.fruit.cornell.edu/berry/production/pdfs/berryfolklore.pdf). It being half
drowned in cream could be another sexual reference, saying that love is sweet
when it is subjected and open to sexuality.
In lines seven and eight Herrick uses rich rubies and a pure smooth pearl to
illustrate Julias breasts. These precious stones are gems, and are images of
wealth. This could be a metaphor for high social status, possibly alluding to his
mother, who was born into a wealthy family (Landrum, 185). Rubies also
represent passion in their symbolical meaning, and pearls purity. Together they
could signify a love in which passion arises from innocence like the innocence
of two souls who have fallen in love as the rubies are blushing through the
pearls.
The very name Julia in itself means youthful. This as well connotes innocence,
virginity and purity. Julia seems to be very important to Herrick, as the number of
poems dedicated to, or involving, Julia is as high as seventy-seven (Coiro,
"Herrick's 'Julia' Poems 67). She first appears in Hesperides, which entails a
great deal of poetry about women.
It is worth noting that the most prominent of his poems mistresses is a character
named Julia, who is his mothers namesake. This denotes his mother had
significant influence on Roberts life and views. The fact that they bear the same
name is surprisingly often overlooked by critics, maybe due to the existence of
such poems as Upon the nipples of Julias breast. However, just because it is
unlikely that the Julia of his poems is supposed to represent his mother, does not
mean that the observation should be ignored, and it does not exclude that he
could have chosen the name because of his mothers great influence on him in
his childhood. Rather, it is proof that she has in fact made a lasting impact on
Robert Herricks life. Who else would have shaped his view on gender as much as
his only parent growing up?
Julia Herrick, born Julia Stone, was born in a wealthy family. When her husband,
Roberts father, died, which happened shortly after Robert was born, Julia

received a payment from her husbands estate. However, she signed the
payment over to her children, which suggests she had enough property and
wealth herself, without having to depend on payments of her husbands will
(Landrum, 185). Thus Julia epitomized a strong woman, and such a femalecentered household would inevitably shape Robert Herricks development, both
socially and psychologically. Growing up in such an environment, Robert would
become aware of the limitations to which women were subjected in renaissance
England (186). David Landrum has written about Herricks view on gender and
notes on the questioning of gender roles frequently found in Hesperides (200),
arguing that Herrick recognized the ambiguities of gender and the
inconsistencies of his eras beliefs pertaining to women (181). He says the
connection between Julia and Julia Herrick is not so much psychological as it is
literary and social. It is not fantasy or incest wish fulfilment, it is wish fulfilment
projected into the social realm and related to how women should be treated and
regarded (Landrum, 200). Landrum states that the women in Herricks poems
purely exist in his imagination, in a space that suspends gender restrictions
and where they are not subject to social restriction (196).
The number of poems Herrick has written about women alone show how much
respect he has for them. The amount of poems he has dedicated to women, or
that involve women, is astounding, and definitely worth noting. What makes
them stand out is that many of the women in Hesperides are real women from
Herricks life, relatives or locals he knew (Rollin, 56) possibly important women
who have had an impact on Herricks life.
As seen in the poem Upon the nipples of Julias breast, Herrick shows great
respect and praise for Julia, which can also be found back in his other poems.
Julia is the most important muse of all the women he has dedicated poems to, as
is evident by the number of poems dedicated to Julia, and having made her his
mothers namesake. Julia Herrick evidently shaped Roberts views on gender and
the social restrictions placed on women in the renaissance, as she singlehandedly raised him in a female-centered household led by a woman who can
take care of herself. This childhood education found its way into his poems, and
has thus shaped Hesperides and poems such as Upon the nipples of Julias
breast.

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-war-of-the-roses
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/509963/Wars-of-the-Roses

Landrum, David. Robert Herrick and the Ambiguities of Gender.

Dunn, Catherine M. "The Changing Image of Women in Renaissance Society and
Literature
Coiro, Ann Baynes. "Herrick's 'Julia' Poems/' lohn Donne Journal 6 (1987): 67-8
Rollin, Roger. Robert Herrick and the Erotics of Criticism. Renaissance Discourses
of Desire. Ed. Claude J. Summers and Ted-Larry Pebworth. Columbia, MO: U of
Missouri P, 1993.

Behind the character of Julia is Julia Herrick, Roberts touchstone, the figure most
responsible for his social and psychological development, to whom his loyalty
was due, and for whom he would feel a great deal of sympathy and a substantive
desire to come to her defense, especially with regard to her place in society. Julia
Herrick was restricted and restrained in English society, limited due to her
gender, but her namesake knows no such boundaries. (Landrum, 199)
The connection between Julia and Julia Herrick is not so much psychological as it
is literary and social. It is not fantasy or incest wish fulfilment, it is wish
fulfillment projected into the social realm and related to how women should be
treated and regarded (Landrum, 200).
The questioning of gender roles frequently found in Hesperides (Landrum, 200).