'Doctor Who': Does This 17th Century Poem Hint at Who Is in the Vault?

Doctor Who has been proving to be a phenomenal series so far, and it's set to become even better when we find out who is locked in the vault, over which the Doctor has sworn to guard. Over the last few weeks, numerous hints have been revealed, causing #DoctorWho fans to speculate harder than ever before.

Before Series 10 began, it was confirmed that John Simm would return to the show as the Master after seven years. This caused fans to go into major hype mode and start brainstorming where Simm would fit into the series. Early on in the series, fans were left on the edge of their seats when whoever is in the vault started knocking. However, whomever it was, they knocked just three times. Hardcore fans were dying for a fourth knock, making it almost obvious that the Master was kept prisoner — were the three knocks just a red herring?

On the other hand, a 17th century poem may have just dropped a huge hint as to who is actually inside the vault.

The poem massively narrows down our guesses.

The poem titled "To His Coy Mistress," written by Andrew Marvell, has given Doctor Who a helping hand in the past, and has once again reappeared to give inspiration for Series 10. The first stanza of the poem reads:

Had we but world enough, and time,This coyness, Lady, were no crimeWe would sit down and think which wayTo walk and pass our long love's day.Thou by the Indian Ganges' side Shouldst rubies find:I by the tide Of Humber would complain.I would Love you ten years before the Flood

Paying close attention to the first and last line, fans of the hit #BBC show will know that "World Enough, and time" is the title of the eleventh episode of Series 10, which is also part one of the series finale. But, the last line features the words "Before the Flood," which was Episode 4 in Series 9. Has current showrunner Steven Moffat chosen this poem on purpose? It appears that the second line has dropped a huge spoiler on who could be locked in the vault.

Rescued from Skaro

This poem could have been deliberately chosen by Moffat to get fans to do some research. The second line, which reads "this coyness, Lady, were no crime" may just play a huge role in upcoming episodes of Series 10.

The vault is expected to open in the episode titled "Extremis," where fans will finally discover who has been locked away for all this time. "Extremis" is part one of the three-part story of Series 10, and a familiar face has been credited on IMDb.

The current incarnation of the Master, called Missy (played by Michelle Gomez), is on the cast list for Episode 6 of the series. Missy was introduced to the show in 2014, when fans jaws dropped with shock when they found out the Master had regenerated as a female. We last saw Missy in Series 9, when the Doctor left her on Skaro. Has the Doctor secretly gone back to rescue her and keep her hidden away from current companions Bill (Pearl Mackie) and Nardole (Matt Lucas)?

We heard a piano being played at the end of Episode 4, and Missy seems like the type of person who knows how to play the piano, right?

Final Thoughts

Now, of course, it may not be Missy — and could well be John Simm as the Master — but is that too obvious? Other speculations have been passed around social media explaining that it could well be The Rani, Susan Foreman, or even a previous incarnation of the Doctor. But, what if it was just a Watcher like we saw when Tom Baker was the Doctor? The Watcher followed the Doctor until his regeneration. Has Moffat really gone that far? Find out in Episode 6, where all our speculations will be finally put to rest.