“The rain set in early tonight,
The sullen wind was soon awake,
It tore the elm-tops down for spite,
And did its worse to vex the lake.”
Mention the characters personality and how he acts. E.g. Insecurity. He is cold towards Porphyria when she enters the cottage. He shows possessive and obsessive love for porphyria.
My Last Duchess
Dramatic monologue. Explain that the Count has sent an ambassador to get the Duke to marry the Count’s daughter. He also shows possessive love for money and his status. He shows this by boasting about his possessions and you get the impression that he values the painting of his wife more than her when she was alive. He shows jealousy and implies that his last duchess was being unfaithful. He basically admits that he killed her and shows that she was inferior to him when he says…
“Who’d stoop to blame
This sort of trifling? Even had you skill
In speech-(which I have not)-to make your will
Quite clear to such an one, and say, ‘Just this
Or that in you disgusts me; here you miss”
He is basically saying that even if I was good with words I wouldn’t stoop to the level of his wife. He is above himself, that he is on a golden pedestal and even one else is below him. He believes he can do whatever he wants because he’s The Duke of Ferrara!
First Love
Explain briefly what the poem is about. Romantic love. A personal experience? Portrays his emotions through the physical effects of which he describes. Dramatic effects, looses control over his body. Shows unrequited love. He gives his love and heart to her when he says,
“My heart has left its dwelling place.”
To His Coy Mistress
Is love shown here just lust? The character puts over a logical argument to try and persuade and convince his mistress to make love with him. Andrew Marvel writes the poem in a metaphorical and witty way which entices the reader to think Is he serious? The argument he puts across is that in a nutshell we haven’t got all the time in the world so let’s make love. “Had we but enough, and time…
But at my back I always hear
Times winged chariot hurrying near”
Cape Diem-Seize the day!
However this is concealed by the way the argument is put across. If they had all the time in the world he would admire this and take 100 years to praise this and that about her. He puts in a double entendre when he says,
“Till the conversion of the Jews
My vegetable love should grow”
By this he means that he will always want to make love with her, not that he will always love vegetables.
Explain how he describes time. E.g. Biblically, geographically and relates it to her. Give examples.
Conclusion
Sum up what you have found out about how the poets discuss love. Compare the different aspects of love and effectively find out and explain the motives for each type of love in the poems.
