Portrayal of Women in Pre 1914 poetry - A Woman to Her Lover by Cristina Walsh (1756-1800), 1889) and Cousin Kate by Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830-1894).

English literature coursework

The Portrayal of Women in Pre 1914 Poetry

Women in the Victorian Era were treated like marital slaves. In the 18th and 19th centuries women had no power or rights over men. They had to serve many of their husbands requests or were treated as ornaments to admire. Women were of a lower status than men and men in these times were running a dictatorship and limited women’s rights.

The portrayal of women in these three poems reflects the dilemmas of women in the 18th and 19th centuries, as the victims of sexual prejudice and suppression. “A Woman to Her Lover” by Cristina Walsh (1756-1800), 1889) and “Cousin Kate” by Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830-1894). Both poems reflect how women were portrayed, how men were manipulative and how they bullied women and in the modern day would face serious sanctions for their prejudice actions towards the opposite sex.

Christina Walsh’s views in her poem “A Woman to Her Lover” are challenging and outspoken in the context of 18th century thinking. She was a “wakened woman” of her time. This means that she has overcome being brainwashed by men. The poet sets out what she does not want from a marriage in stanzas 1,2 and 3. In stanza 4 she sets out what she does want from a marriage. Stanza 1 and 3 both are equal with 7 lines, this may show the equality Christina Walsh is trying to show

In stanza 1 Walsh says that she doesn’t want to be treated as a slave in her marriage and she refers to this statement as being a “bondslave”. This is her own word meaning bonded by marriage but bonding is also a means of restriction or imprisonment. She did not want to spend her life bringing up children, doing dull, laborious and unrewarding chores, as if her husband were her “conqueror”. “Do you come to me to bend me to your will as conqueror of the vanquished?”

The word “conqueror” implies how men ruled women and strongly believed that they were superior to their other half and how women are referred to as the “vanquished” emphasises how weak women were and it implies their weakness towards men. They were defenceless and didn’t have authority to object to men’s beliefs. The word “vanquished” also means completely destroyed which expresses how women’s rights were completely destroyed.

Walsh highlights how women were treated as objects and Walsh’s use of metaphors strongly enforces her points made. “or if to think to wed with the one from heaven. Whose every deed and word and wish is golden, a wingless angel who can do no wrong, go!- I am no doll to dress and sit for feeble worship...”

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Walsh refers to a husband as being a “fool” who treats their other half as a “wingless angel who can do no wrong”. A wingless angel is a metaphor and this describes her as an unusual but beautiful being, an angel emphasises her beauty but being a wingless angel emphasises how she has been striped of her wings, showing how she is trapped and cannot fly free. Her being a wingless angel highlights the unusual side because angels have wings but is seems as if her wings have been plucked from her, just like her rights have been taken from her. She wouldn’t like to be placed on a “pedestal” as if she were a “doll to dress” being worshiped by their husband, this is anther strong metaphor because she is a human being, not a toy to be admired and nothing more. She wants equality to her other half and not to be bought by possessions and be worshiped and this shows by saying “I am no doll to dress for feeble worship”. The word “feeble” emphasises that her being worshiped by her husband would be pathetic and meaningless to her.

In stanza 3 the poet also says she despises partners who only want her for her body and she feels pity and shame for such a person and a “wakened woman” (liberated) would not want such a relationship. “or if you find no other creature who will have no greater joy than gratify your clamorous desire... not for you the hand of any wakened woman of our time.”

Walsh says “or if you find no greater creature who will have no greater joy...” and this highlights the fact that having a husband who desires you for your body will willingly choose anyone or anything beautiful. Walsh also says “...than gratify your clamorous desire”. The word “clamorous” means to insistently demand attention but there is an implication that he will not find such a woman. Also “wakened woman” is used which means liberated and any wakened woman would be able to see straight through any mans disguise or tricks of manipulation. From this stanza we realize how she feels about any husband who only desires her for her body and nothing more. Her tone makes her sound as if she is giving men information about her emotions towards men who only love her for her beauty. You also get a sense that she speaks on behalf of all women when she makes her points.

Stanzas 1,2 and 3 all summarise men’s demands in marriage and women’s plight in the 18th century but then in stanza 4 Christina sets out what she does want from a relationship. “but lover if you ask me i shall be your comrade, friend and a mate... and our co-equal love will make the stars laugh with joy and we shall have the music of the spheres for bridal march.”

This is what modern day women would expect from a relationship, equality, to be a friend and companion as well as a lover with co-equal love and this is highlighted when she says “but lover if you ask me I shall be your comrade, friend and a mate...” This is how she wants to be treated by a man; she wants to be able to trust and rely on her husband and not to be an enemy. Finally she finishes on a romantic note on what her wedding will be like. After her assertive character shows through demands; her personality seems to change drastically when she fantasises how perfect her wedding will be if she were with the right man and this shows when she says “our co-equal love will make the stars laugh with joy.” Christina saying that the stars will “laugh with joy” completely changes the mood from an assertive prospective to a more calm and joyful atmosphere.

Cousin Kate, written by Christina Georgina Rossetti, is another fictitious account in the first person, this time by a country girl who has been seduced by a man with power and position but then discarded for her more attractive cousin. The main character in Cousin Kate is a fallen foul of a Lord of wealth and position. This time instead of being killed, she was tossed aside as if she were a no longer needed possession, abandoned for a new and better model.

The Lord in Cousin Kate was a man of power and position but as the girl in Cousin Kate mentions how she was violated. She also mentions how the Lord used her and how easy it was for him to manipulate her. “He wore me like a silken knot, he changed me like a glove, so now I moan an unclean thing, who might have been a dove.”

“Like a silken knot” implies that she was easy to untie (manipulate) and “changed me like a glove” implies that she could easily be replaced. These two similes emphasise how strongly she feels about the way he has suddenly left her, you can sense that she feels bitter about this and wants revenge from her tone given through this speech. She also mentions that she might have been a dove which is a bird liked by everyone and represents clean and pure.

Although she feels bitter about this, she has had a son with this man and when she mentions this, you feel as if she regrets having done this deed for him and if she had known what a selfish man he really was, she would not have been won over by anything he was willing to give her.“He’d not have won me with his land nor bought me with his land I would have spit in his face and not have taken his hand.”

Here she says what she would have rejected his offers to her if she had known what he was really like. She truly expresses her anger towards him by saying “I would have spit in his face and not have taken his hand.” She says that she would have spit in his face and this is a sign of disgust and disrespect towards the king. However, because she didn’t know his true personality she was won over by his offers and was completely blind to his disguise. You know she has been won over because she says “he’d not have won me with his land nor bought me with his land…”, it is a s if she has fallen for his gifts already but as previously mentioned, if she had known what he was really like then she would have rejected his offers.

A “service” which her cousin appears to not be able to perform and one thing the Lord really wanted was an air to his title but he is unaware that he has one. If he knew he had a son then he might find a way to obtain him, in the way he obtained everything else in his life. “my fair haired son, my shame, my pride, cling closer, closer yet: your father would give his land for one to wear his coronet.”

Here the mother of the boy seems as if he is telling him about who he is, who he is related to and how he came to be. She calls her son “my shame”, representing her shame of being used by the Lord and how she is not as good of a wife as her cousin; and “my pride,” representing her love and respect she has for her son, as if he is the only thing positive in her life. These two points would emphasise that her son gives her mixed emotions, some positives coming from her getting revenge on the Lord and how grateful she is to have a son, and negatives being that her son also reminds her about how she was used then discarded for her cousin. As she says “cling closer, closer yet: your father would give his land for one to wear his coronet.” This emphasises how she thinks that the Lord is willing to do anything, even give up his land, to get a prevailing position and the fact that the woman wants her son to cling closer and closer emphasises how much she does not want her son to leave her to acquire his father’s crown.

Both poems illustrate attitudes towards women in the 18th-19th centuries, victims of sexual prejudice and suppression. As if it weren’t enough men would dictate a lot of rules in ordinary everyday lives of women. The men with power and position are probably portrayed correctly in these two poems or probably behaved even worse. Their partners were very often used as ornaments, objects of sexual desire and vehicles to perpetuate their family lines.

Christina Walsh’s poem stands out the most from the three poems because of her revolutionary view of how women should be treated. If any men in the 18th century were to read it they would be outraged by its contents, challenging their view of superiority over women. Overall men and women in these poems must have been portrayed correctly because both poems they have the same characteristics a s each other and these involve men thinking they are godlike to women and they have no rights and from the women’s point of view in these poems they deserve equal respect to men.

Aiedan Sagayarajah