What does Thomas Hardy tell us about time in the last three stanzas of 'At Castle Boterel'?
What does Thomas Hardy tell us about time in the last three stanzas of 'At Castle Boterel'?
Hardy wrote At Castle Boterel in March 1913, whilst visiting Boscastle, a place where he and Emma had visited during their happier past. Hardy himself is the speaker in the poem, remembering personally his days with Emma before their separation and her subsequent death. But as is constantly apparent in a lot of Hardy's poetry the last three stanzas show time very actively and, to Hardy, a force to be apposed.
"Time" is referred to in the poem, with particular interest to be paid to the capitalisation of the letter 'T' - Hardy is personifying the concept of time. This 'T' not only shows that time has power but it also shows it as a more conscious, real, moving thing than a mere concept or benign fact of our reality; but in the phrase "mindless rote", Hardy is suggesting that time continues to mindlessly bound on regardless of his feelings, Emma's death or any other occurrences. Time "has ruled from sight" Emma from him, again, 'ruled' being a very active and alive verb, showing Hardy's opinion of time as a thing of motion and irrespective continuation. But this opinion of time as conscious and deliberate contradicts his previous description of it as "part steals lets part abide", but in At Castle Boterel, time is shown more similar to the 'Immanent Will', which we know Hardy to have been a believer of. But is this "mindless" as described here? Not quite, but why? Why has Hardy's description of time altered in this poem? Perhaps it is simply his altered mood, here he is expressing almost anger towards time for stealing Emma from him, before he had a chance to realise how much he did love her - something he only discovered after her death.
