Using Your Knowledge Of Stylistics, Explore Verses Xxx To Xlii Of The Eve Of St Agnes. Consider Also The Extract And To What Extent You Think The Critical Opinion Casts Light On Your Understanding Of The Text.
Essay Preview: Using Your Knowledge Of Stylistics, Explore Verses Xxx To Xlii Of The Eve Of St Agnes. Consider Also The Extract And To What Extent You Think The Critical Opinion Casts Light On Your Understanding Of The Text.
Report this essayKeats The Eve of St Agnes explores forbidden love, and the belief that has become encompassed in this. With Porphyro being prevented from seeing Madeline due to a previous feud, she must believe that their love will become somehow fulfilled – and this is why she appears to participate in this romantic superstition of St. Agnes. Stanza XXXIV, describing Porphyro as “the vision of her sleep”, appears to confirm Keats belief in the romantic ideal of St. Agnes, yet this is quickly dashed – “There was a painful change, that nigh expelld/The blisses of her dream so pure and deep”. Porphyro can never live up to the heightened expectations developed in the dreams of Madeline, since as the critical extract details, Madeline prefers “her own forever absent dream-representation of [Porphyros] voice and identity”. Porphyro finds it impossible to recreate the “looks immortal” and “complainings dear” of her dream, and this therefore foreshadows the “eternal woe” that she will suffer in a life with the real, not imagined, Porphyro. This change in him causes her to “weep”, and this both present and future sorrow is further emphasised by the pathetic fallacy of the outside weather: “Tis dark: the iced gusts still rave and beat”. This Romantic theme runs throughout the poem, as her awakening from her dream quickly dashes the initial belief of Madeline in her eternal love.
Closely linked in with this theme of belief is that of religion. Both Porphyro and Madeline appear almost heavenly, and religious imagery runs throughout the poem. Madeline initially appears in an innocent “azure-lidded sleep”, and wearing “blanched linen”, giving her very definite angelic qualities. Equally, Porphyros “glowing hand” draws godly connotations, enhanced further by the lightness of the “golden dishes” and “baskets bright” being laid out, drawing parallels with the archetypal light and glowing imagery of heaven. The reader is also reminded of da Vincis The Last Supper, further suggesting the god-like qualities of Porphyro. The meal that he lays out is said to fill “the chilly room with perfume light”, and this too echoes the coming of an angel or godly figure.
I felt the story took some getting used to, and I have to give credit to it. The poem is full of references regarding the role of religion in spiritual life – the “God/God” symbolism (i.e. their deity, their spiritual body, their “god” body, etc.), “a divine life”, etc. And the theme of belief is also central to the poem. Thing that I am not sure I understand quite what, or why. I believe the connection to religious imagery is just there for my own personal enjoyment. I don’t think it is quite as much of a point as in other places.
But it is interesting to note that in one version of the poem, for example, she may be wearing a vase with the word “God” inside of it. This was taken in a different context, but I felt the reference to “a true ὣ” and being God is also a reference to “the vase with the word” or “hearts”.Glad to see my friend this time, the one who is God.
The title poem, of course, tells one quite different story about God. It might not be too much of a coincidence that the title of Parilha, or at least the title in Parilha Vesta which starts with “God” seems to have roots in the Bible. This gives context to one of the important themes in Parilha VII: the relationship between “God” and this human being who lives on the surface of the water.
The title of Vesta does point into the context of Parilha Vesta, and in so doing connects the human being to the divine presence. This is not to say that Parilha is a new series – it appears to have been in use for about 100 years at least, including as a series of works under the name of Sefer Nino – but in most cases its main focus has been on this person’s religious relationship. So it would be more appropriate and a little bit strange from a religious point of view to cite this as the inspiration for the new series. Some may agree that Parilha VII is an homage to Sefer Nino, but it appears that the most common sense interpretation has been that this new series was in fact inspired by the “sowing and harvesting” of mushrooms (i.e. Parvati’s practice of planting and harvesting them in search of the “good things”, for example). This is perhaps more of a general case of “religious references being a strong and important factor to my thinking” in and of itself, but perhaps we didn’t have the time of our lives to see Parilha VII until much later. Or perhaps the references to these new works are merely the result of Parilha’s efforts in the first place?
There is also this interesting thought experiment which seems to stem from the idea that Parilha
However, despite Porphyros depiction as the dominant god over Madelines mere angelic status, it is he that appears to be worshipping her. Certainly, the prayer-like imagery in his kneeling before her “with joined hands and piteous eye” suggests her ambivalence towards Porphyro, since he is not the replica of the man seen in her dreams, and he is instead forced to worship her, disrupting the 19th century power balance between male and female. This quasi-religious worshipping of Madeline is further
emphasised by Porphyros reference to her as the “shrine”, and himself as a “pilgrim”. His subordination to Madeline is cemented by his request to be her “vassal blest”. This is not even an assertion, and represents a realisation than he must adapt to Madelines will to allow him to become anything approaching her dream lover.
This ambivalence towards Porphyro is emphasised in stanza XXXVII. Madeline firstly utters, “No dream, alas! alas! and woe is mine!”, with her repetition of “alas!” along with the use of exclamation emphasising her unhappiness at the real Porphyro not being akin to that in her dream. However, she soon appears to change her mind, describing how her heart is “lost” in that of Porphyro. This, however, is largely due to both her partially unawakened state coupled with the excitement of the sexual encounter with Porphyro that has just occurred. This delirious delusion also explains the following couplet, where she expressed how she has been “deceived” by Porphyro. It is not, however, the real Porphyro that has deceived her; it is the dream Porphyro, whose promise was far above that which the real Porphyro could deliver. This demonstrates the continued “narrative emphasison loss and unfulfilment”, as Sandy suggests.
However, Sandys intimation of the castle setting as romances “last bastion” appears incorrect, since although Porphyro attempts romance with his playing of the