The House Of Life
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Weve all seen the Disney movies in which the handsome prince saves the damsel in distress. They both immediately fall in love with each other the first time they lock eyes and live “happily ever after.” Nearly everyone dreams of finding that “special someone,” and Dante Gabriel Rossetti is no exception. After the death of his wife, Dante Gabriel Rossetti entered a state of depression and from that point on became infatuated with the idea of eternal love in order to cope with his wifes death. The sonnets in his book, “The House of Life,” reflect his personal quest, if not his unrealistic obsession, of finding “Everlasting Love.” The sometimes painful experiences he had pursuing what actually was an ideal and most likely unrealistic love, taught Rossetti that sadly, many do not live life happily ever after.
In the “Introductory Sonnet,” Rossetti captures the feelings of a particular moment. The first sonnet is used to describe what a sonnet really means to Rossetti, and how personal his writings are. The figurative language used brings out the qualities and characteristics of the sonnet that the author cannot say directly. Rossetti tragically experienced the death of a young wife. Perhaps in his quest to replace his negative, depressed emotions led him to have an affair with one of his friends wives, as he was attempting to find and again experience the wonderful experiences that he felt during his relationship with his dead wife. The result of this misguided and unhealthy relationship which was not built on anything other than passion and deception was extreme guilt and misery.
The question posed in the “Introductory Sonnet” is, “What does love mean to Rossetti?” “Carve it in ivory or in ebony, / As day or night may rule; /and let Time see/ Its flowering crest impearled and orient.” (
In “Bridal Birth,” Rossetti uses the analogy of a mother giving birth to a person truly understanding love. This sonnet describes the feeling a mother has of always loving the child she is carrying, but experiencing the love to its full extent from the moment she gives birth to her child and holds him in her arms. The “Introductory Sonnet” (
In “Pride of Youth” Rossetti uses the image of a child who is not mourning for the dead for “it is his time to live.” (
In “Winged Hours,” Rossetti