He expresses admiration for Helens beauty, comparing her beauty to “Nicean barks of yore.” (line 2) He continues comparing her hair to beautiful flowers, which apparently held a wondrous smell according to Greek mythology. On the contrary, Hilda Doolittle portrays Helen as the cause for a terrible event, where many lives were lost. Doolittle sets the stage for the tone in the first line, “All Greece hates.” (line 1) This tone does not change, while Doolittle does acknowledge Helen’s beauty, the poem ends stating that the world could be a better if she was dead. She also writes, “All Greeece reviles the wan face when she smiles,” (lines 6-7) meaning that all of Greece scorns at the sight of her smile, “hating it deeper still when it grows,” (lines 8-9) The tone used in this poem is obviously a dark, bitter (for the war) and indignant. The title of each of these parts plays a part in the tone of the play, “To Helen” is a title written to make the poem more of a personal note, speaking directly to Helen.
In the beginning of “The Lady of Shalott” the tone the author sets is calm and peaceful. Describing the beautiful surrounding area of the island of Shalott with “barley and rye,/ that clothe the world and meet the sky” (2-3 Tenysson). This brings the reader to almost false pretences, thinking it will be a nice, calming poem. The time dramatically changes from peacefulness to darkness as Lady Shalot bluntly states that she is, “Half sick of shadows” (71). This bold statement provides the reader with a whole new understanding of the poem and of Lady Shalott.
“My Last Duchess is a masterpiece by Robert Browning. The poem opens with the Duke unveiling the portrait of his Duchess who apparently has left for her heavenly abode. “Looking as if she were alive”, this line tells the reader that this beautiful lady was history now. He explains to the messenger present during the unveiling that the lovely lady depicted on this portrait was his wife, the duchess who was an extraordinary woman, he goes on to explain that she actually had a very flirtatious nature, it did not need too much of an effort to see her beautiful smile . A small compliment or a cheap gift was enough to bring the blush on her cheeks, “Strangers like you that pictured countenance, the depth and passion of its earnest glance”.
“You are my true and honourable wife” shows us the love and respect Brutus had for Portia, and as such emphasises Brutus’ humanity in the play. “Yes, my Lord” shows us the adoration Portia had for Brutus, and therefore reflects the idea of Brutus being “human”. Shakespeare was keen to stress the importance of differentiating Brutus from the image of a murderer to prove that his actions were not selfish or conceited, but that he genuinely believed he was acting on behalf of the Roman people. This is also reflected in the relationship between Brutus and Lucius. By the end of the play, Lucius’ opinion of Brutus had not faltered – in that he still had great admiration for him, even after it was clear Brutus had failed.
The Duke name drops the painter's name "Fra Pandolf" to see if it impresses the listener. The Duke even admits deliberately mentioning the name - "I said / Fra Pandolf by design". Wanting to impress the person to whom he is speaking becomes a regular feature in the poem and is obviously another negative characteristic of the Duke. The Duke also reveals his misgivings about his late wife's character: ...Sir, 'twas notHer husband's presence only, called that spotOf joy into the Duchess' cheek... she liked whate'erShe looked on, and her looks went everywhere. If we remember that he is speaking to a relative stranger, this is quite inappropriate conversation.
The short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman draws a parallel to Dickinson’s poem in the idea that the oppressive nature of society’s expectations can prove detrimental to the individual (508-519). Together, these works assert that insanity is truly a subjective term, characterized only by deviation from the majority. Gilman’s story supports Dickinson’s belief that blind, unquestioning conformity to the majority, rather than defiance or insubordination, is the true madness. In her poem, Dickinson brings up the idea of the majority who has the ultimate power in distinguishing between right and wrong, as well as sanity and insanity (90). In Gilman’s story, the ideals and opinions of the ruling majority are portrayed through the judgments inflicted upon the protagonist by her husband and sister-in-law.
He says ‘thus from my lips, by yours, my sin is purged.’ This clearly shows that he is trying to make Juliet feel comfortable. Romeo indicates that if she even touches me I would be forgiven from all my sins. Later on in this stanza the speaker makes it clear that he views the woman he is writing to as worthy of praise. He employs Hyperbole to express the extent of his adoration for her physical qualities: He claims that ‘An hundred years should go to praise thine eyes, and on thy forehead gaze.’ Such an exaggerated notion in relation to the extent of her beauty perhaps suggests a sincere love for the lady- he might well devote his life to her. However his focus upon her physicality could be interpreted as a clear signal that his seeming commitment is superficial; he merely intends to
Rebecca Hernandez Mr. Thompson AP English September 6, 2013 In Sonnet 130 by, William Shakespeare, the tone of the first twelve lines contrast the tone of the last two lines, and the theme of this entire work is recognized because of this difference. In this sonnet the woman is not compared to a pleasant appearance, but is being praised for her flaws. Shakespeare presents the turn in the final couplet by stating that no matter how much is wrong with his mistress; he still loves her and thinks she is beautiful. The comparisons usually given in other love poems and sonnets are literally impossible because it is a false image compared to Sonnet 130. In the first twelve lines, the sonnet mocks the form, content, and typical petrarchan metaphors by representing a speaker who decides to tell the truth about his mistress’s appearance.
However, as the poem ends, and the flea’s death is meaningless as is the woman’s virginity, thus the speaker and the woman should make love. Also, Donne wrote of real love poems such as The Sun Rising in which he represents the love between the speaker and woman as the universe. “Shine here to us, and thou art everywhere; This bed thy center is, these walls thy sphere.” (Donne, The Sun Rising, lines 29-30). He gives significance to the woman as she is the states, and the speaker is the princes, and together they create their powerful
In Phaedra, Readers want to blame Oenone for Phaedra downfall and Phaedra claims she is cursed by the gods, but in reality it’s Phaedra’s own fault. Phaedra, by far, wasn’t the only person struggling with forbidden love and Hippolytus and Aricia weren’t the only ones who couldn’t express their love openly during the neoclassical period. Racine did a wonderful job creating this tragedy to open the eyes of society about bad moral values and peoples inability to take the blame for their own actions. Now when it comes to