Carol Ann Duffys Anne Hathaway Poem Essay - 1515 Words

Before one may analyse a poem, I feel that one must analyse its foundation, its inspiration, its very reason for being - in order to truly understand and appreciate the poets work. So, it stands to reason, that I must first analyse the quote from Shakespeares will, before addressing the poem itself, as Carol Ann Duffy has drawn our attention to it. Whether you acknowledge it or not I gyve unto my wife my second best bed is a powerful sentence, it screams indistinguishable volumes. These were the last words of comfort to a widow, someone who had spent their life loving a man that was no longer there and Duffy understood that. So, instead of formulating a poem that discredited a marriage that sculpted a lifetime, she enhanced it and†¦show more content†¦Duffy finally conforms to sonnet normalcy in the final lines, by utilising full masculine rhymes. I hold him in the casket of my widows head as he held me upon that next best bed. The rhyme finalised both the poem and the relationship, by doing this Duffy enforces that despite the many irregularities in the relationship and the sonnet, there is the inevitable, death. Duffy also shows that despite his lack of existence, that it in no way lessens his wifes love and affection for her husband.The use of the widows casket also creates the imagery of that in Romeo and Juliet, arguably one of the greatest love stories ever told. I felt that the poets comparison of the second best bed and the casket further emphasised how eternal and true the love of that between Hathaway and Shakespeare. The utilisation of a list on line four adds pace and rhythm to the poem, it also is a list of settings from Shakespeares works, listing them whilst discussing or implying coitus suggests that it was their sexual endeavours which inspired Shakespeare to write such great works. They also imply that Anne Hathaway saw the world through Shakespeares eyes. The pearls mentioned in the poem may be pearls of wisdom shared by a lifetime of experience. However the sea may be a reference to sexual pleasure in which the couple dived through together in order to procreate, thus the pearls would be metaphors for their children, found through theShow MoreRelatedFeminism Critical Anthology1502 Words   |  7 PagesAleksandra Warpas 1423 ‘Duffy’s collection The World’s Wife is nothing but feminist propaganda’. Consider this view in the light of your readings of Delilah and Anne Hathaway. In The World’s Wife Carol Ann Duffy explores ‘the blinding effects of ideology’; the inequalities between men and women, and how women are portrayed in literature which stereotypically would be either the ‘dangerous seductress’, ‘cute but essentially helpless’, ‘unworldly’ or the ‘self-sacrificing angel’ as stated by BertensRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Little Red Cap 1235 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction In the World’s Wife Carol Ann Duffy gives a voice to the imagined wives - some fiction, others real - history long forgot or never gave a thought too. Duffy surgically dissects the quintessential homogeneous relationship of husband and wife. A recurring motif of marriage being exposed for all it’s foibles and weaknesses is expressed throughout the collection. It would be a misconception to suggest Duffy’s focus is the not hetrosexual relationship, though other forms are explored. TheseRead MoreExplore the Similarities and Differences in the Presentation of Female Characters in a Streetcar Named Desire and the World’s Wife1871 Words   |  8 Pagespresentation of female characters in A Streetcar Named Desire and The World’s wife In this essay, I will be exploring the similarities and differences of female characters in ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ by Tennessee Williams; and ‘The World’s Wife’ by Carol Ann Duffy. Both texts denote women as somewhat weak and incompetent and as having a predatory attitude towards the mainly dominant male characters. A Streetcar Named Desire was written in 1945 and it initially connected with America’s new found tasteRead MoreMyths And Fairytales : The Bloody Chamber And `` The Worlds Wife ``2194 Words   |  9 Pagesempowering image of female capability. Duffy takes this even further, her whole set of poems is vested in female independence, by carving them out a role or voice in History that was previously supressed. The title itself the rearrangement of the phrase The world and his wife’ a phrase suggesting that women hold less statue than men, is rearranged to show a generational change in opinion. The collection of poems are told entirely from the previously unheard voices of Women, as such she rebels against