Topic > The poetry of Duffy and Rossetti: the importance of structure and form representing the concept of love

For both Christina Rossetti and Carol Ann Duffy, the continuation of love after death is apparently instigated in part by fact that the narrators express their affection for their partners, without facing the fear that accompanies death. In Rossetti's "Ricordati," written in the Victorian era, the speaker comforts his partner despite the impending prospect of death. Yet in Duffy's "Anne Hathaway," written during the postmodern period in 1990, the speaker reflects on her past relationship with her partner, describing the feelings and passion that accompanied it. Nature and acceptance are both evident in these sonnets ; however, it seems that passion is present more in "Anne Hathaway" than in "Remember", as the speaker takes on a role of a more reassuring nature in "Remember". Why should violent video games not be banned"? Get an original essay Death is mentioned at the beginning of each poem, as Rossetti uses a euphemism in "Remember" while Duffy uses an epigraph from Shakespeare's will. This strategy creates a tone of solemnity, as the ready mention of death is striking. However, the poet's progression from death to eternal adoration marks the love between speaker and partner as important and interminable. The Victorian and Elizabethan eras were both Christ-centered and primarily advocated discretion sexual; however, Duffy was able to explore the zealous and lustful side of Shakespeare and Hathaway's relationship due to writing in a postmodernist period. Reflecting on their relationship, the speaker uses a lexical field of passion: "body, touch, bed, scent, taste." This usage could convey the arduous side of their relationship and allow the reader to visualize this aspect of the speaker's love. Alternatively, the use of a passionate lexical field might also suggest that the speaker is using it as a placatory mechanism. It may distract the speaker from the sadness that follows death, as it describes the living aspects of their relationship. However, unlike the speaker of “Anne Hathaway,” the speaker of “Remember” infantilizes an intended partner by emphasizing how that individual can no longer “hold my hand.” This approach may have been influenced by the context in which it was written, as many women were seen as mothers and this maternal predisposition could have extended to loving relationships. A feminist perspective would comment that this may be the position that a patriarchal society would impose on a woman without giving her the opportunity to extend herself beyond that role. On the other hand, an alternative interpretation may suggest that the speaker in "Remember" is authoritative and authoritative. The repetition of 'remember' embellishes this point as it is imperious in nature. However, this constant refrain of “remembering” could represent the speaker's loss of power, gradually fading from life. The tactics here contrast with those of "Anne Hathaway," as the speaker shifts from discussion of nature to discussion of bodies: "In the other bed, the best, our guests dozed, drooling their prose." The contrast could portray the guests as symbols of the rest of the prosaic world, people without pyrotechnic language. The speaker also suggests that her poetic love is more eloquent and more imaginative than the connections of others, presenting it as a superior and unrivaled sensation. Both sonnets use nature as a platform to elevate love to a superior role. Rossetti uses a metaphor and this softens the desolation of death. "Gone far away, to a silent land." That is,.