English language and literature studies

¶ … mood or feeling of the "The Husband's Message"? How do the imagery, figurative language and poetic devices work together to achieve this mood or feeling?

The mood of "The Husband's Message" is both lonely and urgent. In the poem, the husband of the title begs his wife to come to him, across the sea, where he is prospering, despite being banished from his homeland. Although he is happy where he is now, he clearly feels lonely. Alliteration and assonance are used to stress the poem's most important themes, such as when the husband calls himself a "weary wave-tossed wanderer" and fondly remembers the once-happy couple's "home and abode." But perhaps the most striking aspect of the poem is its first image, that of the carved stick that carries the words of the man to his beloved. Technically speaking, it is not the man who is speaking the poem, but the carved stick with the man's message written upon it: "A sapling once in the woods I grew; / I was cut for a stave and covered with writing" it says to the wife. Through the use of figurative language, the carved stick is personified, as it is said to act almost like a faithful messenger: "He bids me call thee," it tells the wife.

Q2. Is "The Husbands Message" an epic poem? Consider the hero, the events, and the setting in your answer.

Epic poems like the Odyssey or the Iliad are usually extremely long. Yet despite its compressed form, "The Husband's Message" has many of the features of an epic poem. It tells the story of a hero, tragically and unjustly displaced from his homeland, and features a wife who is apparently loyal to her beloved, despite her difficult circumstances, living apart from him. Within the framework of the short text, "The Husband's Message" communicates many of the values of its culture, along the lines of a traditional epic poem: such as the emphasis placed upon honor, seafaring, and loyalty. It also demonstrates the ways that words were frequently disseminated, in the form of the carved wood the wife is reading. The poem functions a kind of mini-epic, a snapshot of cultural values.

Q3. What do you think is Shakespeare' view of love?

Shakespeare views love with great distrust. In the first, striking line of the sonnet the poet calls himself a slave. He reproaches his beloved: "Whilst I, my sovereign, watch the clock for you," his beloved steals away, for enjoyment elsewhere. The poet-slave is clearly jealous and although he denies it, preoccupies himself with thoughts of his beloved. This sense of distrust of being beholden to someone because you desire their affection is also echoed in Hamlet, when Hamlet berates Ophelia for perceived indiscretions that exemplify the evils of womankind. Even in Romeo and Juliet, Juliet expresses regret at the speed at which the two lovers fall in love, Mercutio mocks love, and the final end of the impulsive lovers (particularly Romeo) illustrates the enslaving nature of love.

Q4. Identify two examples of irony in Sonnet 57. Explain why each example is ironic and what effect the irony achieves in the poem.

Irony is often defined as saying one thing, yet doing or meaning something else. The use of irony can be seen in Sonnet 57 when the poet says: "Nor dare I question with my jealous thought / Where you may be, or your affairs suppose." Clearly, although the poet says he is not jealous or thinking about where his beloved may be -- he is obviously obsessing about why and how his beloved is absent. This conveys the sense that the poet does not want to mull over where his beloved is philandering. The poet feels that to do so is debasing and enslaving -- yet the poet, despite his better intentions cannot stop himself. And the greatest irony, writes that poet, is that although the beloved is unfaithful, the loving poet, mad with longing, cannot help but be true: "So true a fool is love that in your will, / Though you do any thing, he thinks no ill."

Q5. How has the role of women changed over time periods we have studied so far?

In the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf, women have a relatively minor role. The central narrative of Beowulf could be characterized as a 'quest' epic in which the central hero embarks upon a quest to defeat several monsters. The primary interactions within the tales take place between Beowulf and the other great warriors who respect his prowess. However, there is one female figure of note in the story: Grendel's mother. Grendel's mother, filled with hatred for the warrior who has murdered her son, proves to be a formidable opponent. Beowulf is not fundamentally misogynistic or anti-feminist in its orientation. But it is a male epic in the sense that it is through physical might and prowess that an individual proves himself in society, and other than as monsters, because women do not participate in military valor, they are marginal figures.