Romantic literature: themes, history, and characteristics

Bride of the Greek Isle

The purpose of this paper is to introduce and discuss the poem "The Bride of the Greek Isle," by Felicia Hemans, and discuss the author's life as it relates to the poem.

THE BRIDE OF THE GREEK ISLE

During her brief lifetime, Felicia Hemans wrote numerous poems, beginning when she was only fourteen. She had a romantic view of the world, and often copied the style of famous poets of the time that she admired, such as Byron.

She wrote often of love and of her feelings about relationships. She lived apart from her husband for many years, and this may have colored how she looked on relationships. Many of her poems dealt with tragedies, like "The Bride of the Greek Isle," or death, such as "Hymn by the Sick-bed of a Mother." She also wrote about issues that women faced at the time, like childbearing, child mortality, and religious beliefs. "In many poems, Hemans responded to the concerns of women of her time by idealizing and romanticizing woman's role and relationships. Her portrayal of cultural ideals offered comfort and support to those who found them meaningful" (Editors).

The Bride of the Greek Isle" starts out predictably. The bride is afraid to leave her comfortable home and her family, and she weeps "on her mother's faithful breast." She realizes that she is leaving for a new life, and she cries over the flowers and vines she will leave behind. Flowers and plants are a common theme in many of Hemans works, in fact Sir Walter Scott criticized her work for "...being 'too poetical' and for having 'too many flowers' and 'too little fruit.'"

Finally, she is ready to leave home, and have the wedding to take place. "She wept-yet laid her hand awhile, In his that waited her dawning smile-." She is ready to begin her new life with her husband. These are all normal reactions for a young girl leaving home for the first time, and Hemans develops them well. The reader might think she had the same feelings on the eve of her own wedding to Captain Hemans.

Back on the "Greek Isle," the wedding takes place, and the wedding party gathers in a beautiful wooded area to celebrate the marriage. "And thither Ianthis had brought his bride, And the guests were met by that fountain-side; They lifted the veil from Eudora's face, It smiled out softly in pensive grace, With lips of love, and a brow serene, Meet for the soul of the deep wood-scene.-" She has accepted her marriage - in fact she is now ready to celebrate it with wine and song.

However, the poem turns tragic here, much like Hemans own life. The bride never gets to consummate her marriage, because the wood is raided by a band of pirates, who kill most of the guests, including Ianthis, the new bridegroom. "She saw but Ianthis before her lie, With the blood from his breast in a gushing flow, Like a child's large tears in its hour of wo, And a gathering film in his lifted eye, That sought his young bride out mournfully.-"

The pirates take the bride prisoner, and the mother watches from shore, knowing she will never see her daughter again. "Eudora! Eudora! where, where art thou?" She sees the pirates ship is becalmed, and cannot leave the area. In the end, Eudora burns the pirate ship to the water, while her mother watches from shore. "Proudly she stands, like an Indian bride, On the pyre with the holy dead beside; But a shriek from her mother hath caught her ear, As the flames to her marriage-robe draw near, And starting, she spreads her pale arms in vain, To the form they must never infold again."

The last lines of the poem help spell out the meaning, and give some feeling to the tragic story. Hemans seems to be saying that love and youth go together, and this is why the two newlyweds must die young. "Now the night gathers o'er youth and love!" is how she ends this poem, and it is a poignant moment, as we know Eudora has not only avenged her lover's death, she has also caused her own.