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Critics have argued that many of the sexual relationships presented by Behn demonstrate personal gratification and financial gain lacking the existence of love; nevertheless it is important to consider that this restoration comedy is set in a carnival allowing sexual freedom to be provided, thereby both women and men receive equality and an extended freedom […]

I am going to be comparing and contrasting Eileen McAuley’s ‘The Seduction’ and Andrew Marvell’s ‘To His Coy Mistress’. The reason that I have chosen to compare these two poems is because they both have the theme of passion, love and the lack of respect for women, however they portray the theme from different points […]

Since the beginning of human existence, there has been once practice, one instinct, one single obsession that we cannot escape. Some may call it necessary; others say it’s a gift. It can be controlling, enlightening but it’s oh so powerful. It isn’t the need for food, safety or shelter. It isn’t love nor greed nor […]

‘Language” and “Pride and Prejudice” are two narratives that revolve around the themes of love, matrimony, and women. The text draws a comparison between two literary works, namely ‘Language’ and ‘Pride and Prejudice’. The former is set during the late 1900s and tells the story of Rita, a woman living in suburbia who is fixated […]

Shakespeare composed Sonnet 116 in the sixteenth century, and it follows the traditional form of a Shakespearian sonnet. The love poem is structured into three quatrains where the poet shares his perception of genuine love, followed by an assertion of his faith in a concluding rhyming couplet. The poem beautifully portrays the steadfastness and constancy […]

‘In Memory of My Mother’ is about love, a very strong theme in this poem. The speaker has great love for his mother. She is dead but he still thinks about her wherever he is. He remembers moments they shared together and he replays them in his mind. “I see you walking down a lane” […]

I am not feeling quite me lately. I only see emptiness and loneliness in the blue horizon. What I need now is a little rest. Perhaps, a trip to New Zealand and Italy can get my mind off him. From what I know, New Zealand is one of the famous destinations for sightseeing. I was […]

One of the hardest things to do is to leave someone that is dear to us, and convince them its ok. John Donne does so brilliantly in his poem Valediction: Forbidding Morning. The poem’s message is that the relationship between two lovers is greater than anything else to them, and that true love cannot be […]

The poem “Villegiature” was written by Edith Nesbit in the late 19th century. The actual word villegiature means holiday or retreat in French. “Villegiature is a short poem which is about a woman who is being haunted by her former lover. The poem mainly deals with the woman’s idealised image of the man and the […]

“We sense something, perceive it, and then believe it.” This seems logical, but there is an equally logical notion that goes against this: “We believe things, pretend to sense them, and then perceive them.” It is difficult to determine which is more accurate because circumstances play a significant role. For instance, imagine a man who […]

‘Thy vows are all broken,’ ‘And light is thy fame:’ which implies she broke their relationship and she was fickle, but Byron is grief stricken ‘half broken-hearted’ and ‘silence and tears’ and he regrets that their relationship was not as special as he believed it to be. ‘share in its shame’ it was thought of […]

This poem is about someone experiencing love for the first time. “I ne’er was struck before that hour With love so sudden and so sweet.” The poet compares the face of the woman to a flower “Her face it bloomed like a sweet flower.” He describes how the feeling of love affects him physically “my […]

In ‘How do I love thee’, Elizabeth Barrett Browning expresses an unconditional and melancholic love. The poem also contains spiritual themes evident in words such as ‘Being’, ‘Right’, ‘Praise’, ‘Grace’ and ‘God’. The final line, ‘I shall but love thee better after death’, suggests the idea of reuniting with a loved one in heaven, reflecting […]

“Sonnet CXXX” by William Shakespeare was written to send a message to poets, telling them that sonnets do not have to be unrealistic; Shakespeare also mocks traditional Elizabethan sonnets. The occasion is that Shakespeare believes in real love and not falsely comparing women to god-like creatures. The sonnet was written in the Renaissance era. The […]

This is a love poem written by a Scottish poet. As the poem is written in Scottish dialect, to grasp it in its full effect it would be good to hear it read by someone with a strong Scottish accent. The poem is a ballad and is in four line stanzas. The poet also uses […]

John Clare was born in 1793 and died at the age of seventy-one in 1864. Clare came from a poor background and left school at the age of twelve to become a farm labourer. He had many jobs in the earlier years of his life as a Potboy, a Ploughboy and a Gardener. When he […]

Love is an intangible emotion that resides in our hearts, with the ability to manifest in various forms and create conflicting emotions. However, its magnitude is incalculable and its influence knows no bounds. Love can bring radiance, joy, and happiness, completely transforming one’s life. Yet, it can also inflict pain and sorrow alongside its moments […]

Throughout history love has been a favoured theme with many poets in their writing. Carol Ann Duffy, (born 1958) tackles the issue of love in her poem “Valentine,” as does Percy Bysshe Shelly (1792-1822) in the poem “Love’s Philosophy,” and finally Robert Burns (1759-1796) considers the topic in “A Red Red Rose. ” As different […]

In “Valentine”, Duffy uses the onion to give an original and, in some ways, a shocking view of love: “Not a red rose or a satin heart” – she ignores the cliches and opts for something more dramatic and powerful. This is the first line of the poem, and it automatically gives a negative impression, […]

Raina and Bluntschli are both the heroes of ‘Arms and the Man’ due that the play starts and develops around them. However, a definition of a ‘hero’ must first be identified and in this case a ‘hero’ is “someone who inspires through manners and actions; an individual who leads through personal example and accomplishments requiring […]

Over hundreds of years, the views of poets have varied. There has always been the desire for physical love, but also there has always been the traditional idea of purity. Nowadays though there are fewer ‘everlasting loving’ poems and more ‘Carpe Diem’ based. This is a sign of a change in the world and the […]

I have chosen to come the three poems ‘Valentine’ by Carol Anne Duffy and the two Shakespearean poems ‘My Mistress’ Eyes are Nothing Like the Sun’ and ‘Sonnet XVIII,’ as I feel they are three poems that can be compared well together. There are a multitude of similarities and differences shared between the three poems. […]