Christina Rossetti: Poem #8: 'Maude Clare'

GENERAL CONTENT, RHYME, METRE, THEMES ETC.

-Traditional ballad (Which are conventionally written for statement/popular story/attacking institutions instead of this type).

- Rhyme is strong, following an ABCB rhyme scheme which is actually not a traditional ballad's rhyme pattern, showing the poem to be avoiding traditional patterns.

-Rhythm is also strong - as traditional ballads used be to recited - the metre alternates between iambic tetrameter (4) (is less coherent adds to tension and awkwardness) and trimeter (3). 

-Narrative poem
-Feels like 3rd person but is actually 1st person narrative stance, an onlooker at the wedding?
-Links with 'Jhansi' as they are both about losing love and desperation and they both have very regular rhymes.
-ATTITUDES OF CHARACTERS:
-Thomas: torn, self-hatred?, perplexed, inwardly tormented.
-Nell: proud, awe-struck, self-assured, shocked?
-Maude Clare: withdrawn, spiteful, angry, malicious, mocking, sarcastic.
-Narrator: pitying, sympathetic

STANZA ONE

-'Out of the church she followed them' begins in media res, suspenseful as we don't know who 'she' is yet. 

- 1st stanza is all about Maude clare

- 'With a lofty step and mien:' the way she walks shows the strength of character and her self-confidence

- 'like a village maid...was like a queen' the two similes show Maude Clare and Nell's differences. 

STANZA TWO

-'With smiles, almost with tears:' the two emotions here are juxtaposed with each other, happy and sad are usually contrasted in Rossetti's poetry.

STANZA THREE:

-The mother knows about Maude Clare and her husband also loved another woman. (Backstory interpreted)

-This stanza's tone is darker than the previous ones

-'tale to tell' alitteration

-'not so pale' assonance

-'Nor I so pale as Nell' foregrounds what's to come, ominous - the mother knows more than she's letting on.

STANZA FOUR:

-'My lord...' the narrator is of a lower social status.

-Repetition of 'pale' - also pale was a sign of regal bearing and prosperity.

STANZA FIVE:

-Lots of parallelism, Maude's dialogue is sarcastic.

-We feel sympathy for Nell as it's her wedding day and she doesn't know about Maude.

STANZA SIX:

- Lots of symbols, e.g: 'lilies' which has Victorian connotations of passion, sex and fertility. Implied that they had sex before marriage: 'ankle-deep' which would give her a ruined reputation. 

-'golden chain' jewelry= ownership and possession. 

- Thomas has no voice, same as 'No, Thank You, John'

-Thomas' father also has no voice, men tend to be dis-empowered in Rossetti's poetry.

STANZA SEVEN:

- 'faded leaves' = dead love.

-Scornful tone, disdainful 

-alliteration: 'budding bough'

-possibility of pregnancy: 'the lilies are budding now' and repetition.

STANZA EIGHT:

- falter, pale, weak character

- Thomas' anxiety and apprehension is shown through caesuras.

- feeble attempt to avoid her insults

- he doesn't know how to talk to her

STANZA NINE:

- Sarcastic, creates tension.

STANZA TEN:

- her gift= his heart, she owns his heart - sarcastic gift.

STANZA ELEVEN:

- Quiet strength and self-assured (nell) 

- obvious rhymes

- repeats the marriage ceremony 

STANZA TWELVE:

- 'till' Thomas doesn't love her more than Maude yet, acceptance and a confidence that he will eventually. We feel sympathy for both Nell and Maude here but no sympathy for Thomas 

- Nell's courage has increased, expressing pride in her new husband. Nell's shown to be stronger than Thomas as Thomas' silence allows Maude to address nell. But Nell shows courage.