Cousin Kate- by Christina Rosetti

Question 1

Cousin Kate:
Who is this poem written by?

Answer 1

Christina Rosetti

Question 2

Cousin Kate:
What is the meaning of this poem?

Answer 2

-Poem’s speaker was seduced by a Lord who kept her as his mistress. He abandons her for her cousin, Kate and marries her. The speaker is angry at the betrayal of Kate.
-Critical of double standards where females are expected to be chaste and ostracized if not.

Question 3

Cousin Kate:
What form is this poem?

Answer 3

-Traditional Ballad (alternating 8 and 6 lines)

Question 4

Cousin Kate:
How is this poem arranged?

Answer 4

-Regular Octaves (8 lines).

Question 5

Cousin Kate:
What voice is this poem in?

Answer 5

-Passive voice (links to patriarchal society and how the world revolves around men with women having no control).

Question 6

Cousin Kate:
What type of monologue is this?

Answer 6

Dramatic Monologue- adds personality; generates sympathy giving women a voice.

Question 7

Cousin Kate:
What is the rhyme scheme here?

Answer 7

Rhyme scheme throughout- presents it as a regular habit; all women expected to maintain stringent standards.

Question 8

Cousin Kate:
What is the context of this poem?

Answer 8

-In the Victorian Era, women we expected to be subdued, attentive and chaste [not participating in sex outside of marriage], and were seen generally to be property of their husbands. This objectification stemmed from the fact women were afforded barely any rights.
[stark opposite to expectation of men]
-Women who were not chaste known as ‘Fallen Women’ ostracised in society and Rosetti volunteered in church organisations helping these people.

Question 9

Cousin Kate:
“Contented with my cottage-mates”
What is some analysis of the quote?

Answer 9

Suggests she is not thinking about men or the prospect of marriage, sets the speaker up as innocent to try and get the reader to sympathise with her and view the nobleman as a predatory character.

Question 10

Cousin Kate:
“O Lady Kate, my Cousin Kate,”
What is some analysis of the quote?

Answer 10

Caesura- highlights the emotional reactions between Kate and persona but also the ostracization of society.
Reference to the title, now she is married to the nobleman, furthers the suggestion that she has just married purely for status rather than love.

Question 11

Cousin Kate:
“Why did a great lord find me out?”
What is some analysis of the quote?

Answer 11

Anaphora- places emphasis on it and suggests how confused she is by the situation; element of regret.