Love's Philosophy

Question 1

Written by

Answer 1

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Question 2

Written in

Answer 2

1820

Question 3

Shelley’s style

Answer 3

Romantic - emphasis on emotion and nature

Question 4

Layout

Answer 4

Simple - two octaves - he thinks what he is saying is a simple truth

Question 5

Rhyme

Answer 5

ABAB throughout - couplets emphasise his belief they should be a couple

Question 6

Half rhyme quotes

Answer 6

‘river’ ‘ever’ and ‘heaven’ ‘forgiven’

Question 7

Significance of half rhyme

Answer 7

Reflects how the couple aren’t in harmony like nature

Question 8

Enjambment significance

Answer 8

Reflects endless flow of nature

Question 9

Structure

Answer 9

6-7 confident assertions followed by a rhetorical question

Question 10

Significance of rhetorical question

Answer 10

Five monosyllabic words - stands out, juxtaposing the narrator’s situation with nature

Question 11

Rhythm

Answer 11

No particular meter - highlights the wild, uncontrollable flow of nature

Question 12

’-‘

Answer 12

emphasises both questions - interrupts the flow of nature

Question 13

Imagery

Answer 13

Mainly natural

Question 14

How is imagery used

Answer 14

Relates the situation of the narrator to nature, suggesting to his lover they should be like nature

Question 15

‘Fountains’

Answer 15

From the start of line 1 nature is flowing, highlights how nature is all around them

Question 16

‘Mingle’

Answer 16

An active verb - mingling requires more desire than simply mixing (relates to his longing)

Question 17

‘Fountains’, ‘river’, ‘ocean’

Answer 17

Imagery scales up - loving him would make her part of something bigger than herself

Question 18

‘Sweet emotion’

Answer 18

Assures the lover nature likes all the mingling - she should too

Question 19

‘Sunlight’, ‘moonbeams’

Answer 19

Even Sun and Moon are connected - flow of nature is far-reaching

Question 20

‘What is all this sweet work worth’

Answer 20

Hyperbolic question - implies he thinks love is the meaning of life - hyperbole makes it more persuasive, conveying how deeply he is attracted to her

Question 21

Main effect of repetition

Answer 21

Conveys continuous unison in nature

Question 22

‘Mingle’, ‘kiss’, ‘clasp’

Answer 22

Repeated to convey the physical relationship he desires

Question 23

‘And’

Answer 23

Repetition highlights the number of reasons he can give her

Question 24

‘Clasp’ and ‘kiss’

Answer 24

Repeated in the opposite order - they mirror each other as the couple should mirror nature

Question 25

Shelley and religion

Answer 25

He was atheist - use of religious language highlights the extent to which he desires her as he abandons his views to persuade her (he had a relatively lonely childhood as a result of his shocking views at the time so he may be using religious language to disguise his views from her incase she reacts badly)

Question 26

'Law divine'

Answer 26

Everything in nature mingles and no human can change it - she is going against God

Question 27

'no sister-flower would be forgiven'

Answer 27

His lover's lack of love is unforgivable - he will forgive even if God won't, highlighting how Shelley goes against religious beliefs

Question 28

'Thine'

Answer 28

Singular pronoun - refers to one person - she is his true love

Question 29

'Mountains... and the waves'

Answer 29

Goes from high to low - unity is all around them

Question 30

'Sweet'

Answer 30

Love is calm and relaxing, not crazy

Question 31

'Love's Philosophy'

Answer 31

Shelley thinks he is aware of what love truly is which makes his assertions seem more reliable