May Flashcards
What is ‘May’ about?
The first octave deals with the subject of the fleetingness or passing of May, a metaphor for the passing of time and youth and hope
After the volta or turn, the speaker refers to a mysterious ‘it’ which ‘did but pass’, leaving her ‘old, and cold, and gray’
The last line is omitted, we might assume because age has curtailed the poet’s pleasure and fulfillment
What is the form and structure of ‘May’? (3 points)
This is a Petrarchan sonnet
Lines 1-8: idea is explored
Volta: changes the line of thought
Metrical rhythm is iambic tetrameter - creates a lightness of touch and gentle pace that suits the subject
Lines 1 and 2 are repeated in lines 9 and 10 with slight variation - creates a sense of irony as they refer to binary opposites — vibrant life contrasted to impending death
What are the language and devices used in May? (4 points)
The voice is the first person pronoun ‘I’
The tone is contemplative, the lightness of the first part contrasting with the solemnity of the second
The dominant image is of the month of May as a metaphor for life, hope and growth; it appears again in the second part, but in terms of fleetingness - the sense of promise overtaken by time
The solemn last line leaves a sense of sadness and transience.
What is the relevant context for ‘May’?
Reference to “corn” in Egypt from the Bible as a symbol of abundance
Rossetti suffered from depression and had a mental breakdown as a teenager
What poems does ‘May’ link to?
