Poem analyzed: “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love”

Poet: Christopher Marlowe

By: Josh, Leoul, Seung Hyun and Steven

Background information/brief summary of the poet: Christopher Marlowe • Christopher Marlowe was born in Canterbury, Kent,England at December 21, 1563

• He attended the Cambridge University at 1585.

• He began writing literatures, plays and poems after graduating college, in London, for only about 6 years in his entire life.

Background information/brief summary of the poet: Christopher Marlowe • Lived during the same time as William Shakespeare; is said to have

achieved fame for his work before Shakespeare.

• Greatly influenced Shakespeare and other poets.

• Shakespeare got insight and ideas from Marlowe’s four famous plays.

• Despite his success in his literally career, he died in an early age of 29.

Background information/brief summary of the poem: “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love”

• The poem was published in the year of 1599, by Christopher Marlowe.

• Pastoral poem

• Is a love poem about a shepherd speaking to his loved one.

• Contains simple language, but creates very clear imagery

PoemCome live with me and be my love,

And we will all the pleasures prove

That valleys, groves, hills, and fields,

Woods, or steepy mountain yields.

And we will sit upon the rocks,

Seeing the shepherds feed their flocks,

By shallow rivers to whose falls

Melodious birds sing madrigals.

And I will make thee beds of roses

And a thousand fragrant posies,

A cap of flowers, and a kirtle,

Embroidered all with leaves of myrtle;

A gown made of the finest woolWhich from our pretty lambs we pull;Fair linèd slippers for the cold, With buckles of the purest gold;

A belt of straw, and ivy buds,With coral clasps and amber studs:And if these pleasures may thee move,Come live with me, and be my love.

Thy silver dishes for thy meatAs precious as the gods do eat,Shall on an ivory table bePrepared each day for thee and me.

The shepherds's swains shall dance and sing For thy delight each May morning:If these delights thy mind may move,Then live with me and be my love.

Structure of the poem:

• Stanzas in the poem are organized, every stanza has four lines

• There are no outliers in terms of organization

• Every first two sentences rhyme, while on the other hand, the last two rhymes.

Mood/Atmosphere of the poem:

• The whole poem is romantic and sweet, there are no turns or a change in mood throughout the poem.

• Positive

• In every examples, such as in metaphors, the poet uses his emotional expressions to provide readers more of a sweet, joyful mood and atmosphere. • “And I will make thee beds of roses”<-Sense of emotion of love and overall a

sweet, joyful imagery.

Purpose of the poem:

• The purpose of this poem is pretty obvious.

• The poet uses a stylistic feature of reputation of this phrase, "Come live with me and be my love". The poet’s desire towards the woman is clearly shown through just through this line.

• Clearly directed to his lover, easy to conclude from title. “A Passionate Shepherd to his Love”

Tone of the poetry:

• Very romantic and emotional • The opening sentence is very powerful and grabs the reader's attentions

straight away. • For example: "Come live with me and be my love" (1) <-Pretty much the

poet's whole purpose

• Joyful/happy

• Lack of negative words throughout the poem

Thesis

• The poem, ”The Passionate Shepherd of his Love” by Christopher Marlowe uses the stylistic features of imagery, metaphor, enjambment, and alliteration to successfully express the emotion of love to his lover.

Main Idea-Motif

• The emotion of love towards his loved one

• The perfect utopia that exists in the shepherd’s world

• Life in the countryside is an utopia

Themes

• A theme that is clearly present in this poem is “Life in the countryside is an utopia”. By using imagery and descriptive nouns the poet repeatedly tells us that if his lover ever chooses to go and live with him in the country side, where he’s a shepherd, she’ll be fed like a god and wear shoes made of the shiniest gold. All these qualities are further backing the idea that life in the countryside is life that is desired by all.

Stylistic Features

EnjambmentDefinition: The continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza.

Example (line 3-4): That valleys, groves, hills, and fields, Woods, or steepy mountain yields

(line 14-15): A gown made of the finest wool Which from our pretty lambs we pull;

Significance : Makes the sentence heavy, efforts to make the scenery more appealing, in this case, draws attention to the number of different places in country side.

Stylistic Features

ImageryDefinition: The use of descriptive language that allows readers to create an image of a situation in their head

Example (line 5-7): And we will sit upon the rocks, Seeing the shepherds feed their flocks,

By shallow rivers to whose fallsImage: two lovers sitting on rocks by a river watching sheep gaze and birds singing

(line 21-24):Thy silver dishes for thy meat

As precious as the gods do eat, Shall on an ivory table be Prepared each day for thee and meImage: They will be fed and treated like royalties and god. Ideal lifestyle awaiting her.

Significance : The poet used imagery in this poem because it’s a “pastoral” poem and through the use of imagery readers can easily understand and imagine what the shepherd is talking about to appeal the girl.

Stylistic Features

AlliterationDefinition: Repetition of consonant sound; occurs in the beginning of the word

Example (line 6):seeing the shepherds , feed their flocksStress on the “Sss” and the “F”

(line 25): The shepherds's swains shall dance and singStress on “S”

Significance: Creates a mood and rhythm in the poem. A heavy “S” and “F”.

Stylistic Features

SyllablesDefinition: a unit of pronunciation having one vowel sound, with or without surrounding consonants, forming the whole or a part of a word

Example (line 3-4): That Vally’s, GROVES, HILLS, and FIELDS

Significance : In this case of the poem it helps emphasize and point out the subject. (The place)

Stylistic Features

MetaphorDefinition: A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable

Example (line 9-10): And I will make thee beds of roses And a thousand fragrant posies, Metaphores the sweet love that they will have. Roses are usually inter-related with love

(line 14-15): Thy silver dishes for thy meat As precious as the gods do eat,

Dining like a god and being treated like one

Significance : Metaphor help create an exaggerated imagery that helps the reader understand more better.

Stylistic Features

SymbolismDefinition: The use of symbol to represent an idea

Example (line 8): Melodious birds sing madrigals,

madrigal is an English and an Italian song during the 16th and 17th centuries that most of the time represented love and in this case represented the love the madrigal will represent.

Significance : Symbols help us relate and represent an idea.

Citations

• T, Francis. "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love."Http://www.bartleby.com/106/5.html. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.