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English Literature - Paper 1 > Lamia > Flashcards

Lamia Flashcards

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Proverbs and Idioms flashcards
1
Q

what is lamia written in?

A
  • rhyming heroic couplets
  • rhymed iambic pentameter
  • when couplets closed can give poem sense of control
  • verse form allows Keats to introduce a cynical, world-weary voice into the poem
  • tone often at odds with magical and violent events of narrative
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2
Q

what is central to the tragedy?

A

of this poem is the notion that the love between lamia and lycius is based on an illusion and thus bound to fail

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3
Q

quote to describe setting

A

“upon a time, before faery broods”
- conventional beginning of fairy-tale –> mythical, expectations of unusual/ supernatural occurrences

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4
Q

characterisation of Hermes at beginning of poem?

A

“his golden throne, bent warm on amorous theft”
- always in love/ lust
- “hermes” - winged messenger of gods - sounds alright at start; however doesn’t sound particularly loving (connotations of rape)

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5
Q

part 1: hermes passion

A

“burnt from his winged heels”
“blushed into roses”
- lexical field of heat and passion - with an undertone of anger/ jealousy perhaps sexual desire

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6
Q

part 1: characterisation of nymph at beggining?

A
  • “a nymph, to whom all hoofed Satyrs knelt” - satyrs: known for their sexual appetites/ potency
  • nymph which Hermes is particularly infatuated with is desirable
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7
Q

part 1: hermes trying to find nymph

A

“from vale to vale, from wood to wood, he flew” - there is no indication she wants to be found yet he is desperate to find her

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8
Q

part 1: hermes feeling cause he hasn’t found the nymph; jealous

A

“Pensive, and full of painful jealousies” - self absorbed; plosives: speaker scornful of H

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9
Q

Initial introduction of Lamia’s voice

A

“mournful voice” - adjective
- we hear her voice first
- interesting doesn’t begin with appearance (typical)

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10
Q

hermes wants to find nymphs bed

A

“where this sweet nymph prepared her secret bed” - intimate- rather intrusive - implies its not meant to be found

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11
Q

lamia’s longing described

A

“And love, and pleasure, and the ruddy strife Of hearts and lips! Ah miserable me!” - polysyndetic listing: highlights her utter desperation/desire + tricolon

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12
Q

initial physical description of lamia: snake

A

“a palpitating snake, Bright and cirque-couchant in a dusky brake” - trembling - plosives assonance harsh repeat the rhythm of her beating heart
- sibilant - laying twisted in a circle

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13
Q

visual imagery of lamia

A

“she was a gordian shape of dazzling hue” “Vermilion-spotted, golden, green and blue”
“striped like a zebra” - very detailed description of lamia’s form; a lot of visual imagery
- enchanting overwhelming listing of similes to hyperbolically accentuate her “dazzling” - otherworldly physical features
- serpentine yet feminine
- projection of keats unrealistic and idealised women

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14
Q

description of lamia’s voice

A

“Her throat was serpent, the words she spake Came, as through bubbling honey, for love’s sake”
- establishes power of her seduction –> suggests that the reader should consider VOICES, WORDS SAID, SOUNDS with care and attention in this poem
- pity; evokes sympathy - lamia seeks love

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15
Q

Hermes victimising lamia? check

A

“Like a stooped falcon ere takes his prey” - simile; predatory: victimisation/ subjects his female characters to this power

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16
Q

sense that nymph is free and undisturbed

A

“free as the air” - fake sense of comfort; this liberty will be stripped away
“she tastes unseen; unseen her nimble feet”
–> repetition of unseen adds to the sacred notion to the nymph - Hermes is disturbing her peace

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17
Q

lamia protects nymph

A

“And by my power her beauty is veiled” - lamia protects nymph

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18
Q

Lamia’s need for love - in reference to her immortality

A

“Pale grew her immortality, for woe Of all these lovers, and she grieved so” - Also seen in LBD - knight: Isabella; pale –> dead
impact of unrequited or hopeless love –> even makes supernatural creates pale/ love vitality –> perhaps even robs them of their immortality

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19
Q

lamia agrees to reveal location of nymph if he helps her become have a “woman’s shape”: Lamia- reference to the agreement and her ears

A

“An oath, and though the serpent’s ears it ran, warm, tremulous, devout”
–> keats is reminding us of lamia’s deceptive/ decietful nature in accentuating her form –> religious allusions + the sly and deceitful role the snake plays to adam and eve
- quadruple epithet

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20
Q

Beginning of Lamia’s transformation

A

“moon in wane, Faded before him, cowered, nor could restrain” “Her fearful sobs, self-folding like a flower”
- pallid/pale; a v. vulnerable image –> fem pov –> verb highlights her absolute trepidation –> cowered, sobs, faints

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21
Q

lamia’s love forshadowing that its doomed to fail

A

“grew they pale, as mortal lovers do” –> warning/ forshadowing
- mortal love can’t last
- LA is about to take on mortal form in order to woo Ly –> suggests their love is doomed

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22
Q

Lamia’s metamorphosis

A

“the serpent now began To change … Her mouth foamed”
–> narrative shifts focus; violent; she is losing all that is beautiful about her; putting herself through a lot; grass withers due to foam; sheds her supernatural, demonic appearance and changes to a beautiful mortal women –> clear sense this isn’t positive

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23
Q

losing her looks

A

“undrest Of all her sapphires, greens and amethyst” “Nothing but pain and ugliness were left” –> losing what makes her precious; fem crit - looks valuable/ women only valued for looks

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24
Q

losing her protection

A

“Spoilt all her silver mail, and golden brede” –> La’s discarded snakeskin = compared to chainmail/ armour - lost her protection

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25
Q

how does Lamia’s transformation link to religon

A
  • keats evokes Book 9 of Paradise lose - satan enters body of/becomes serpect –> implies that LA’s transformation will lead to downfall
26
Q

lamia is going to entice Lycius

A

“virgin purest” … but knows about “love” “As though in Cupid’s college she had spent” –> La knows much of love - will know how to charm & ensure ly –> relationship is doomed; isn’t genuine or honest
- points to contradictory images of her - pure but educated love and sex
- patriarchal society - fem crit

27
Q

lamia falls in love with lycius instantly

A

“fell into a swooning love for him”

28
Q

Lycius loving lamia (at first he doesn’t notice her)

A

“For so delicious were the words she sung” - her voice alluring; proleptic irony- ly’s blind love for LA will result in him losing her and dying - forshadowing
…
“began to adore”

29
Q

ly faints

A

“swooned, murmuring of love, and pale with pain” “the cruel lady” - plosives; ly sho shocked and terrified that he faints; la has lot of power; negative portrayal of Lamia

30
Q

la kissed ly

A

“the life she had so tangled in her mesh: And as he from one trance was wakening Into another” –> she kissed his lips and renewed his spirit; suggests her love is a trance?

31
Q

sexual imagery between ly and la

A

“His drooping head … Any more subtle fluid in her veins Than throbbing blood”

32
Q

lamia is playing a part to appeal to lycius

A

“So threw the goddess off … playing woman’s part”
–> she realises he is scared so tones it down
- she is not genuine - appearance vs reality
“blinded Lycius” - blinded by love

33
Q

Initial description of Apollonius

A

“With curled gray beard, sharp eyes, and smooth bald crown” “philosophic gown”
- sense of superiority; critical, intense learned
- keats not fan

34
Q

End of part 1

A

“the flitter-winged verse must tell,
For truth’s sake, what woe afterwards befel”
- people would like to leave happy
- away from rational
- ends with mystery + intrigue
- poet’s duty

35
Q

Part 2: Initial representation of love

A

“Love in a hut” - seclusion
“cinders, ashes, dust” - tricolon; tragic; love comes to nothing; metaphor
- narrator warns us of unhappiness to come
“Love in a palace is perhaps at last
More grievous torment than a hermit’s fast—”
- love becomes grief; pair doomed

36
Q

part 2: quote to indicate their love won’t last long

A

“but too short was their bliss
To breed distrust and hate, that make the soft voice hiss.”
- la’s true nature not revealed until too late; they will die

37
Q

part 2: love portrayed as jealous

A

“Love, jealous …
Hovered and buzzed his wings, with fearful roar”
- personification; love portrayed negatively; too in love; downfall; portrayed as jealous of their love

38
Q

part 2: their sex described as sin

A

“That purple-lined palace of sweet sin”
- before marriage

39
Q

part 2: dialogue between Lycius and Lamia; she feels deserted and upset; wants attention

A

“saw this with pain”
“began to moan and sigh”
“you have deserted me”
- la= jealous wants ly’s attention to be on her
- la fears rational worlds imposition and love fading perhaps
- rationality can destroy love

40
Q

part 2: dialogue lycius rebukes suggestion lamia don’t love him

A

“How to entangle, trammel up and snare
Your soul in mine, and labyrinth you there”
- tricolon
- ironic - she has done this
- wants to marry her; sense of entrapment

41
Q

part 2: lamia begs lycius to change his mind about the marriage

A

“trembling” “pale and meek, Arose and knelt before him, wept a rain Of sorrows at his words”
- loss of identity
- submissive female
- begs him - hyperbole

42
Q

part 2: lycius desire to control lamia

A

“with stronger fancy to reclaim
Her wild and timid nature to his aim:”
“he took delight
Luxurious in her sorrows, soft and new.”
“His passion, cruel grown”
- oxymoron
- subduing, conquering male aroused by op to tame her

43
Q

part 2: god imagery to express lycius’s control

A

“Fine was the mitigated fury, like
Apollo’s presence when in act to strike
The serpent”
- proleptic irony; ly’s action result in her downfall

44
Q

part 2: lamia likes the new lycius

A

“she burnt, she loved the tyranny”
- impressed by/ loves newly “fierce” lycius
- consents to marry him

45
Q

part 2: she betrays him

A

“he to the dull shade of deep sleep in a moment was betrayed”
- he asks why; she casts a spell over him - betrays him

46
Q

part 2: he’s foolish; she wants to hide her mysery

A

“foolish heart”
- foreboding; authorial voice; k feels foolish to promote rationalism over love
“how to dress
The misery in fit magnificence.”
- disguise with grandeur; costume
- asks supernatural for help - more deception

47
Q

part 2: foreboding with description of guests

A

“When dreadful guests would come to spoil her solitude.”
- foreboding; alliteration
- double meaning; she’s scared and also Ap

48
Q

part 2: apollonius arrives how does he look at them

A

“eye severe”
“he laughed”
- old philosopher not won over by her spells
- harsh view/ gaze

49
Q

part 2: ap describes his understanding that he shouldn’t have showed up uninvited

A

"”Tis no common rule”
“for uninvited guest
To force himself upon you, and infest
With an unbidden presence” “Lycius blushed”
- negative lexis - negative presence
- ap effect on ly

50
Q

part 2: change in narrative after Ap arrival

A
  • keats then postpones the narrative with setting description - create tension
  • banquet begins, guests start to drink - sentence lengths longer. more fluid - drinking?
51
Q

part 2: description of what will come for lamia - wreath

A

“Upon her aching forehead be there hung
The leaves of willow and of adder’s tongue”
- flaw downfall; k suggests that different wreaths will be placed on their heads
- her wreath features traditional symbols of grief
- grim downfall
- inevitability of tragic fate
- willow: funeral flower?

52
Q

part 2: description of what will come for lycius - wreath

A

“And for the youth, quick, let us strip for him
The thyrsus, that his watching eyes may swim
Into forgetfulness”
- ive/ vine leaves that surround Bachuss’ wand
- ly should forget the troubles he’ll indure through drink
- ref to his folly in hosting banquet in spite of la’s plea he doesn’t

53
Q

part 2: description of what will come for ap - wreath

A

Let spear-grass and the spiteful thistle wage
War on his temples.
“ cold philosophy?”
“Philosophy will clip an Angel’s wings”
- half rhyme; aliteration
- his plants/ leaves will have sharp, painful thorns
- K’s view of philospjy
- direct allusion to hazlitt’s lectures: said that science and knowledge were restricting humanity’s imagination and clipping the wings of poetry

54
Q

part 2: example of rainbow

A

“Unweave a rainbow as … Lamia melt into a shade.”
- keats suggests newton destroyed rainbow and that Ap will destroy La in same way
- reaching climaz, narrator’s view of la has improved

55
Q

part 2: ly touches her hand its cold

A

“Lycius then pressed her hand, with devout touch,
As pale it lay upon the rosy couch:
“‘Twas icy” “all the pains
Of an unnatural heat shot to his heart.”
- physiological/ physical pain of love
- contrast of her iceness with rosiness of couch
- juxta of la’s pale coldness vs vitality of human things

56
Q

part 2: doesn’t see love in her eyes

A

“There was no recognition in those orbs.”
- no humanity their; contrast of ly and la
- la absorbs ly’s vitality
- she’s not talking to him

57
Q

part 2: increasing horror

A

“grew hush” “deadly silent “Until it seemed a horrid presence there,
And not a man but felt the terror in his hair.”
- tension; setting; horrifying

58
Q

part 2: all her love humanity everything gone

A

“no passion”
“vision—all was blight;
Lamia, no longer fair, there sat a deadly white.”
- spoilt; ominous; she won’t respond to him

59
Q

part 2: ly tells Ap to stop looking at her

A

"”Shut, shut those juggling eyes, thou ruthless man!
Turn them aside, wretch!” “thorn of painful blindness”
- commands the gods to make him blind
- ruthless? unnecessary public humiliation of la
- protecting? - Ap calls him a “fool!” - no sympathy
- la’s deception at least brought happiness; philos only brings death and destruction

60
Q

part 2: Ap see’s her as predetor

A

"”from every ill
Of life have I preserved thee to this day,
And shall I see thee made a serpent’s prey?””
“weak hand” “motioned him to be silent” “No!”
- puts himself as protector
- ap doesn’t stop
- can’t see beyond her origins
- sympathy created

61
Q

part 2: la and ly die

A

“a Serpent!” - announces
“Than with a frightful scream she vanished:
“And Lycius’ arms were empty of delight, As were his limbs of life”

  • vanishes; and he dies
  • symp for la
  • marriage/death
  • tragic ending

English Literature - Paper 1 (17 decks)

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