Poem 2 - Percy Bysshe Shelly - Love's Philosophy

Question 1

What is the poem about?

Answer 1

The poet is attempting to convince a love interest to be with him romantically by giving examples of how everything in nature is connected and how he believes it is God’s law.

Question 2

When was Percy Bysshe Shelly alive?

Answer 2

1792-1822

Question 3

When was the poet written?

Answer 3

1820

Question 4

Describe the form of the poem.

Answer 4

The poet is short and simple, which suggests that the poet believes what he is saying to be simple truths. The ABAB rhyme scheme has 2 lines per stanza that don’t rhyme properly, reflecting how nature pairs up properly and his love interest is fighting it..

Question 5

Describe the structure of the poem.

Answer 5

The tight structure is to be persuasive, using most of each stanza to build evidence supporting his argument. He uses short lines at the end of the stanzas to use rhetorical questions which emphasises the contrast between nature and the narrator.

Question 6

Describe the use of language about nature in the poem.

Answer 6

Shelley uses the personification of nature to demonstrate nature’s love, and emphasise how natural his love for the woman is.

Question 7

Describe the use of repetition in the poem.

Answer 7

Repetition is used to reiterate and emphasise how nature connects with everything else.

Question 8

Why is the water imagery used?

Answer 8

The water imagery compares the poets long for love to nature, the increasing scale from “fountain” and “river” to “ocean” demonstrates love’s power and to reflect the physical nature of his desired relationship.

Question 9

Why does the narrator use “mingle” (Line 1)?

Answer 9

The narrator uses personification to draw parallels between what happens in nature and his own desire to be with his love interest.

Question 10

What is the significance of “river” (Line 1) and “ever” (Line 3) as well as “heaven” (Line 9) and “forgiven” (Line 11)?

Answer 10

They are both sets half rhymes, which disrupts the regular ABAB and demonstrates how the couple aren’t together.

Question 11

What is the effect of “sweet emotion” (Line 4)?

Answer 11

The personification here implies that nature enjoys and benefits from the connectedness of everything.

Question 12

What is the significance of “Nothing in this world is single,” (Line 5)?

Answer 12

The line sums up the narrator’s argument, reinforcing the poems persuasive structure. The short clause makes it feel as though the point must be true and is inarguable.

Question 13

Why does the narrator use “law divine” (Line 6)?

Answer 13

It shows how he believes that he believes it is God’s will that everything in nature mingles together.

Question 14

What is the impact of “mingle” (Line 7)?

Answer 14

The repetition of “mingle” emphasises how everything in nature is united.

Question 15

What is the effect of the dash in line 7?

Answer 15

It creates a pause which emphasises the rhetorical question at the end of the stanza.

Question 16

What is the significance of “Why not I with thine?” (Line 8)?

Answer 16

In both stanzas, the first 6 or 7 lines are confident assertions of things the narrator believes to be true, the rhetorical questions at the end of each stanza create a tonal shift which shows that he is confused that his love interest won’t reciprocate his affections.

Question 17

What is the effect of “kiss” (Line 9) and “clasp” (Line 10)?

Answer 17

The use of physical language hints his frustrations that he cannot “kiss” or “clasp” his love interest.

Question 18

What is the significance of “No sister-flower would be forgiven” (Line 11)?

Answer 18

The narrator claims that the love interest’s coldness towards him goes against God’s law and is therefore sinful and unforgivable.

Question 19

What is the implication of “disdain’d” (Line 12)?

Answer 19

It confirms the suggestion that the love interest has previously rejected the narrator.

Question 20

What is the effect of “And” (Lines 13 and 14)?

Answer 20

The repeated use of “And” highlights how many examples he can think of to demonstrate nature’s unity to the love interest.

Question 21

What is the significance of “sunlight” (Line 13) and “moonbeams” (Line 14)?

Answer 21

It emphasises that everything is connected, even the Sun and Moon- not just nature on earth.

Question 22

What is the effect of “What is all this sweet work worth” (Line 15)?

Answer 22

The narrator questions the point of the world if his love interest won’t reciprocate his feelings for her, implying that love gives life meaning. This can be seen as hyperbolic, and the over dramatised reaction may only be to persuade her.

Question 23

What is the impact of “If thou kiss not me?” (Line 16)?

Answer 23

The final line of each stanza is monosyllabic, with only five syllables, which increases the rhetorical questions’ impact, just as they’re separated from the rest of the poem, the narrator is separated from his love interest. The use of anastrophe in the final line of the poem rearranges the word order so that “me” is the final line of the poem, this forces the love interest to acknowledge and focus on him and his feelings at the end of the poem.