The Eve of St Agnes Flashcards
1
Q
How is the outside setting described through the poem?
A
- the sculptured dead on either size seem to freeze imprisoned in black purgatorial rails
- The owl for all his feathers was a cold the hare limped trembling through the frozen grass
- St Agnes eve ah bitter chill it was
- tis dark: the iced gusts still rave and beat
- frost win blows + sharp sleet + St agnes moon hath set
- weak spirit fails to think how they may ache in icy hoods and mails
2
Q
How is the beadsman described?
A
- meagre barefoot wan + patient holy man
- numb + frosted breath
- music’s golden tongue flattered to tears this aged man and poor
- all night for sinners sake to grieve
- slept among his ashes cold
3
Q
How is the party/atmosphere in the castle described?
A
- silver snarling trumpets + argent revelry
- the carved angels ever eager eyed stared … wings put cross wise on their breasts
- numerous as shadows haunting faerily the brain, new stuffed in youth with triumphs gay
- whole bloodthirsty race + barbarian hordes, hyena foemen and hot blooded lords + mansion foul
- sound of merriment and chorus bland
- boisterous, midnight, festive clarion … the hall door shuts again and all the noise is gone
- not a whit more tame for his grey hairs
- ready spears + uneasy sprawl
4
Q
How is Madeline described at the beginning?
A
- Heart had brooded all that wintry day on love and winged St Agnes saintly care
- full of this whim was thoughtful madeline. The music, yearning like a God in pain, she scarcely heard
- vague, regardless eyes, anxious her lips, her breathing quick and short
- But she saw not: her heart was otherwhere. She sighed for Agnes dreams, the sweetest of the year
- mid looks of love, defiance hate and scorn hoodwinked with faery fancy
- poor, weak palsy-stricken churchyard thing
5
Q
How is St Agnes’ ritual described?
A
- lily white + visions of delight
- Require of heaven with upward eyes
- honeyed middle of the night
6
Q
How is Angela described?
A
- aged creature came shuffling along
- I am slow and feeble + dizzy head
- angela the old died palsy twitched
- she langueth in the languid moon
7
Q
How does Angela describe the ritual and the lovers?
A
- cruel man … sweet lady. Let her pray and sleep and dream alone with her good angels, far apart from wicked men like thee.
- My lady fair the conjurer plays this very night. Good angels her deceive!
- she comes, she comes again like a ring-dove frayed and fled
- Hobbled off with busy fear. The lover’s endless minutes slowly passed
- wait here my child with patience kneel in prayer
- faltering hand
8
Q
How is Prophryo’s love for Madeline made evident?
A
- Young Porphyro with heart on fire
- in the tedious hours that he might gaze and worship all unseen perchance speak kneel touch kiss
- Gentler speech from burning Porphyro
9
Q
How is the threat to Porphyro portrayed?
A
- let no buzzed whisper tell, all eyes be muffled.
- alas me flit flit like a ghost away
- little moonlit room pale, latticed chill and silent as a tomb
- beard them though they may be more fanged than wolves and bears
- rich with horseman, hawk and hound
- sleeping dragons all around at glaring watch
- wakeful bloodhound rose and shook his hide
10
Q
How does Porphryo react to learning of the ritual?
A
- soon his eyes grew brilliant … thought of those enchantments cold and Madeline asleep in lap of legends old
- a thought came like a full blow rose, flushing his brow, and in his pained heart made purple riot
- I will not harm her by all saints I swear
- Soft ringlets I displace or look with ruffian passion in her face
- win perhaps that night a peerless bride, while legioned faeries paced the coverlet and pale enchantment held her sleepy-eyed
11
Q
How is Madeline’s chamber described?
A
- silken, hushed and chaste
- close secrecy + such privacy
- safe at last
- shone the wintry moon and threw warm gules on Madeline’s fair breast
- its little smoke in pallid moonshine died
- filling the chilly room with perfume light
- faded moon made a dim silver twilight
12
Q
How is Madeline described as she prepares for the ritual?
A
- trembling in her soft and chilly nest
- but to her heart, her heart was valuable, paining with eloquence
- like a saint, she seemed a splendid angel newly dressed
- wreathed pearls + warmed jewels + fragrant bodice + rich attire creeps rustling to her needs
13
Q
How is the idea of sleep portrayed?
A
- poppied warmth of sleep oppressed her soothed limbs
- wakeful swoon + dreams awake
- slept an azure lidded sleep in blanched linen, smooth and lavendered
- slumberous tenderness + looked so dreamingly
- now wide awake the vision of her sleep
14
Q
How is Madeline’s vision in her ritual described?
A
- blinded alike from sunshine and rain as though a rose should shut and be a bud again
- twilight saints and dim emblazonings, a shielded scutcheon blushed with blood of queens and kings
- tongueless nightingale should swell her throat in vain, and die, heart stifled in her dell
- twas a midnight charm impossible to melt as iced stream
- stolen to this paradise
15
Q
How is Porphyro described as he witnesses the ritual?
A
- noiseless as fear in a wide wilderness over the hushed carpet silent steeped + ‘tween the curtains peeped
- Delicates he heaped with glowing hand on golden dishes and in baskets bright of wreathed silver
- my love my seraph fair
- steadfast spell his lady’s eyes
- her gazed upon her empty dress and listened to her breathing
- thou art my heaven and I thine eremite
