The Farmer's Bride

Question 1

Form

Answer 1

The poem is a dramatic monologue, mostly in iambic tetrameter, with a rhyme scheme that varies through the poem. This helps to give the poem a strong rhythm that drives the narrative forward without becoming predictable. It’s written entirely in from the farmer’s point of view - his wife has no voice.

Question 2

Structure

Answer 2

The farmer tells the story of the marriage failing through the first two stanzas, then goes on to discuss how his wife is now, how he feels towards her, his sadness and desire,

Question 3

Dialect

Answer 3

The poem contains many dialect words, which help to give a strong sense of the farmer’s character. We can hear his voice in his language and in his grammar -this adds to the drama as it helps us picture the people involved: “Out ‘mong the sheep her be’ they said.”

Question 4

Language about nature

Answer 4

The farmer mainly uses imagery taken from the natural world. This reflects his identity, whilst his descriptions of his wife link her to images of nature and wildness. In the second stanza she is likened to a hunted hare: “We chased her, flying like a hare.”

Question 5

Tone

Answer 5

The poem has a frustrated tone about it that reflects the farmer’s frustrations about the lack of sexual relations that he is having with his wife. It reflects his desire to be with her, through the use of imagery. It also reflects the sense of fear that his wife is feeling.

Question 6

Which poem can it be compared with?

Answer 6

You could compare this poem to ‘Porphyria’s Lover’ and think about the ways that both poems reflect the physical desire that the narrators feel.