The Forsaken Wife - Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis

Question 1

Lines 1-4:

Methinks ‘tis strange you can’t afford
One pitying look, one parting word;
Humanity claims this as its due,
But what’s humanity to you?

How does the poem begin?

Answer 1

Lines 1-4 begin the poem on a note of sarcastic anger.

Question 2

Lines 1-4:

Methinks ‘tis strange you can’t afford
One pitying look, one parting word;
Humanity claims this as its due,
But what’s humanity to you?

What is the main idea in Lines 1-4?

Answer 2

The title character, “The Forsaken Wife,” shames her unfaithful husband—the man who has forsaken, or abandoned, her—for leaving without any kind of proper goodbye:

Question 3

Lines 1-4:

Methinks ‘tis strange you can’t afford
One pitying look, one parting word;
Humanity claims this as its due,
But what’s humanity to you?

Explain and analyse the part in “bold”.

Answer 3

Using bitter understatement (and the archaic words “Methinks ‘tis,” meaning “I think it is”), she tells him that she finds his icy behavior “strange.”

It soon becomes clear later in the poem, that she finds it a lot more than strange: she finds it “Cruel” and heartless.

Question 4

Lines 1-4:

Methinks ‘tis strange you can’t afford
One pitying look, one parting word;
Humanity claims this as its due,
But what’s humanity to you?

Explain and analyse the part in “bold”.

Answer 4

He could, of course, “afford” a compassionate “look” or a “word” of goodbye; he just chooses not to spare them.

He’s broken his marriage vows and dumped her cold.

The /w/ and /p/ alliteration of line 2 (“One pitying look, one parting word”) underscores her outrage at his behavior.

Question 5

Lines 1-4:

Methinks ‘tis strange you can’t afford
One pitying look, one parting word;
Humanity claims this as its due,
But what’s humanity to you?

Explain and analyse the part in “bold”.

Answer 5

In the speaker’s view, everyone feels they’re owed at least some pity, or some kind of goodbye, when their romantic partner leaves them.

It’s just a basic expectation of “Humanity.”

Question 6

Lines 1-4:

Methinks ‘tis strange you can’t afford
One pitying look, one parting word;
Humanity claims this as its due,
But what’s humanity to you?

Explain and analyse the part in “bold”.

Answer 6

She then asks a sharp rhetorical question.

The question implies that the husband doesn’t care about “humanity” at all.

Notice that this word can have two meanings: humankind or humane behavior.

In a kind of pun, the speaker implies that the selfish husband has no interest in either.

Question 7

Lines 1-4:

Methinks ‘tis strange you can’t afford
One pitying look, one parting word;
Humanity claims this as its due,
But what’s humanity to you?

What does the opening lines (Lines 1-4) establish?

Answer 7

These opening lines establish that the poem will consist of rhyming couplets stacked up to form larger stanzas.

They also provide a succinct, powerful introduction to the voice of the speaker, who is not identical with the poet but rather a character in a dramatic monologue.

The poem captures this character at a moment of intense emotion, as her anger at her cheating husband boils over.

Question 8

Lines 5-8:

Cruel man! I am not blind,
Your infidelity I find;
Your want of love my ruin shows,
My broken heart, your broken vows.

What is the main idea in Lines 5-8?

Answer 8

In lines 5-8, the speaker’s bitter sarcasm turns to blunt anger.

She condemns her husband for his “Cruel[ty]” and “infidelity,” portraying him as heartless and dishonest

Question 9

Lines 5-8:

Cruel man! I am not blind,
Your infidelity I find;
Your want of love my ruin shows,
My broken heart, your broken vows.

Explain and analyse the part in “bold”.

Answer 9

“I am not blind” means, in effect, “I’m not deceived” or “I see who you really are.”

Question 9

Lines 5-8:

Cruel man! I am not blind,
Your infidelity I find;
Your want of love my ruin shows,
My broken heart, your broken vows.

Explain and analyse the part in “bold”.

Answer 9

She’s found out about her husband’s cheating (“infidelity”); in other words, she knows he’s leaving her for someone else, not just abandoning the marriage.

Question 9

Lines 5-8:

Cruel man! I am not blind,
Your infidelity I find;
Your want of love my ruin shows,
My broken heart, your broken vows.

Explain and analyse the part in “bold”.

Answer 9

She declares that “my ruin shows”—that is, her wrecked life proves—the husband’s “want of love” (“want” here means lack), her own “broken heart,” and his “broken [marriage] vows.”

(The inverted syntax in line 7—”Your want of love my ruin shows” rather than “My ruin shows your want of love”—is a common technique in older poetry.)

All in all, she feels devastated and betrayed.

Question 10

Lines 5-8:

Cruel man! I am not blind,
Your infidelity I find;
Your want of love my ruin shows,
My broken heart, your broken vows.

In these lines, what shows her vehement anger and outburst of emotion?

Answer 10

The emphatic repetitions in this passage, including the “Your”/”Your” anaphora in lines 6-7 and the two “broken”s in line 8, help convey the speaker’s vehement anger.

The exclamation point after “Cruel man” is the only one in the poem, and seems to represent an outburst of emotion after the relatively restrained verbal irony of the first stanza.

Question 11

Lines 9-12:

Yet maugre all your rigid hate,
I will be true in spite of fate;
And one preeminence I’ll claim,
To be forever still the same.

What is the main idea in lines 9-12?

Answer 11

There’s an emotional shift in lines 9-12, signaled by the word “Yet” in line 9.

As devastated as the speaker feels, she’s settled on a path forward, at least in terms of her emotional response to her husband’s betrayal.

Question 12

Lines 9-12:

Yet maugre all your rigid hate,
I will be true in spite of fate;
And one preeminence I’ll claim,
To be forever still the same.

Explain and analyse the part in “bold”.

Answer 12

The word “maugre” is an archaic synonym for “despite,” so the speaker means that despite her husband’s “rigid hate” (unshakable hostility toward her), she will remain “true” to her marriage vows.

Question 13

Lines 9-12:

Yet maugre all your rigid hate,
I will be true in spite of fate;
And one preeminence I’ll claim,
To be forever still the same.

Explain and analyse the part in “bold”.

Answer 13

She will do so “in spite of fate,” meaning in spite of her misfortune, or in spite of whatever fortune might still hold in store.

(In the strictly patriarchal society of 18th-century England, women abandoned by their husbands typically faced financial hardship, social ostracism, and other difficulties.)

Question 14

Lines 9-12:

Yet maugre all your rigid hate,
I will be true in spite of fate;
And one preeminence I’ll claim,
To be forever still the same.

Explain and analyse the part in “bold”.

Answer 14

The speaker adds that she will “claim” one “preeminence,” or one form of superiority, over her husband: “To be forever still the same.”

Question 15

Lines 9-12:

Yet maugre all your rigid hate,
I will be true in spite of fate;
And one preeminence I’ll claim,
To be forever still the same.

Explain and analyse the part in “bold”.

Answer 15

Even though he’s broken his vows and turned on her, revealing that he’s not the man she thought he was, she will remain faithful to her promises and continue to be herself.

Question 16

Lines 9-12:

Yet maugre all your rigid hate,
I will be true in spite of fate;
And one preeminence I’ll claim,
To be forever still the same.

What are the poetic devices and figurative language in these lines?

Answer 16

The alliterative phrase “still the same” accentuates her righteous determination.

By juxtaposing her virtuous behavior with his betrayal, the speaker finds the moral high ground and attempts to shame the man who’s wronged her.

Question 17

Lines 13-16:

Show me a man that dare be true,
That dares to suffer what I do;
That can forever sigh unheard,
And ever love without regard.

What is the main idea in these lines?

Answer 17

In lines 13-16, the speaker’s tone grows more defiant, and the poem makes a broader commentary on gender differences.

The abandoned wife challenges her husband to “Show [her] a man” that would “suffer” as stoically as she does in her position

Question 18

Lines 13-16:

Show me a man that dare be true,
That dares to suffer what I do;
That can forever sigh unheard,
And ever love without regard.

Explain and analyse the part in “bold”.

Answer 18

The abandoned wife challenges her husband to “Show [her] a man” that would “suffer” as stoically as she does in her position.

The** repetition** of “that” and “dare”/”dares” accentuates her proud defiance as she piles one challenge on top of another.

She implies that no man would have it in him to love as faithfully as she and other abandoned women do, while getting as little in return.

Question 19

Lines 13-16:

Show me a man that dare be true,
That dares to suffer what I do;
That can forever sigh unheard,
And ever love without regard.

Explain and analyse the part in “bold”.

Answer 19

Although her “sigh[s]” of heartbreak will be “forever […] unheard,” and she’ll never get any “regard” (respect or attention) for her “love,” she has the bravery—the “dar[ing]”—to stay “true” to the vows she swore.

Question 20

Lines 13-16:

Show me a man that dare be true,
That dares to suffer what I do;
That can forever sigh unheard,
And ever love without regard.

What is the speaker trying to imply through these statements?

Answer 20

Through these statements, the speaker places herself in the position of noble martyr, while suggesting that men in general lack the courage for her kind of unrequited love.

In the process, she’s flouting the gender stereotypes of her day; men of this period typically considered women “the weaker sex.”

Of course, the poem is addressed directly to the speaker’s husband, so she’s also implying that he couldn’t be as strong as she is!

The next four lines will build on this idea.

Question 21

Lines 17-20:

I will then own your prior claim
To love, to honour, and to fame;
But till that time, my dear, adieu,
I yet superior am to you.

What is the main idea in these lines?

Answer 21

Lines 17-20, part of the single long sentence that makes up the final stanza, build on the challenge posed in lines 13-16.

Having dared her husband to “Show [her]” a man who could love as selflessly and faithfully as she does, the speaker offers to change her opinion of him if he fulfills that challenge.

Question 22

Lines 17-20:

I will then own your prior claim
To love, to honour, and to fame;
But till that time, my dear, adieu,
I yet superior am to you.

Explain and analyse the part in “bold”.

Answer 22

Basically, she’s saying: Show me a man who could love the way I do, and I’ll take back everything I said about you—I’ll say you’re as loving, honorable, and reputable as you once claimed to be.

The word “own” here means “acknowledge” or “admit,” and “fame” means simply “good reputation” rather than any kind of celebrity.

Question 23

Lines 17-20:

I will then own your prior claim
To love, to honour, and to fame;
But till that time, my dear, adieu,
I yet superior am to you.

Discuss the significance of the word “claim” in this place and other places.

Answer 23

Notice, too, the repetition of the word “claim,” which also appeared as a verb in lines 3 and 11.

In each case, the word involves a claim to something, whether it’s a set of virtues, a particular virtue, or basic human respect.

Morally speaking, the poem plays out like a post-breakup settlement, in which the wronged partner asserts what she has a claim to—and what the person who hurt her doesn’t.

Question 24

Lines 17-20:

I will then own your prior claim
To love, to honour, and to fame;
But till that time, my dear, adieu,
I yet superior am to you.

Explain and analyse the part in “bold”.

Answer 24

Of course, the speaker is being** ironic** when she offers the conditions on which she’ll change her opinion.

She doesn’t actually believe her husband can find her a man who can love as selflessly as she does.

She knows he certainly isn’t that man himself.

Therefore, she’ll never have to admit that he was a decent man after all, or lose her moral high ground:

In other words, “Until you can do that impossible task, I’ll always be a better person than you are.”

The speaker may have been humiliated by her faithless husband, but in these final lines, she fully recovers her pride—and tells him off for good.