The Lady of Shalott|summary|analysis

The Lady of Shalott|summary|analysis

The poem "The Lady of Shalott" was written about a lady who lived on the island of Shalott. The poet calls her the Lady of Shalott. She lived there alone. There were four towers in the living place of the lady of Shalott. It was surrounded by four grey walls.
There is also a beautiful small garden around her living place. The lady of Shalott lived a life of seclusion. She did not know the hard realities of life. Her life was unreal. She always became busy in weaving a magical web. Someone told her that if she stops weaving, she will fall prey to a curse. Many boats passed through the river to Camelot but no one had ever seen the lady of Shalott. It seemed as no one knew her.
Only reapers could hear her songs in the morning when they went to the field. No one had seen her with his eyes. Thus she lived a lonely life. She saw outside people through a mirror that hangs before her in her room. She saw everything reflected in the mirror. She saw in the mirror the fields of barley and rye, the river, village men and women and sometimes girls doing their works. She saw in her mirror a group of young girls, a shepherd boy, a servant boy wearing red clothes, a row of knights going from the road but she was happy in weaving the beautiful scenes that she saw in the mirror. But now she had become tired of seeing only their shadows. She wanted to see all these things in real.

One day she saw Sir Lancelot in the fields of barley. He was sitting on his horse. His horse was decorated with beautiful stones. The lady of Shalott was so much impressed after seeing his reflection. Therefore she left weaving her web and looked down to Camelot where Lancelot was going. As soon as, she saw Lancelot the curse came upon her. Her web floats outside and her mirror cracks from side to side. 
After it, The wind blows fast, the wood grows pale and it begins to rain. The lady of Shalott leaves her home and finds a boat in the river. She writes her name on it. and lies in the boat. She loses the chain of the boat. People hear her song. she keeps on singing till her death. In this way, she dies singing her last song. After it, people see her dead body lying in the boat and read her name written on it. The people come to know her identity as the lady of Shalott.

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Sailing To Byzantium|Summary&Analysis|Yeats

Sailing To Byzantium|Summary&Analysis|Yeats

The famous poem "Sailing to Byzantium" was written by William Butler Yeats. It was first published in the 1928 collection"The tower".It is divided into four stanzas in Ottava rima. Yeats expresses his thoughts and feelings on immortality in an impressive way. The poet was about 60 years old when he wrote this poem. This phase of age is mostly spiritual for all human beings. In the same way, Yeats was very spiritual at this through the use of various poetic techniques. 
It describes the metaphorical journey of a man pursuing his own vision of eternal life. This poem is one of the greatest poems of the twentieth century. The poet expresses his thoughts of old age. According to the poet, at an old age, spiritual work is required to keep mind calm. He says that the old man should leave the country of the young and travel to Byzantium, the holy city. Here the poet expresses his mind that saints will appear in the fire in the holy place of Byzantium to purify the soul of the poet. 

Analysis.....Stanza wise

Stanza-1 

That is no country---------intellect.

Here in this stanza, the poet expresses his feelings in his country. He says that there is no place for old people in his country. His country where he lives has changed completely. The young people in the country do not like old things and people. They are busy loving their young partners. They are busy with physical pleasure. Although there is beautiful natural surrounding. The birds are singing melodious songs. Birds are sitting on the trees but the young people do not give attention to their songs. They seem to the poet like dying generation who are busy in lust and physical love.

The poet expresses his thought with the example of Salmon fish which live in the sea and is always busy in reproducing new fish. As the animals are busy in giving birth to new animals and birds are busy in giving new life to their chick. Like this people are also busy in giving birth to a new generation. They are busy with physical pleasures. They do not feel pleasure in the natural beauty. 

They are surrounded by material and physical pleasure. They born and die with this pleasure. They do not feel other natural pleasure of earth.

Even they do not like old things, old buildings, old monuments, old culture and art. They only like their own new culture. They do not understand the importance of old things. Although old things have a great culture, art and history. They neglect old people. They do not respect their intellect and experience. They do not understand the beauty of the old culture and art.

Stanza--2

 an aged -------------Byzantium.

In this stanza, the poet exposes the physical appearance of an old man. The old man looks like a useless thing. He looks like a torn coat hanging on a stick. There is no respect for old people in the country. The old people are only petty things for the young man of the country. The poet says that he wants to sing songs in louder noise and wants to clap with his hands joyously. His body has become very weak. Still, he wants to do singing and clapping for his happiness. The poet further says that there is no place for old people to enjoy but there are old monuments for study. Monuments have its own glory. therefore the poet wants to go to the holy city of Byzantium. He sails the sea for the holy city of Byzantium. Thus he goes to the holy city of Byzantium.

Stanza--3

O sages---------eternity.

In this stanza, the poet addresses the sages who are standing in the holy fire. When the poet enters the holy city of Byzantium he sees the sages. He compares the sages to the figure stands in the gold mosaic work. The poet requests the sages to come from the holy fire and spin in the gyre to educate his soul. The poet wants to learn spiritual singing of soul from the sages. The poet asks the sages to guide him for purification of his soul.

 He says that his heart has become tired of sensual desires. So he prays the saints to come and purify his heart. The poet says that he has worldly desires like animals and he has become animal in his behaviour but now he wants to be a purified man. The poet further says that the worldly desires and matters have profaned his soul, therefore, he does not know how to purify his soul. He prays the saints to purify him. He wants to become an immortal art. Now the poet has become sick of the cycle of birth and death. He wants to escape from this cycle and wants to be permanent. 

Stanza--4

Once out--------------to come.

The poet says when he gets purified he will become the golden bird. The Grecian goldsmith made the golden bird to sing and make the king awake. He further says that he wants to be such a piece of art as a golden bird awake the king. He says that he would awake the king. He would sit in the golden tree and sing the stories of kings and queens and he would sing the stories of past, present and future of the people who would come to the holy city of Byzantium.

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On First Looking Into Chapman's Homer..Summary&analysis

On First Looking Into Chapman's Homer

Summary

The famous poem "On First Looking Into Chapman's Homer" was written by the great English Romantic poet John Keats in 1816. It was written in the form of a sonnet. Keats composed this sonnet after reading the translation of Homer's work. It was written by an English poet and dramatist of the Elizabethan age. His name was George Chapman. It was given to him by his friend, Cowden Clarke. Keats and his friend Cowden Clarke sat up together till daylight to read it and the next morning, Mr Clarke found the sonnet on the breakfast table. Thus Keats composed the famous sonnet after reading the translation of Homer's work. 

Keats was very much impressed with George Chapman's work of translation. He feels a great enjoy while reading it. In this poem, Keats pays a great tribute to Chapman's translation of Homer. Keats gave great attention to Homer"s poetic genius. He considered Homer'work like a kingdom of pure gold. After reading Chapman's translation he felt a never-ending joy in his heart. Keats was grateful for Chapman who introduced to him the glorious regions of Homer's genius. 

Poem Analysis stanza wise

Stanza--1 Much have -----------bold. (lines 1-8)

In the sonnet "On First Looking Into Chapman's Homer", the poet shows his never-ending pleasure. The poet says that he has read many literary books. but when he read Chapman's translation of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, he became so much inspired that he composed this sonnet. The poet says that he always wanted to read Homer's literary work but he did not know the Greek language. He felt so much pleasure after reading Chapman's translation of Homer's work. Chapman had translated Homer's work very effectively.

Keats further says that he has read many books of romantic and classical tales. He has travelled in many countries of the thought of writers. Through their books, he has travelled in the mind of many writers. He has travelled in the different countries of imagination and fancy. Those books of different authors have given him great pleasure. After reading these books he feels pleasure as a poor man feels at the sight of the realm of gold. 

Keats further says that he has been a great lover of Greek art and culture. He always wanted to study and read the Greek authors. He always has a curiosity for Homer's works but the reading of Chapman's translation filled his passion in full intensity. He read the works of Homer but he did not realize a great satisfaction for it but when he read the translation of Homer written by Chapman, he realized the quality of pure serenity of the poetry of Homer. Therefore Keats appreciates Chapman for his bold approach to Homer. 

The poet says that now he has reached the kingdom of Homer after reading the translation of Chapman. Before it, he had no opportunity to visit Homer's kingdom. He compares his joy to an astronomer. He feels the same pleasure as an astronomer feels when he discovers a new planet. 

Stanza--2

Then felt I---------Darien(lines 9-14)

In these lines, the poet expresses his great joy after reading the translation of Homer's Odyssey and Iliad. He says that he has never felt such a great joy. He sees the new world of imagination after reading Chapman's Homer. He was highly impressed with Homer. he compares his excitement to the joy of an astronomer. as an astronomer feels excited when a new star falls within the range of his telescope. Like this, he feels a great pleasure after reading Homer's translation through Chapman. In the same way, when Corten looked at the Pacific with his eyes. He discovered the new land. His fellow sailors became very excited after seeing a new land. like that the poet has no limit for his excitement after reading this work of translation. 

Thus this poem is rich in poetic expression. It has beautiful phrases. The poet has presented his great expressions and thought in beautiful language. The poem is filled with wonder, thrill and great excitement. Thus the poem reveals that Keats was the great lover of Greek art and Hellenic spirit. It is written in Italian form. It has fourteen lines. It has an octave of eight lines and a sestet of six lines. The rhyming scheme is abba, abba, cdc, dcd. It is written in Iambic pentameter. Thus the poem presents the best poetic talent of John Keats.                                                                  

                                                        

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Success Is Counted Sweetest|Summary&Analysis|Emily Dickinson

Success Is Counted Sweetest|Summary&Analysis

Summary

Success Is Counted Sweetest|Summary&Analysis

The famous poem "Success Is Counted Sweetest" was composed by the poetess Emily Dickinson in 1859. This poem was published anonymously in 1878. Only seven poems were published in the lifetime of Emily Dickinson. This poem is also one of them. The main theme of this poem is a contradiction of two ideas. in which one idea is superior to the other. In this poem, the poetess describes two opposite ideas success and failure in an impressive way. She says that there is always some equal good behind every evil and second example she gives about the idea of defeat and despair. She shows these two opposite ideas in a superior position. She was a great American poetess of the 19th century. She liked to express her ideas in a paradoxical way. This poem is an example of his pessimistic nature.

Analysis....Success Is Counted Sweetest

Stanza--1

In this stanza, the poetess describes two opposite ideas Success and failure in a great way. According to the poetess, there is always some good thing behind every evil. She says that only failure persons can experience the taste of success in a true manner. And those who succeed in reality never can experience a true taste of success. According to every failure, it has some good thing behind it as compensation. The poetess further explains her ideas by giving the example of a thirsty man. She says that only a thirsty man can experience the true value of water. In the same way, the true value of success can be understood only by the person who has failed. Thus the poetess says that we should have an extreme thirst to feel the taste of nectar. 

stanza--2

In this stanza, the poetess defines the value of victory by giving the example of soldiers. She is paradoxical in her thought. She explains the importance of victory with the help of soldiers. She says that the soldiers who are defeated in the battle can understand the true value of victory. She defines two opposite ideas victory and defeats in an impressive way. She says that the true value of victory can be understood only by defeated soldiers not by Victorious soldiers because, after victory, victorious soldiers may hoist the flag of victory but in reality, they do not know the real meaning of it.

Stanza--3

In this stanza, the poetess again explains the example of a dying soldier or defeated soldier. She creates a scene of war and tries to explain the true value of victory. She says that a dying soldier knows the true value of victory. Therefore he feels a great sorrow in his heart. He also feels extreme grief to his dying ears when he hears the sounds of victory from the distant camps of the victorious side. The poetess was pessimistic in her nature. Therefore she liked pain and despair. According to her, pain and death is a gateway to immortality.                   

  

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Night Of The Scorpion|Nissim Ezekiel|Summary&Analysis

Summary&Analysis

Night Of The Scorpion

The famous poem "Night Of The Scorpion" was composed by the popular writer Nissim Ezekiel. It was first published in 1965 in his work "The Exact Name". It is a narrative poem. In this poem, the poet narrates an incident in which a scorpion bites a lady. The lady lives in a village. After this incident, the villagers come there to show their sympathy to the lady. 

They come with their lamps to search for the scorpion. The villagers are superstitious. So they believe that the poison will spread with the movement of the scorpion. Therefore they search for the scorpion immediately. Some villagers believe that the pain of the lady is the result of her sins done in the previous birth. And some others believe that the pain of the lady will reduce the sufferings of her next birth. Thus everyone had their own opinions about it. But at last, after twenty hours, the woman gets well. She prays thanks to god to save her children from the scorpion. 

Analysis 

Stanza--1

In this stanza, the poet describes an incident in which a woman was stung by a scorpion. The poet remembers the night on which his mother was stung by a scorpion. The poet says that the incident is still fresh in his memory. He says that it was a rainy season when a scorpion stung his mother because there was no suitable place for him to hide. So he sat under a rice bag. Unconsciously when his mother lifted the rice bag, at that time the scorpion stung her. 

According to the poet, the scorpion did not want to bite her but he did it in fear. After it, the poison moved quickly in the body of her mother. After hearing the incident villagers came there with lanterns in their hand to help the lady. According to the villagers, the poison will spread in her body with the movement of the scorpion. 

Stanza--2

Here the poet describes the pain of his mother after biting of the scorpion. The poison spreads rapidly in the body of her mother. The villagers are superstitious. They believe that the pain of lady is the punishment of her sins done in the previous birth. Some other villagers say that it may reduce the pain of her next birth in advance. Some villagers have an opinion that the poison will purify her blood from worldly desires. Thus many villagers came to help her but none could reduce her pain. They came to show their sympathy for the lady. It was all useless for the pain of the lady. She was still crying in pain. 

Stanza--3

The poet describes the incident further by saying that the lady is still crying with pain. The poet says that the villagers had applied their home remedies and other methods to cure her mother. But all were useless. Now his father was trying to cure her mother. His father was not a superstitious person. He tries to cure his mother by some medicines. For it, he applies different types of powder and mixture on her toe.

He also uses many types of herbs to reduce her pain. He also uses paraffin on her toe to reduce her pain but all efforts prove ineffective. All treatment given by his father proves useless. At last, after twenty hours of pain, she gets well. She shows her love to her children and says thanks to God because the scorpion did not sting her children in place of her. She was thankful for it. 

Thus the poem shows the superstitious belief of villagers. It creates a sensuous word picture around the readers. The poet narrates the whole incident in an impressive way. It is a highly imaginative poem. The language of the poem is very simple. The poem is written in narrative style. The poem passes a satire on the superstitious villagers. At last, we can say that the poem is the masterpiece of the poet.

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My Last Duchess by Robert Browning.... Summary & Analysis

 Summary and Analysis

 Summary

My Last Duchess by Robert Browning

The popular poem "My Last Duchess" was composed by Robert Browning. It was first published in 1842 in his Dramatic Lyrics. The poem is a dramatic monologue written in 28 rhyming couplets. It is written in iambic pentameter. A dramatic monologue is a kind of soliloquy in which only one person speaks throughout the poem. The poem is a conversation between the Duke of Ferrara and the ambassador. The only speaker in the poem is Duke of Ferrara. In this poem, Duke is talking to the ambassador who has brought a proposal of marriage to the Duke of Ferrara. Duke tells him about his last duchess who was very kind, virtuous and generous. The narrator of the poem is the Duke of Ferrara. 

Analysis

Stanza--1

In this stanza, the duke is talking to the ambassador who has brought a proposal of marriage for him. The Duke shows him the portrait of his last Duchess. This portrait is painted by Fra Pandolf. He has completed this portrait in a day. In this portrait, Duchess seems to be alive. Fra Pandolf is a very talented painter. The Duke appreciates the painting of his last duchess. When the ambassador sees the portrait, a question comes in his mind but the Duke understands his question before his asking. Because the same question had been asked to the duke by many other visitors.

The Duchess had liveliness on her face and had a shine in her eyes. The duke says that most of the visitors ask him the same question as the ambassador wants to ask after seeing the portrait. He is not the first person to ask this question. The Duke tells him that his last duchess was very kind and innocent. He felt lucky of having such a nice wife but she had also a weakness in his character. She was so generous that she could smile at the least favour done to her. So the duke did not like her such type of behaviour. He was very dictatorial. 

Stanza--2

The duke is talking to the ambassador. He appreciates his last duchess by saying that she was very beautiful. She was so gorgeous that no painter could paint her charming beauty by his art and brush easily. He felt very lucky to have such a beautiful wife but she was so kind that she could be impressed very easily by an ordinary person. Therefore the duke did not like her. She could not keep the difference between the duke and another admirer. She behaved in same manners to both whether it was the duke or another foolish admirer. She responded in the same way after getting gifts from other ordinary persons as she responded to him when he offered him some costly gifts of ornament. She forgot the dignity of a duchess and gave equal smile to all these admirers. Therefore the duke did not like her cheap behaviour. She should have the dignity of a duchess. 

Stanza--3

The Duke further says that he did not like her excessive kindness for ordinary people. It was not good for the honour of a royal family. She could destroy the nine hundred years old honour of his royal family. She was unable to differentiate between the duke and his servants. The duke could not bear such a silly behaviour of his wife. She behaved the same with other ordinary people as she behaved with the duke. He asked her to improve her manners but she was unable to do it. So he decided to put her to death. Because she was intolerant for him. 

Stanza--4

In this stanza, the duke points out that the duchess in the portrait seems to be alive. There is a smile on her face in the portrait but in reality, all her smiles stopped after killing her. The duke further tells the ambassador about his nine hundred years old reputation. He demands dowry in a very cunning manner by saying that a big amount of dowry will suit his reputation. When the duke reaches on the ground floor, he shows him the statue of Neptune(Sea-God) riding a sea horse.

The duke tells him that it is prepared by Claus of Innsbruck. The duke shows him this statue as a symbol of his strict nature. The duke tells him that he is very strict in his nature and will not tolerate the cheap manners of his future wife. He indirectly advises him that his future wife would also meet the same end if she behaves like his last duchess. Thus the poem is rich in the element of human psychology. The language of the poem is coarse and rude. But the style is charming and musical. Overall the poem is one of the best poems of Browning.

                                                                                                                  

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