Interview
To the Night - Percy Bysshe Shelley Analysis
- Module
- Institution
This is an in-depth analysis of To the Night by Percy Bysshe Shelley.
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
liezlbroodryk
Content preview
To the Night - Percy Bysshe ShelleyBackground
Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1821):
- Born in Sussex, England
- Attended Oxford University and Eton College
- Married Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein
- Moved to Italy
- Drowned while out sailing
- Considered a ladies man
- First marriage failed and first wife committed suicide after he left her
- After his body was found, his friends burned his body on the beach because
he died during a pandemic and there were funeral restrictions in place.
- Part of the romantic movement: 2nd generation of British Romantic writers
Romantic Era (1850-1920):
- Response to scientific discourse
- Highlight more subjective views
- Descriptive, ideal, “flowery” language
To the Night: Analysis
- It is a love poem to night
- 1st person perspective
Title:
- The meaning of the title is literal
- The poem is addressed to the figure of Night
, A Swiftly walk o'er the western wave,
B Spirit of Night!
A Out of the misty eastern cave,
B Where, all the long and lone daylight,
C Thou wovest dreams of joy and fear,
C Which make thee terrible and dear,—
B Swift be thy flight!
D Wrap thy form in a mantle grey,
E Star-inwrought!
D Blind with thine hair the eyes of Day;
E Kiss her until she be wearied out,
F Then wander o'er city, and sea, and land,
F Touching all with thine opiate wand—
E Come, long-sought!
G When I arose and saw the dawn,
H I sighed for thee;
G When light rode high, and the dew was gone,
H And noon lay heavy on flower and tree,
I And the weary Day turned to his rest,
I Lingering like an unloved guest.
H I sighed for thee.
J Thy brother Death came, and cried,
K Wouldst thou me?
J Thy sweet child Sleep, the filmy-eyed,
K Murmured like a noontide bee,
L Shall I nestle near thy side?
L Wouldst thou me?—And I replied,
K No, not thee!
M Death will come when thou art dead,
N Soon, too soon—
M Sleep will come when thou art fled;
N Of neither would I ask the boon
O I ask of thee, belovèd Night—
O Swift be thine approaching flight,
N Come soon, soon!
Structure:
- The format is that of an ode
- It has a musical quality which is created by the rhyme scheme and rhythm
- Rhyme Scheme: ababccb in each stanza
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller liezlbroodryk. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £3.35. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
79276 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy revision notes and other study material for 14 years now