Extremely detailed A* essay plan page/summary for Byron's 'Lines Inscribed Upon a Cup formed from a Skull'
Contains perceptive and nuanced assertions of high level context, language analysis, arguments and themes.
Undergraduate level analysis for A-Level English Literature Unit 3: Poetry, The Rom...
Topic:
Lines Inscribed Upon a Cup Formed from a Skull – Byron
Key Points/Arguments
Inanimate object is imbued with sentiment or consciousness – a carpe diem poem with Byron ironizing the speaker
Engagement with the Romantic notion of transcending the bounds of the material world
Desire to be of use – a value beyond life
Structure Literary/Dramatic Devices Context
- Mixture of satire S1 Anti-utilitarian –
and lyrical ‘start not’ – apostrophe, directly addresses reader the attempt to
seriousness – ‘spirit’ – pun of humanity/alcohol quantify the value of
serious ‘only skull’ – skull is solipsistic things of their
S2
metaphysical utility, collides with
‘thee/me’ – monosyllabic masc rhyme brings lines to a thudding conc – reader adressed directly
reflection on the individualism
‘I died’ – carries onto next line – prev celebration of life is now contradicted by heavy punc
life/comical ‘thou canst not injure me’ – solace in mortality – cup is constantly trying to find consolation in its state that is central to
- ballad quatrain ‘worm hath fouler lips than thine’ – Marvell, vivacious verb Romantic poetry
(ABAB) – starts S3 Andrew Marvell –
with a foot of two ‘brook/circle’ – loose lexical field of head/ thinking ‘To His Coy
stresses, startling ‘and circle in the goblet’s shape’ – set against the ethereal, fleeting, impermanent material Mistress’ – elaborate
effect ‘reptiles food’ – confinement to the body, grotesque metaphor for the
- stasis vs S4 fleeting nature of
movement, truth vs ‘shone/shine’ – past tense transition- desperate to reclaim vitality of life and be of use life – worms will
beauty ‘substitute/rescue/redeem’d’ – attempt to compensate for the loss of life take your virginity if
S5 I don’t
‘thou/ thine/me’ – first 2 pronouns are collective ‘me’ is highly personal
‘earth’s embrace’ – allit = encroaching, unwanted containment
‘rhyme and revel’ – allit, playful and self-conscious – metatextual
S6 – poignantly reflective
‘Our/theirs’ – speaker alternates between subject and object – personal contemplation and public
address
‘heads’ – used freely, mind and location of skull separated and metaphysical
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