Poem no.4 of Matric Poetry Set. A line-by-line analysis and summary of "To the Night" by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Involving a particular focus on metaphors, symbolism, context, and figures of speech. To hopefully give a clearer understanding of a rather confusing and ambiguous poem.
‘To The Night’
By Percy Bysshe Shelley
Background of Poet: (Non-Examinable only to help understand various nodes
in the poem)
- A very controversial man and was an alleged bigamist (rumoured to have
2 wives at the same time.
Type of Poem: Lyric - a toast or ode (honouring the night)
About: written about Night but there are romantic and longing connotations to
it as well.
Theory 1: The writer literally wishes for night to come. (The time he feels most
alive/happy)
Theory 2: Day & Night represent the two women in his life.
Structure:
- Indented lines (long & short)
- 7 lines per stanza
- 5 Stanzas
Double quotation marks in poem analysis: refer to direct speech that is quoted.
Important Poetic Elements/Figures of Speech:
Personification The attribute of a personal nature or
human characteristics to something
non-human or the representation of
an abstract quality in human form.
Alliteration The repetition of a consonant within
a single line for a desired effect.
Dash [--] Can be used to create a dramatic
pause.
1|Page Created by Jaimie Morgan
, Juxtaposition Two things seen or placed together
with contrasting effects.
Apostrophe When the speaker directly refers to
(The Night) someone who isn’t there/present.
*Note the genders of Night & Day alternate depending on the stanza.
Stanza Two: Day = female | Night = male
Stanza Three: Day = male
*Juxtaposition: Day & Night are opposing ideas, not only in their characteristics
but in the fact that usually Day is desired, and Night is undesired. However, this
isn’t the case in this poem.
Title:
‘To The Night’
“To” – reinforces that the poem is a letter or ode to the Night.
“The Night” – With its definite article The and Capital letters defines Night a
proper noun and is personified.
Stanza One:
Tone: Desperate | Certain | Demanding | Longing
Line 1: ‘Swiftly walk o’er the western Personification: The sun/day is given the
wave’ human ability to “walk”
“Western wave” – reference to sun setting.
“swiftly” – suggests an eagerness to day to
end and night to begin.
Line 2: ‘Spirit of Night! ’ [!] – exclamation mark suggests favourable
relationship with and excited anticipation
of the Night.
Line 3: ‘Out of the misty eastern cave,’ “Eastern cave” – refers to moon rising
(night approaching)
Line 4: ‘Where, all the long and lone Alliteration: consonant [L] emphasises the
daylight,’ length of daytime.
“Long and lone daylight” – suggest the
speaker doesn’t want or enjoy lengthy Day.
2|Page Created by Jaimie Morgan
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 EFT, credit card or Stuvia-credit 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 this summary from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller JaimieMorgan. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy this summary for R50,00. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
