1.
In what ways does “Anne Hathaway” adhere to the conventional structure of a sonnet?

It is 14 lines long.

It is written in iambic pentameter (for the most part).

It consists of three quatrains, followed by a rhyming couplet at the end.

It focuses on the theme of love.
However:

It does not have a rhyme scheme for the first 12 lines.
This perhaps suggests that Anne Hathaway loves and respects Shakespeare, as she adopts the style of his poetry.
However it also suggests her own individuality, as the structure of the poem differs from Shakespeare’s sonnets slightly.
2.
a) What does the poem reveal about Hathaway’s feelings for Shakespeare?
Hathaway clearly loves Shakespeare:

“My lover’s words”,

“I hold him in the basket of my widow’s head”

“My living, laughing love”
Hathaway clearly had a very active sexual relationship with
Shakespeare.


“The bed we loved in was a spinning world of forests, castles, torchliught, cliff-tops, seas”
b) How is this made clear?
3.
What do you not understand about the poem?

“I hold him in the casket of my widow’s head.”
Just as a casket can be used to store the remains of someone who has died, Hathaway’s head stores the remains of her memories of Shakespeare.

“My body now a softer rhyme to his, now echo, assonance”
This suggests that Hathaway’s body is similar to, or repeating the shape of Shakespeare’s. This could be a reference to their physical relationship, and also to the way she respects and emulates him in her life.

“our guests dozed on, dribbling their prose”
This suggests that Hathaway and Shakespeare’s relationship in bed was almost like poetry – it was vivid and passionate. However their guests, by comparison,
“dribbled prose” in their beds – they did not share the same passion and love that H and S did.