Samantha Rich
English Literature: Love Through the Ages wider reading
MIDDLE ENGLISH PERIOD:
PETRARCH: 13 th CENTURY
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‘ Gli Occhi Di Ch’...
The form of this poem is a Petrarchan sonnet. This is one of the earliest forms of sonnet and was the starting point for the Spenserian sonnet and the Shakespearean sonnet. One of the main themes that seems to be apparent is the theme of unrequited love, as Petrarch makes repeated reference to the unnamed woman’s natural beauty and the fact that she does not love him in the same way. Obsessive love could also be another theme; however at the end of the poem, the theme of death is evident, hence suggesting grief felt as a result of the death of his muse, Laura.
RENAISSANCE PERIOD AND NEOCLASSICAL PERIOD:
THOMAS WYATT: 1500s
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‘Farewell, Love, And All They Laws For Ever’
Wyatt was influenced by Petrarch and so this poem is also written in the form of a
Petrarchan sonnet. One of the themes in this poem is the theme of broken hearts, as Wyatt is describing how he does not wish to be involved with love anymore and that love should be inflicted on the younger generations. We can therefore assume that the poet/ speaker has had bad experiences with love. Wyatt also conveys a hate for love; using negative imagery such as “baited hooks”.
HENRY HOWARD, EARL OF SURREY: 1500s
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‘Set Me Whereas The Sun Doth Parch The Green’
Howard changed original Petrarchan sonnet rhyme scheme and divided the sonnet into quatrains with a final couplet (typical of English Renaissance sonnets). This is the form of this poem, in which the poem is divided into three quatrains with a final rhyming couplet. One of the most prominent themes is the theme of unrequited love, as Howard places a lot of stress on his love for her, but ends with “my chance be nought”. A sense of pity is also conveyed, as well as devotion.
EDMUND SPENSER: 1500s
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‘Sonnet 75’
This poem is written in the form of the Spenserian sonnet (ABAB BCBC CDCD EE). Within this form, the poem also appears to be quite lyrical, hence providing an indication that the poem could arguably have been sung at some time, and providing a memorable tone and atmosphere. The theme that is most clearly expressed in this poem is the theme of immortal love. This immortality is expressed when the poet states that his lover shall be remembered through his poems and verse. Spenser’s theme of immortality is also evident when, in the final couplet, he compares the eternity of love and death to the shortness of life and the human race.
SHAKESPEARE: 1500s-1600s
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‘Sonnet 116’
This poem is written in the form of the Shakespearean sonnet and a has a regular rhyme scheme of ABAB CDCD EFEF GG (alternate rhyme followed by a final couplet pair). The themes of this poem appear to be that of a en eternal love and entering a relationship based on trust and understanding. Love is an unmoveable force that cannot be controlled. The
“wandering bark” might also give indication of a reference to the mystery of love and how it

Samantha Rich is “unknown”. Therefore we as humans can love, but we do not fully understand the complexity of it.
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‘Romeo and Juliet’
The form of this play is a tragedy. This is made clear from the deaths of Mercutio, Tybalt and of course, Romeo and Juliet. The concept behind the star-crossed lovers’ deaths is very emotive and the portrayal of this emotion will be helped by acting, lighting, sound effects and arguably the fact that the audience can experience the emotion first hand and on a personal basis. The tragedy form is used very well by Shakespeare as it has become incredibly well known since its publishing.
The most poignant theme in Romeo and Juliet is the theme of forbidden love. The families of the two lovers are infamous for their prolonged feud and the audience receive a sense of this during the various fights and the language from both parties. However, Romeo and
Juliet overlook this and instead focus on their own love; meeting in secret and becoming husband and wife without their families finding out. They are forced to convey messages to each other through messengers: the Nurse and Friar Lawrence. Also closely linked to this is the theme/idea of the individual versus society, as both Romeo and Juliet are forced to struggle against their respective family’s wishes in order to be with one another.
THOMAS CAREW: 1500s-1600s
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‘A Song’
The main theme that is evident in this poem is the theme of nature, and comparing the beauty of nature to the beauty of the woman that the poet is speaking to. This theme is made apparent through constant references to natural beautiful aspects of nature such as sunlight and flowers. The compares the woman and nature which gives the poem an adoring tone.
The form of this poem is a ballad. The constant couplets rhyme scheme and the references to nature both give indication that this is written in the ballad form. It has an overall positive tone and atmosphere and adheres to the rule that ballads were generally sung; the regularity of the rhythm also aids this concept.
ROMANTIC PERIOD:
JOHN KEATS: 1700s-1800s
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‘On the Sonnet’
This poem was written in the second generation of the Romantic movement. Within this poem, Keats conveys his dislike of the limits of Petrarchan /Shakespearean sonnet, and goes as far as to state the fate of poetry if it follows the restrictive form of the sonnet. The poem itself is written in the form of a sonnet, however unlike the Shakespearean sonnet form, it does not have a final rhyming couplet; instead the final quatrain provides alternate rhyme.
The theme of this poem is love for literature and poetry itself, through which Keats makes repeated references to music terms such as “chord”. The poem does not convey a love for a person, but instead a love for the beauty of poetry and how it can open the minds of others.
JOHN CLARE: 1700s-1800s
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‘Love Lives Beyond the Tomb’
This poem appears to be written in the form a lyric due to its song like rhythm, although it could arguably be in the form of a ballad, as a result of its simple alternate rhyme structure and regular rhythm pattern. The most poignant theme in this poem is the celebration of love, even in the event of death. It still contains many positive lexical choices and references despite its underlying mournful atmosphere. A theme of eternity is also apparent, as the

Samantha Rich poet uses refrains to convey the idea of an eternal life, where death is but another step on a journey.
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‘A World for Love’
The main theme that appears in this poem is the theme of a perfect love; that love can be perfect in a perfect place. This theme contrasts with the initial theme of the world’s evil and how this evil can damage love and the people in it.
The theme of a perfect love also intertwines with references to nature and the seasons, which ultimately gives the poem an overall, positive tone.
This poem is in the form of a ballad, as is evident through its regular alternate rhyme pattern and the short, four line stanzas. Consequently, the poem is memorable and sounds
‘song-like’. Also relating to the ballad form, the poem also appears to tell a story, in which the opening stanza acts as an introduction. Clare then continues to describe the perfect world and finishes in the final stanza with a conclusion, in which the final word is “thee”; hence giving the impression of the extent of his love for the unnamed woman in the poem.
SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE: 1700s-1800s
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‘Desire’
This poem contains only one stanza: a quatrain. The main theme throughout this short poem is the theme of passionate love. Coleridge, in this poem, defines what he believes to be passionate love in a short amount of lines. This theme of passionate love is exemplified through the repeated references to fire and flames and also the idea of love being at the centre of everything in the world. It also makes some underlying reference to his philosophical view of ‘taking the higher road’, as demonstrated by the quote “meaning from the nobler part”.
JANE AUSTEN: 1700s-1800s
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‘Sense and Sensibility
The form of this prose text is a novel, with the occasional inclusion of the letter form. This letter form can be demonstrated when Mr Willoughby writes to Marianne, informing her of his regret that they can no longer hold an engagement with each other. Also, when Colonel
Brandon receives an important letter, of which he has to attend to immediately. This letter form is similar to Pride and Prejudice, which is also written by Jane Austen.
There are several themes that are evident in this novel, one of which is unrequited love. This theme is most evident in the case of Colonel Brandon and Marianne, where Colonel Brandon adores, or to some extent, idolises Marianne. However Marianne does not mirror these feelings to Colonel Brandon and he is forced to witness Marianne instead falling in love with
Mr Willoughby. Elinor also experiences unrequited love as her love felt towards Edward
Ferrars is initially mirrored, however Elinor soon learns of his engagement to Lucy Steele.
Her actions and feelings when finding out this information indicate that that she still loves him.
Another theme that is evident in this novel is the theme of sibling relationships. Elinor and
Marianne have a very close relationship, and this can be demonstrated through Elinor’s heartbreak when she discovers the insincerity of Mr Willoughby with regards to Marianne.
Similarly when Elinor reveals to Marianne of Edward’s other engagement, Marianne is distraught.
WILLIAM BLAKE: 1700s-1800s
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‘On Another’s Sorrow’

Samantha Rich
The main theme that is prominent throughout this poem is the theme of religion and God.
The poet initially questions whether we, as human beings, can witness the suffering of others and not be moved as well. The poet then moves on to tell the reader that even through a person’s worst sufferings and ordeals, God is always with them and is suffering with them. This therefore gives the poem not only a theme of religion, but also a theme of eternity; the eternity being the eternal presence of God.
The form is similar to that of a ballad, as the regular rhyme pattern and syllable pattern give the poem a distinctive rhythm and therefore makes it memorable to a reader. As well as this, the short length of the stanzas (four lines) provides a similarity to the ballad form.
VICTORIAN PERIOD:
CHRISTINA ROSSETTI: 1800s
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‘A Birthday’
This poem has a central theme of nature and, depending on different reader interpretations, religion also. The theme of nature is exemplified in the first stanza through lexical items such as “singing bird” and “thick-set fruit”, whereas the religious imagery is conveyed through the
“apple tree” and “fruit”, as these items could be references to the Garden of Eden and the first creation. Rossetti then proceeds to say how her heart is “gladder than all these” because her love is with her. It can therefore be said that the main theme of this poem is nature and has an underlying theme of a joyous love or relationship.
The form of this poem is not entirely clear. Each quatrain within the two octaves is structured into ABCB rhyme scheme (alternate single rhyme followed by an alternate rhyming couplet. It could therefore be argued that the form of this poem is a lyric, as the rhyme scheme gives the poem a song like quality.
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‘Remember Me’
This poem is in the form of a sonnet; containing fourteen lines of which the 12 th and 14 th line convey an alternate rhyme scheme. The poem is split into an octave and a sestet, which is another common feature on the structure of the ballad form and during the transition from the octave to the sestet, a Volta (change of tone/idea) is apparent.
The sonnet form is used well in this poem, as the poem’s main dual theme is love and death intertwined to create a mournful but yet positive tone. It also portrays an underlying theme of a separation or being a considerable distance apart; as demonstrated by “gone away” and
“day by day”.
EMILY DICKINSON: 1800s
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‘Love’s Stricken ‘why’’
This poem is set out into one quatrain and contains two single rhymes and a rhyming couplet/slant rhyme in the second and third lines. As a result of this, it is not entirely clear as to what its form is, however it could be argued that due to the shortness of this poem, it was not intended to have a specific form. Instead, it could just be considered a simple thought process or moment of reflection that is in no need of a set form to convey meaning.
The central theme of this poem is the theme of heartbreak, as the poet is portraying juxtaposition between “syllable” and “hugest”, therefore giving indication as to the extent of which love can hurt a person.
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‘My Life Closed Twice’
There are a couple of themes that an individual reader could interpret whilst reading this poem. One theme could be death, as “close” gives connotations of an ending and therefore possibly death. However, “closed twice” gives the impression of an event happening in the poet’s life twice that has caused her to compare it to death; giving an idea of suffering from love. In this poem’s case, it would be apt to suggest that the poet has lost two people in her

Samantha Rich life; either through death or through the ending of a relationship. The theme of this poem is therefore dual: love and death. The form appears to be free verse, as the poet does not give any apparent regularity to the rhyme or rhythm structure. This therefore relates back to the theme of death and its uncertainty.
ALFRED LORD TENNYSON: 1800s
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‘Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal, Now the White’
One of the most poignant themes in this poem is the theme of nature, as shown by repeated references to the Earth and natural occurrences and objects such as “meteor” and “lake”.
Tennyson weaves the nature theme into the theme of love by focusing on comparing the natural world and his lover; therefore making them seemingly one item.
The form of this poem is a sonnet, as it contains fourteen lines split into two quatrains and three two line stanzas. Unlike previous forms of sonnet, this poem does not contain a final rhyming couplet as it is written in blank verse form (unrhymed iambic pentameter).
As a result of this, the poet establishes the idea of being lost in love and thought.
ROBERT BROWNING: 1800s
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‘Meeting at Night’
The form of this poem is very close to the sonnet form, as it contains twelve lines. However, not every reader would consider this a sonnet, due to the two absent lines and also the absence of a rhyming couplet at the end of the poem. This poem does however have a very neat rhyme scheme, in which the rhymes seem to be nestled inside each other (in other words ABCCBA). This could be similar to a palindrome effect.
There are several themes that could be established in this poem. One of the most poignant themes I believe is the theme of forbidden love, as all throughout the poem the poet is describing how the ‘Romeo’ character is walking at night to meet his lover. Walking at night gives indications of secrecy and provides a forbidden love/ Romeo and Juliet type atmosphere. Another possible theme is that of nature, as Browning makes multiple references to the natural beauty around him in the first stanza particularly. It could be argued that the natural beauty around him is exaggerated by the thought of seeing his lover.
THOMAS HARDY: 1800s-1900s
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‘The Voice’
The main theme in this poem is the theme of lost love, as Hardy is conveying to the reader how he can hear a woman’s voice calling to him and convinces himself that this woman is there with him. It is not until the end of the poem that the reader establishes the fact that the woman’s voice was in his imagination. Lost love is also conveyed through the way in which Hardy recollects her “air-blue gown!” The reader can assume that this theme is based on the event of death or the ending of a relationship.
This poem contains sixteen lines, of which there is an alternate rhyme scheme apparent. The poem is close to the sonnet form however, its regular rhyme scheme and line pattern could arguably be considered more similar to the ballad form. This poem regular alternate rhyme scheme makes the poem memorable and song-like despite its initial saddened atmosphere and tone.

Samantha Rich
W.B YEATS: 1800s-1900s
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‘When you are old and full of sleep’
There appears to be a dual theme present in this poem as the speaker has been rejected by the nameless woman in the poem. Instead the woman favoured a man who temporarily loved her “beauty” and “grace”. The speaker also gives indication as to how “Love fled”, therefore establishing a regretful tone and consequently a theme of regret. The “glowing bars” gives an idea of a possible passionate love at some point in the speaker’s life; possibly involving this woman. However it is clear to see that it did not last, therefore giving another possible theme of unrequited love. This theme is shown through the speaker’s references to the woman’s “grace” and the “soft look” she once had, however there is no indication in the poem that the speaker was loved back in the same way.
The form of this poem is similar to that of a ballad. Despite its regretful and saddened tone in certain lines, the regular rhyme scheme and stanza length may be signs of the ballad form.
Its ABBA rhyme scheme (single rhyme, followed by couplet and then another single rhyme), consequently means that the poem is memorable to a reader and creates a song-like atmosphere.
E.E CUMMINGS: 1800s-1900s
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‘I like my body’
The form of this poem is the sonnet form, due mainly to the inclusion of only fourteen lines.
However due to the fact that it is a modern text, the rules of the standard
Shakespearean/Petrarchan sonnet form have been adapted and changed. For example, this poem does not contain a regular rhyme structure or rhythm; instead it appears to be written as it was thought. Also the poem does not contain a final rhyming couplet, which was considered a standardised language tool used in many Shakespearean sonnets. The major theme in this poem is passionate love, as the speaker describes his excited feelings towards the unnamed woman. This theme is aided by the use of repeated commas and also the use of an elliptical line towards the end of the poem.
MODERN PERIOD:
SYLVIA PLATH: 1900s
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‘Metaphors’
There does not seem to be any specific form to this poem. Instead Plath has structured her poem to represent her own pregnancy; using nine lines and nine syllables within each line to represent the nine months of pregnancy. In itself this is a metaphor, which is used to deliberately to link to the title. It could be argued that this poem is structured in to two sections; a quintet and then a quatrain. It is in the quatrain that the worrying tone is established, as opposed to the tone of self-mockery that is portrayed in the first five lines.
This links to the theme of this poem, which is a dual theme: mockery and worry. In the quintet, Plath makes it clear that she thinks of her image and appearance in a negative way and conveys that she resents her pregnancy. This is continued into the quatrain, in which a tone/theme of worry is established, due to the fact that she feels she is not ready and she is not in control of her situation.
POST MODERN PERIOD:
CAROL ANN DUFFY: 1900s-present
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‘Miles Away’
This poem is structured into fourteen lines, which would naturally give indication that the form of this poem is a sonnet. However, the poem itself does not have any clear definition of different lines as most new lines are started on the same line as the previous line. It could

Samantha Rich therefore be said that this poem does not have a form as such, but instead is set out into a similar fashion to a prose text. This could reflect Duffy’s continuous and confused feelings as she is narrating them to the reader. This links to the main theme of the poem: separation.
The reader can assume that Duffy and her lover have been separated either by force or by unavoidable instances such as work. Repetition of lexis such as “again” and multiple utilisations of commas also help to convey a feeling of longing and desperation and therefore a theme of separation.
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‘Medusa’
This is a considerably long poem from Duffy, in which the most poignant theme portrayed is the theme of self-hate. Duffy compares herself to an evil gorgon and uses a structure similar to that of a story to convey this. For example at the beginning of the poem, the initial
“jealousy” is established, which then grows into something more evil; finally finishing on a reflective and resentful tone. Like ‘Miles Away’, no apparent form is evident; however it could be argued that the closest form relatable to this poem is the epic form. The poem is narrative like the epic form, however it does not tell the story of a hero-the opposite in fact.
Duffy describes herself as evil and an angry tone is evident throughout the one unbroken stanza, which reflects her constant paranoia and out of control emotions.
NICHOLAS SPARKS: 1900s-present

‘Dear John’
The form of this prose text is a novel, in which the form of letters is also interwoven into the initial novel theme. This novel contains several letters between John and Savanna whilst
John is on a tour of duty with the U.S Army, as well as a descriptive element of how their lives change as a result of 9/11. It could therefore be argued that this prose text has three forms: novel, letters and factual. The story is told from John’s perspective in the third person narrative and the reader only witnesses Savanna’s feelings and life situation when she is with John.
There are several themes which are apparent throughout this novel. The first initial theme presented is the theme of young love, almost similar to the love felt between Romeo and
Juliet. Despite their occasional disputes, John and Savanna are able to continue their relationship and the love they feel for each other is very great. However an underlying theme of separation is evident towards the middle and end of the novel due to John’s duties in the Army and also 9/11. It is here that the difficulties of their relationship are highlighted and unrequited love is soon unmistakable-Savanna marries another whilst John is on a tour of duty. Sparks makes it clear to the reader that John still loves Savanna, however because of this; he refuses the love she shows him at the end of the novel and does not come into her life again.