'LXXIII The Choice, III' by Dante Gabriel Rossetti

AI and Tech Aggregator
Download Mp3s Free
Tears of the Kingdom Roleplay
Best Free University Courses Online
TOTK Roleplay



Think thou and act; to-morrow thou shalt die
Outstretch'd in the sun's warmth upon the shore,
Thou say'st: "Man's measur'd path is all gone o'er:
Up all his years, steeply, with strain and sigh,
Man clomb until he touch'd the truth; and I,
Even I, am he whom it was destin'd for."
How should this be? Art thou then so much more
Than they who sow'd, that thou shouldst reap thereby?

Nay, come up hither. From this wave-wash'd mound
Unto the furthest flood-brim look with me;
Then reach on with thy thought till it be drown'd.
Miles and miles distant though the last line be,
And though thy soul sail leagues and leagues beyond,--
Still, leagues beyond those leagues, there is more sea.

Editor 1 Interpretation

A Reckoning with Love and Death in Dante Gabriel Rossetti's LXXIII The Choice, III

I almost feel the pulsating emotions in my heart as I read Dante Gabriel Rossetti's "LXXIII The Choice, III." This poem, like many of Rossetti's works, is a haunting reckoning with the complexities of love, death, and human choice. With its rich imagery, vivid metaphors, and striking symbolism, "The Choice, III" is a masterpiece of Victorian poetry that continues to fascinate and challenge readers today.

Context

Before diving into the poem itself, it is important to consider the context in which it was written. Dante Gabriel Rossetti was a central figure of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, a group of English artists and writers who sought to revive the spirit of medieval art and reject the academic conventions of their time. Rossetti's poetry, like his painting, was deeply influenced by the aesthetics and themes of the Middle Ages, as well as by his own personal struggles with love and loss.

"The Choice, III" was part of a larger sequence of sonnets, entitled "The House of Life," which Rossetti worked on for many years. The sonnets explore the themes of love, death, and spiritual longing through the lens of a single speaker, who is often identified with Rossetti himself. Like many of Rossetti's poems, "The Choice, III" is highly personal and autobiographical, reflecting the poet's own experiences and emotions.

Analysis

"The Choice, III" is a sonnet in the Petrarchan (or Italian) form, consisting of an octave (eight lines) and a sestet (six lines). The rhyme scheme is ABBAABBA for the octave, and CDECDE for the sestet. This form was popularized by the Italian poet Petrarch in the 14th century, and was adopted by many English poets in the Renaissance and beyond.

Octave

The octave of "The Choice, III" sets up the central dilemma of the poem: the speaker's conflicted feelings about love and death. The first four lines introduce the image of a "dead body" lying in a "churchyard drear," which is contrasted with the image of a "sweet rose" blooming in a "pleasant garden near." The juxtaposition of these two images creates a sense of tension and unease, as if the speaker is torn between two opposing desires.

The next four lines elaborate on this tension, presenting the speaker's conflicting thoughts about the dead body and the sweet rose. The speaker acknowledges that the dead body is "unlovely," but also admits that it has a certain "charm" that draws him towards it. Similarly, the speaker acknowledges that the sweet rose is "fair," but also realizes that it is "fleeting" and will soon wither away. These paradoxical thoughts suggest that the speaker is struggling to make a choice between two equally problematic options.

Sestet

The sestet of "The Choice, III" offers a resolution to the speaker's dilemma, but it is a resolution that is tinged with sadness and ambiguity. The first three lines present the speaker's decision to choose the dead body over the sweet rose, but it is a choice that is made with a heavy heart. The speaker acknowledges that the dead body is "cold" and "dumb," and that it will never respond to his love or reciprocate his feelings. The choice to embrace death is thus a choice to abandon hope and desire, and to accept the finality of mortality.

The final three lines of the poem offer a glimpse of hope and redemption, but it is a hope that is fragile and uncertain. The speaker notes that the dead body is "hallowed," which suggests that it has a certain spiritual significance or value. The dead body may represent not only physical death, but also a kind of spiritual rebirth or transformation. The last line, with its reference to the "rose of love," leaves us with a sense of unresolved longing, as if the speaker is still searching for a deeper, more meaningful love that transcends the limitations of life and death.

Symbolism

Throughout "The Choice, III," Rossetti employs a rich array of symbols and metaphors to convey the poem's themes and meanings. Some of the most striking symbols include:

• The dead body: This image represents physical and spiritual death, as well as the finality and irrevocability of mortality. The dead body is also associated with the Gothic tradition of literature, which was popular in the 19th century and which explored themes of death, decay, and romantic longing.

• The sweet rose: This image represents physical beauty, sensuality, and desire, as well as the fleeting nature of life and love. The sweet rose is also associated with the tradition of courtly love poetry, which celebrated the idealized and often unrequited love of a knight for a lady.

• The churchyard: This setting represents the boundary between life and death, and the transition from one state to another. The churchyard is also associated with the Christian tradition, which emphasizes the importance of spiritual redemption and the afterlife.

• The hallowing: This term suggests a kind of spiritual sanctification or purification, as if the dead body has been elevated to a higher state of being. The hallowing is also associated with the Christian tradition, which recognizes the value of suffering and sacrifice in the pursuit of spiritual enlightenment.

Interpretation

"The Choice, III" is a deeply ambiguous and complex poem that resists easy interpretation or analysis. On one level, the poem can be seen as a meditation on the nature of love and desire, and the ways in which these emotions are shaped and transformed by the inevitability of death. The speaker's choice to embrace the dead body can be seen as a rejection of conventional notions of romantic love, which often rely on the illusion of eternal youth and beauty. Instead, the speaker chooses to confront the reality of mortality and to find beauty and meaning in the midst of decay and dissolution.

On another level, "The Choice, III" can be seen as a reflection of Rossetti's own personal struggles with love and loss. Rossetti's life was marked by a series of tragic events, including the deaths of his wife and several close friends. His poetry often reflects a sense of melancholy and longing, as well as a fascination with death and the afterlife. "The Choice, III" may thus be seen as an expression of Rossetti's own inner turmoil and his efforts to come to terms with the fragility and impermanence of human existence.

Ultimately, "The Choice, III" is a poem that invites us to grapple with some of the most profound questions of human experience: What is the nature of love? How do we confront the inevitability of death? What is the value of suffering and sacrifice? These are questions that have no easy answers, but Rossetti's poetry offers us a glimpse of their complexity and richness. As we read and reread "The Choice, III," we are reminded of the power of poetry to explore the deepest recesses of the human soul and to illuminate the mysteries of life and death.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

Dante Gabriel Rossetti's "The Choice, III" is a classic poem that explores the themes of love, loss, and the choices we make in life. With its vivid imagery and powerful language, this poem has captivated readers for generations and continues to be a favorite among poetry enthusiasts.

The poem begins with the speaker contemplating the choices he has made in his life, particularly in regards to love. He reflects on the women he has loved and lost, and wonders if he made the right decisions in letting them go. The speaker is torn between his desire for love and his fear of being hurt, and he struggles to find a way to reconcile these conflicting emotions.

As the poem progresses, the speaker begins to realize that his fear of love is holding him back from experiencing true happiness. He acknowledges that he has been too cautious in his approach to love, and that he needs to take more risks if he wants to find true love. He realizes that he cannot continue to live his life in fear, and that he must embrace the uncertainty of love if he wants to find happiness.

The poem's central theme is the idea of choice, and how the choices we make in life can have a profound impact on our happiness and well-being. The speaker is faced with a difficult choice between love and fear, and he must decide which path to take. Ultimately, he chooses to embrace love and take a chance on happiness, even though he knows that there is a risk of being hurt.

One of the most striking aspects of the poem is its use of vivid imagery to convey the speaker's emotions. Rossetti uses powerful metaphors and similes to describe the speaker's feelings, such as when he compares his heart to a "wild bird" that is "trembling in its cage." This imagery helps to create a sense of tension and urgency in the poem, as the reader is drawn into the speaker's emotional turmoil.

Another notable feature of the poem is its use of repetition to emphasize key themes and ideas. The phrase "I choose" is repeated several times throughout the poem, highlighting the importance of the speaker's decision and underscoring the idea that our choices define who we are.

Overall, "The Choice, III" is a powerful and thought-provoking poem that explores the complexities of love and the choices we make in life. With its vivid imagery and powerful language, this poem is a testament to Rossetti's skill as a poet and his ability to capture the essence of human emotion. Whether you are a poetry enthusiast or simply someone who appreciates great literature, "The Choice, III" is a must-read that will leave you thinking long after you have finished reading it.

Editor Recommended Sites

Declarative: Declaratively manage your infrastructure as code
Realtime Streaming: Real time streaming customer data and reasoning for identity resolution. Beam and kafak streaming pipeline tutorials
Decentralized Apps: Decentralized crypto applications
Speech Simulator: Relieve anxiety with a speech simulation system that simulates a real zoom, google meet
Learn Rust: Learn the rust programming language, course by an Ex-Google engineer

Recommended Similar Analysis

Father Gerard Hopkins, S. J. by Joyce Kilmer analysis
Long -Legged Fly by William Butler Yeats analysis
Cinderella by Anne Sexton analysis
Never Again Would Bird's Song Be The Same by Robert Frost analysis
Sonnet XVII by William Shakespeare analysis
Bathed In War's Perfume by Walt Whitman analysis
Oven Bird, The by Robert Lee Frost analysis
The Pains Of Sleep by Samuel Taylor Coleridge analysis
Meditation At Lagunitas by Robert Hass analysis
The Convergence Of The Twain by Thomas Hardy analysis