Form, Structure, and Love in Duffy's and Rossetti's Poetry Emily Ashenden 12th Grade

For both Christina Rossetti and Carol Ann Duffy, the continuation of love after death is seemingly instigated in part as narrators express their fondness for their partners, without addressing the fear that accompanies death. In "Remember" by Rossetti, which was written during the Victorian epoch, the speaker comforts a partner despite the impending prospect of death. Yet in "Anne Hathaway by Duffy, which was written during the post-modern period in 1990, the speaker reflects on her past relationship with her partner, describing the feelings and passion that accompanied it. Nature and acceptance are both evident in these sonnets; however, it seems that passion is featured more in "Anne Hathaway" than in "Remember," as the speaker takes up a role that is of a more reassuring nature in "Remember."

Death is mentioned at the opening of each poem, as Rossetti uses a euphemism in "Remember" whereas Duffy uses an epigraph from Shakespeare’s will. This strategy creates a tone of solemnity, as the prompt mention of death is startling. However, the poet’s progression from demise to everlasting adoration marks the love between speaker and partner as momentous and interminable. The Victorian and Elizabethan epochs were both Christocentric...