Margaret Cavendish's poetry is concerned with issues of natural philosophy as well as social and political matters. Themes of war and fairies are also indicated in some of the poems of Cavendish. Reading her poetry shows a troubled mind, possibly due to her brief exile. Nature of atoms covers most sections of her poems. Cavendish imagined that the uniformity of natural phenomena requires the sections of nature to move in their own manner. Nature directs every object to have its own distinctive motion. Cavendish argues that the world is probably made up of atoms.
Several poems discuss morality. In her dialogue poems, Cavendish personifies natural entities to debate their rights and different perspectives on different issues. For instance, Cavendish poses the questions of right and wrong to drive her point home. She claims that right and wrong are based on perceptions. Nobody knows what is right or wrong. Everybody perceives something right or wrong depending on perspective. Cavendish also argues that every element has its own position and distinctive activity. Therefore, social harmony happens when every individual understands their position and perform defining actions.
Cavendish's fairy poems explore the concepts of unseen worlds, challenging the definitive knowledge. She personifies natural entities to have a human-like form and reality. The imagination and criticism witnessed in her several poems depict a picture of a poet ahead of her time. Cavendish was literally critical of social mobility. She encouraged women to look for platforms like politics, writing, and philosophy to air their opinions. The speculations on nature and supernatural entities expose her courage to take on the status quo.
