Princely Choices in Christina Rossetti’s “The Prince’s Progress” and William Morris’ “Rapunzel” kalista pouget College

In Christina Rossetti’s poem “The Prince’s Progress” and William Morris’ poem “Rapunzel,” the princes make choices which directly affect the fate of the princesses that they are pursuing. The princesses are depicted as unable to carry on their lives without husbands in both works, so the fact that the princes have the power to choose the futures of the women is sometimes detrimental. In “The Prince’s Progress,” the princess waits years for the arrival of her prince, who decides to selfishly value his own agenda over reaching her in a timely manner. As a result, she passes away before they can be married. On the other hand, the Prince in “Rapunzel” chooses not to keep his princess waiting and respects her. Consequently, the Prince and Rapunzel are together by the end of the poem. In both works, the nature and consequences of the princes’ decisions determine the destiny of the princesses.

Through “The Prince’s Progress,” the Prince often decides to put himself above his princess. The nature of his resolutions were inconsiderate and hesitant; for example, while his bride was “patient for [his] sake” (Rossetti 24), the Prince “sat, / [t]aking his ease on cushion and mat” instead of rushing to be with her (13-14). When he finally...