Saturday, August 31, 2019
Havisham and Anne Hathaway Poem Comparison Essay
The poems ââ¬ËHavishamââ¬â¢ and ââ¬ËAnne Hathawayââ¬â¢ by Carol Ann Duffy both portray two women thinking about men; however they have very opposite emotions. The speaker in ââ¬ËHavishamââ¬â¢ feels a mix of emotions but mainly bitter hatred and violence towards the man who left her at the altar. Anne Hathaway, however, thinks very fondly of Shakespeare in the second poem. Both poems involve strong emotions and the use of the first person in each helps to make the emotions seem more personal and immediate. The first three words of ââ¬ËHavishamââ¬â¢ are ââ¬Å"beloved sweetheart bastardâ⬠, this oxymoron shows the speakerââ¬â¢s contrasting emotions towards her lover; she used to love him but now hates him for leaving her. The speaker in ââ¬ËAnne Hathawayââ¬â¢ however, describes Shakespeare as ââ¬Å"My living laughing loveâ⬠, she has affectionate memories of him and even though he is dead she talks as if he were alive. The speaker in ââ¬ËHavishamââ¬â¢ has been completely consumed by her hatred. She says there is ââ¬Å"not a day since then/I havenââ¬â¢t wished him deadâ⬠. She is unable to stop thinking about him; she can neither forgive nor forget him. It seems that Anne Hathaway, too, often thinks about her loved one. She, however, remembers him in the context of ââ¬Å"the bed we loved inâ⬠and remembers how blissful and contented she felt with him in that bed. Anne Hathaway uses vivid imagery to describe Shakespeare and their bed. The speaker describes their bed as ââ¬Å"a spinning world/of forests, castles, torchlight, clifftops, seasâ⬠. It is as if when she is in bed with Shakespeare she is in one of his plays, in some exotic location or enchanted, magical world. Imagery is also used to describe the effects that the intense anger has had on Miss Havisham. When she looks in the mirror she says: ââ¬Å"Her, myself, who did this to me? â⬠This shows that her appearance seems unfamiliar to her and she is shocked by her transformation. She now has ââ¬Å"dark green pebbles for eyesâ⬠, this suggests she is stony and dead inside, unable to feel love because of the pain she has suffered. She also now has ââ¬Å"ropes on the back of my hands I could strangle withâ⬠; by saying this it shows not just how she has physically changed but also shows her murderous thoughts. Both ââ¬Å"Havishamâ⬠and ââ¬Å"Anne Hathawayâ⬠involve beds. In ââ¬Å"Anne Hathawayâ⬠, Anne and Shakespeareââ¬â¢s bed is the stage for ââ¬Å"romance and dramaâ⬠, and while in bed with him Anne feels like ââ¬Å"heââ¬â¢d written meâ⬠, as if he has brought her into being. In their bed they are making poetry together, whilst in their best bed, guests are ââ¬Å"dribblingâ⬠¦ proseâ⬠. Miss Havisham, however, is alone in her bed, it is devoid of romance. Instead her bed is saturated with grief and hatred as all she does is ââ¬Å"stink and rememberâ⬠, she is not making poetry in her bed, instead she spends ââ¬Å"whole days/in bed cawing Nooooo at the wallâ⬠. In her bed she fantasises having her sweetheartââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"lost bodyâ⬠over her, and she imagines her ââ¬Å"fluent tongue in its mouthâ⬠, this macabre image shows how underneath her anger Miss Havisham feels lonely. The structures used for the poems vary. ââ¬ËAnne Hathawayââ¬â¢ is written in the form of a sonnet. This form was often used by Shakespeare so it is fitting that the character of Anne Hathaway should use it too. In ââ¬ËHavishamââ¬â¢ the structure looks orderly with four lines in each verse but this contrasts with the content of the poem and doesnââ¬â¢t reflect Miss Havishamââ¬â¢s confusion. The characters in both of the poems are holding onto memories of their loved ones. Miss Havisham cannot stop thinking about the day her sweetheart left her. She has been unable to move on and she is even still wearing her ââ¬Å"yellowingâ⬠wedding dress. Anne Hathaway says she is holding onto the precious memories of Shakespeare, ââ¬Å"in the casket of my widowââ¬â¢s headâ⬠, this is an apt metaphor because a casket is where you put valuable items and she is therefore keeping her memories safe. Both poems vary in nature. ââ¬Å"Anne Hathawayâ⬠is quite a sensual poem. ââ¬Å"Havishamâ⬠, however is quite an angry and at times violent poem, for example in the final verse the speaker says: ââ¬Å"I stabbed at a wedding-cake Give me a male corpse for a long slow honeymoonâ⬠Her stabbing shows her violent and maniacal behaviour, and when she says ââ¬Å"male corpseâ⬠she is showing her underlying hatred of men and maliciousness towards them. ââ¬ËHavishamââ¬â¢ is a poem full of grief and regret while ââ¬ËAnne Hathawayââ¬â¢ is a celebration of Anne Hathaway and Shakespeareââ¬â¢s love. The women in both poems behave in very different manners and feel very differently towards their loved ones.
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