Eve of St Agnes

Question	Answer
Opening: "bitter chill it was" "frosted breath"	There is a semantic field of cold imagery. This opens the scene and sets the undertone for the rest of the poem. The intensity of the coldness is not only seen outside of the castle but within it. Could suggests that sense of death within the castle is imminent,
Opening: "sculptured dead, on each side, seem to freeze"	This intrinsically links the sense of cold and death. Which adds to the establishment of the undertone of death and misery which heighten the sense of tragedy from the outset of the poem. The readers hope of a happy ending is seen as slim.
"Alreadly had is deathbell rung" "The joys of all his life were said and sung"	This shows the inevitability of his death. In fact he is described as basically already dead as his life is gone.
"burst in the argent revelry"	This youthful party is juxtaposed to the beadsman
"snarling trumpets"	This is use of personification to describe the trumpets makes them sound cruel and violent. This could allude to the careless and reckless nature of the youth. The character of Porphyro epitomizes this assumption of the youth who is described as the "burning Porphyro"
"Young visions of delight"	Links to the legend of the Eve of St Agnes where young virgins would vision their future husband. "Visions of delight" have sexual connotations. Links to the part where Keats talks about the "honeyed middle of the night". Honey is often used by Keats to symbolise sexuality.
"amorous cavalier, And back retired"	This showed how she had many suitors and this links to the legend of St Agnes.
LEGEND OF ST AGNES	She suffered martyrdom at the age of 12 or 13. She was a beautiful young girl of wealthy family and therefore had many suitors of high rank. Legend holds that the young men, slighted by her resolute devotion to religious purity, submitted her name to the authorities as a follower of Christianity. The Prefect condemned Agnes to be dragged naked through the streets to a brothel. Various versions of the legend give different methods of escape from this predicament. In one, as she prayed, her hair grew and covered her body. It was also said that all of the men that attempted to rape her were immediately struck blind. In another the son of the prefect is struck dead, but revived after she prayed for him, causing her release.
Porphyro: "heart on fire"	Shows his passion and full of youth contrasts to lifelessness of the beadsman.
"speak, kneel, touch, kiss"	These verbs all increase in intensity shows the growing passion within him.
"Barberian hordes" "Hyena foemen" "Hot - blooded lords"	Madelines family has a strong disliking to Porphyro this is similar to the plot of Romeo and Juliet and Angela plays a similar role to that of the nurse could suggest that Madeline and Porphyro will face a similar fate. Madeline's familiy is described by animalistic imagery and this establishes the hostile nature Porphyro faces. This could cement him as a Romantic hero as he will risk his life for her love.
"the aged creature came" "grasped his fingers in her palsied hand"	These dehumanises Angela. palsied suggests that she has paralysis. This shows her age. this type of paralysis would of been known by Keats due to his work in Guy's hospital.
Porphyro is said to have "flit like a ghost away"	This is an unusual description of the romantic hero, as a gjost is normally a fear - inducing figure . So the fact that he is compared to a ghost gives him a darkness to his character. Alternatively, if he leaves without Madeline then he would die. This gives a more sympathetic view of him as it shows that his love for Madeline is real. Shows that he is an ambiguous character.
"silent as a tomb" "Now tell me where is Madeline"	Silent as a tomb has clear connections with death. it is also Porphyro that breaks this silence could suggest that he is the oppositie of death links to passionate youth.
"Ah St Agnes"	Angela didn't know it was the Eve of St Agnes. Shows her age and confusion. Shows how their has been a loss of religion. Securalisation. Only Madeline that believes in the religion and the ritual
"thought of those enchantments cold"	Refers to the unreality of her dreams. This could refer to the hopelessness of these dreams. They are sweet but they never come true. This tragic in itself.
"A stratagem that makes the beldame start"	Th reader does not hear this plan so we are left to infer. This shows Porphyro as more of a villain.
"wicked man" "Cruel man"	This is coming from the woman that has prayed for him. Shows she could of got him wrong and that he could be a villain.
"I will not harm her by all saints I swear"	This portrays him as more of a romantic hero than a villain.
"The maiden's chamber, silken, hushed and chaste"	This is contrasts to Porhyro who is said to cause a "purple riot". Shows he is able to contaminate the tranquillity shows he going to change the fortune.
"free from mortal taint"	Could link to her purity.
"warmed jewels" "chilly nest"	The sense of warmth is only constrained to her bedroom this shows the passion between them. But the sense of cold is still presen show that cold reality is near by to shatter the illusion.
"impossible to melt as iced stream"	Shows the power of the dream.
"Awakening up, he took her hollow lute"	Madeline is neither awake nor asleep. "Hollow lute"could suggests that she is without. Continuation of the sexual metaphor.
"blue affrayed eyes"	Shows that she is afraid and vulnerable, She is the victim to exploitation of men. Links to the fact that Pophyro was leaning over her bed while she was sleeping shows the vulnerability of women at the time. it is after this that the influence of the storm grows.
"How changed thou art"	Madeline states how that Popyhyro is not like in her dreams. So shows that reality ruins dreams. Foreshadows the upcoming tragedy.
"o'er the southern moors I have a home for thee"	Makes Pophyro as reckless and a contemporary reader they would of known the dangers that this posed. As cures had not been properly developed so susceptibility to illness was high.
"glide like phantoms"	Links to the interpretation of Pophryo's at the start could suggest that now Madeline has now joined up with evil. Little progression in his characters shows that he hasn't gained mine by gaining Madeline.
"These lovers fled into the storm"	This is dangerous - release of passions.
The beadsman's "slept among his ashes cold" "Angela the old died palsy twitched, with meagre face deform"	Shows that the passions of the youth are much stronger than religion and youth. clearly Angela died a painful death this could be a punishment for helping Pophyro.

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	Created by Jazmine Derwin almost 7 years ago