Maude Clare

Maude Clare -

• Narrative poetry
• Narrative is a wedding day
• Themes of love and loss
• The two main characters do not love each other as much as the characters in In the Round Tower at Jhansi
• Final stanza - character is mocking
• Lofty step - sense of self confidence 
• The poem begins in media res - middle of a situation - making it tense and suspenseful
• Introduction to two female characters in the first stanza - the similes used to describe them highlight the vast differene between them (a "village maid" and a "queen")
• The second stanza begins with dialogue - more common in a drama or play rather than a poem
• The 3rd stanza is ambiguous and has a formal tone to it - it also foreshadows what is to comein the marriage
• "My lord was pale" - 1st person narrative
• Repetition of pale - characters are pale for different reasons - inward strife vs pride but it is not made clear why Maude Clare is pale
• 5th stanza - sarcastic and angry tone
• "We waded ankle deep for lilies in the beck"- euphemistic of sex and fertility - ruined their reputation
• Only women wore a ring when married - symbol of possession in the Victorian era
• Nell may or may not know about the affair - evoke sympathy
• The father is barely mentioned - he is not given a voice or presence - disempowered male figures are a prevalent theme in Rossetti's poetry
• ABCB rhyme scheme deviates from typical ballad rhyme scheme - unusual
• "Faded leaves = dead love
• 7th stanza has sexual connotations throughout - "The lilies are budding now" - possible suggestion of pregnancy
• 8th stanza emphasises Rossetti's view of the male characters in the poem - he is faltered in his place and his speech appears nervous and uneasy - represented by the hyphens 
• "My Lady Nell" - Maude Clare wanted her title - posessive
• Maude Clare presents them with a sarcastic gift
• 1st dialogue from Nell in the penultimate stanza
• The main male character in the poem is fickle, untrustworthy and an adulterer - a very negative portrayal
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