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    The poem goes on to highlight several themes- on one hand, it highlights the longing of the speaker towards his unfulfilled desires and his inability to attain happiness. This suffering and pain is compared and contrasted with the anguish of the nightingale, who is, in actuality, the character of PhRead more

    The poem goes on to highlight several themes- on one hand, it highlights the longing of the speaker towards his unfulfilled desires and his inability to attain happiness. This suffering and pain is compared and contrasted with the anguish of the nightingale, who is, in actuality, the character of Philomela. A character taken from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Philomela was raped by her brother-in-law who went on to cut her tongue to prevent her from speaking out. Thus, the nightingale, or Philomela, laments about her suffering through the act of singing. The speaker highlights how the nightingale is lucky since she can express her pain amidst nature, whereas he, a man, cannot convey his emotions and has to suppress them. The poem, through his comparison, shows how men are unable to express their emotions as freely as women can.

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    Both the stanzas in the poem follow the rhyming scheme of ABABCDDCEEFF. Sidney composed this poem in iambic pentameter and iambic trimeter alternatively with hypermetrical lines. The Nightingale Summary

    Both the stanzas in the poem follow the rhyming scheme of ABABCDDCEEFF. Sidney composed this poem in iambic pentameter and iambic trimeter alternatively with hypermetrical lines.

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    By employing the tale of Philomela and her violation done by her brother-in-law, Tereus, the poem goes on to explore the themes of love and suffering and how sorrow is dealt with by two different people. To some extent, it can be said that both Philomela/ the nightingale and the speaker employ art aRead more

    By employing the tale of Philomela and her violation done by her brother-in-law, Tereus, the poem goes on to explore the themes of love and suffering and how sorrow is dealt with by two different people. To some extent, it can be said that both Philomela/ the nightingale and the speaker employ art and creativity to express themselves. One on hand, Philomela’s expression of sadness and suffering is done through the means of a tapestry where she vividly shows the scene of her abuse. On becoming a nightingale, Philomela is able to vocalise and sing about the wrongs done to her. On the other hand, even though the speaker claims to have no listeners for the song of his sorrow and thus, is forced to repress his emotions, he is still able to convey his feelings through the poem itself. Thus, the literary form becomes his mode of expression and an act of catharsis.

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    Personification- Personification is a literary device in which non-human entities are given human characteristics or qualities. In the poem, the poet has personified the nightingale as a singer of sorrowful songs. Additionally, the Earth is personified in the lines, “While late bare earth, proud ofRead more

    • Personification- Personification is a literary device in which non-human entities are given human characteristics or qualities. In the poem, the poet has personified the nightingale as a singer of sorrowful songs. Additionally, the Earth is personified in the lines, “While late bare earth, proud of new clothing, springeth”.

    • Allusion- An Allusion is a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing, or idea of historical, cultural, literary, or political significance. The poem alludes to the myth of Philomela which is mentioned in Ovid’s Metamorphoses.

    • Apostrophe- Apostrophe is a figure of speech where the speaker addresses an absent or imaginary person, or an abstract concept as if it were present and capable of responding. This is used in the lines, “O Philomela fair, O take some gladness”.

    • Refrain- A refrain is a repeated line, phrase, or group of lines in a poem or song. It serves as a chorus or a repeated element that adds rhythm, emphasis, or emotional impact to the work. The lines, “O Philomela fair, O take some gladness,/ That here is juster cause of plaintful sadness:/ Thine earth now springs, mine fadeth;/ Thy thorn without, my thorn my heart invadeth.” are used as a refrain at the end of the first and second stanza.

    • Antithesis- Antithesis is a rhetorical device in which contrasting ideas are expressed in parallel grammatical structures. It is used to create a balanced and contrasting effect, highlighting the differences between two ideas. It is used in the lines, “Thine earth now springs, mine fadeth;/ Thy thorn without, my thorn my heart invadeth” in order to set a contrast between the emotional states of the speaker and the nightingale.

    • Alliteration-Alliteration is the repetition of the initial consonant sounds in a series of words within a phrase or verse. It is often used for poetic or rhythmic effects, adding musicality and emphasis to the language. The sound “th” is repeated in the line, “Thy thorn without, my thorn my heart invadeth.”

    • Symbol- A symbol is a literary device that represents an idea, concept, or object beyond its literal meaning. In the poem, the singing nightingale, who was previously Philomela, is a symbolic representation of women who go through traumatic experiences and are victims of sexual violence.

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