The Eve of St. Agnes

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1820

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Form and Meter

“The Eve of St. Agnes” is a narrative poem consisting of 42 stanzas of nine lines each, for a total of 378 lines. It follows a rigid Spenserian form—each stanza contains eight lines written in iambic pentameter, with the final ninth line written in iambic hexameter (also known as an “alexandrine line”). This means each of the first eight lines will have 10 syllables, while the final line has 12. The rhyme scheme of this form is ABABBCBCC.

This poetry form is originally attributed to Edmund Spenser, most famous for his epic poem The Faerie Queene (1590). Spenserian stanzas experienced a literary resurgence during Keats’s time and were explored by poets such as Percy Bysshe Shelley, William Wordsworth, Lord Byron, and others. The rigidity and antiquity of this poetry form fits the old-world setting of the poem, making it feel like it was written earlier than it was; however, critics of Keats argued that the form is a difficult choice for narrative poems because the final alexandrine line slows down the pacing of the story. Although the slow, meandering voice of this poetry form supports the dream-like quality and gothic setting of the piece, it makes for a challenging story that is driven more by style and voice than by character and plot.

Juxtaposition

As a narrative poem with a simple and linear plot, “The Eve of St. Agnes” gets much of its thematic depth from juxtaposition: cold and warmth; youth and old age; passion and emptiness; the dream world and stark reality; music and silence; Christianity and the supernatural. Early in the poem, these contrasts are sharply defined; as the poem progresses, the contrasts appear to bleed into one another, immersing the reader in the sensation of dreams.

The first stanza introduces vivid imagery that illustrates the cold setting, in lines such as “bitter chill it was” (1.1), “through the frozen grass” (1.3), and “his frosted breath” (1.6). The Beadsman observes the chill in his surroundings, in the statuary of the chapel, and the people around him. As Porphyro enters the narrative, the story introduces imagery of heat and warmth: “young Porphyro, with heart on fire” (9.3); the “hot-blooded lords” (10.5) who wait for him in the castle; he “Unclasps her warmed jewels one by one” (26.3). The push and pull of warmth and cold continue to feature throughout the poem, symbolizing the contrast of the protagonists’ love and the cold world around them.

The poem also juxtaposes the youth of the central characters against the old age of Angela and the Beadsman. The Beadsman’s devoted prayers and Angela’s adherence to convention demonstrate their restraint and piety. By the end of the poem, these contrasts are taken to their furthest extreme. Madeline and Porphyro, in their youthful adoration, have given themselves entirely over to young passion and absconded away; Angela and the Beadsman are both dead by the poem’s close, representing the ultimate destruction of old age. Here a sense of balance is achieved: two old lives given so that two young lives might be lived to their fullest.

The dream land and the waking land, and the pre-Christian ritual viewed through the lens of the Christian saint Agnes are examples of juxtaposition. Despite the religious framing device, the poem is rich in supernatural imagery, such as the comparison of Madeline to a “conjuror” (14.7), and Porphyro described as “liege-lord of all the Elves and Fays” (14.4). The waking and dreaming overlap, with Madeline not always certain where one ends and the other begins; however, one of the poem’s most dramatic moments comes when Madeline wakes to see the gulf between the man of whom she dreams and the man standing in front of her: “How chang’d thou art! how pallid, chill, and drear!” (35.5). Here Keats draws a sharp line between the waking and the dreaming before allowing them to collapse into each other as Porphyro meets Madeline in her dream.

Metaphor and Simile

Consistent with the romantic lyricism of the story, the poem uses several line-level literary devices to creatively illustrate the narrative. In the first stanza, the Beadsman’s cold breath is “Like pious incense from a censer old” (1.7). This simile accomplishes both the visual and the thematic: The wintery breath is like incense smoke, which also communicates the reverential religious setting. Later stanzas use similes to enhance the gothic atmosphere of the story, as Porphyro is instructed to “Flit like a ghost away” (12.6), and his meeting place with Angela is “silent as a tomb” (13.5).

When he finally does reach Madeline, she becomes a “tongueless nightingale” (23.8) who trembles “in her soft and chilly nest” (27.1). These gentle, avian images illustrate Porphyro’s perception of Madeline. Later she describes herself as “A dove forlorn and lost with sick unpruned wing” (37.9). These moments recall Keats’s other works, notably “Ode to a Nightingale” (1819). As Porphyro entreats her to come away with him, he says, “I will not rob thy nest” (38.7) unless it is what she desires. Here we see the innocence and frailty of Madeline juxtaposed against her chaotic family, which are later described as “sleeping dragons” (40.2). These images fit well together as winged creatures who might be a macrocosm and microcosm of each other.

Compared to Madeline, Porphyro describes himself in metaphors pertaining to pilgrimages and quests. He calls himself her “vassal blest” (38.2) and “A famish'd pilgrim” (38.6), with Madeline as his “silver shrine” (38.4). He offers himself as subservient to her while filling the character of a knight or explorer. The “silver shrine” might refer to a holy altar, or the grail of Arthurian legend. These images underline the medieval setting of the poem as well as the thematic idea of passionate love as a reward.