At Castle Boterel - Poetic Method

At Castle Botorel

Poetic Method

Narrative Voice (Point of View):

This poem has been narrated by Hardy, and reinvents his memory with Emma, not resurrect it. Hardy is self-indulgent and this poem has resulted as of a consequence of his conscience being affected.

Structure and Form:

The poem is composed of seven stanzas with five uneven lines; it follows the ABABB rhyme scheme. The effect of the final short lines of every stanza makes the rhythm uncomfortable; it is interesting to note that an old memory has been triggered by a precise location that is described at the start of the poem. The rhythmic couplets at the end of every stanza (every last two lines) are effectively used to make subtle emphasis on contrast.

Genre and Style:

“At Castle Botorel” is an elegiac poem, as it mourns the passing of Emma and also talks of earlier days and their happy memories together. It has an interesting style/structure considering it has a hesitant opening (present), growing confidence and a description of youthful Emma in the body (past) and a faltering conclusion (present). It is curious how Hardy manages to both start and end in the present, and yet talk about his courtship with Emma in Cornwall so effectively.

Language:

The poem opens in the present with Hardy driving to the “junction of lane and highway” – at the very start, we are introduced to a situation where Hardy is at a crossroads; this signifies Hardy’s real life dilemma and his traumatic experience. We see pathetic fallacy in the phrases “drizzle bedrenches” and “fading byway”. They suggest the sombre and unhappy quality of the present. Also, “fading” could suggest Emma moving further away from Hardy, and the lessening importance of present reality.

Stanza two represents a romantic and positive image. “Myself and a girlish form benighted” – this line comes as a drastic change from the mournful lament of the first stanza. One could argue that “girlish form” is referring to the young Emma of the eighteen seventies and is recalling the Emma of the old. “In dry March weather”, we see a contrast with the present drizzle Hardy has mentioned earlier – apart from that, “dry March” has always been symbolic of new beginnings, and this refers to Hardy’s prime of life. The alliteration of “sighed and slowed” dramatizes the pony’s fatigue.

The idea of the future is very fluid in the third stanza. “Something that will not be balked of” is a line that presents an extremely romantic image, symbolic of the blossoming of Hardy’s and Emma’s love. The “something” is not clear, but it seems to refer to a declaration of love.

In stanza four, there is an emphasis on the importance of their trip to Castle Botorel. Hardy believes that “a time of such quality” had never been seen before in “that hill’s story”. It is curious to note how Hardy’s dismissive language fails to acknowledge anyone else’s love or experience – Emma is his only “substance.”

In the fifth stanza, Hardy increases the time-scale to the pre-human by emphasis on “primaeval rocks”; it symbolises the great age and permanence of the hill. It could be argued that Hardy’s use of the word “transitory” refers to the amount of temporary life nature must have witnessed. The caesura in the line, “Is – that we two passed” commemorates Hardy’s and Emma’s meeting.

“Time” has been personified as a real character In Hardy’s poetry, and has been portrayed as a stern taskmaster with the line, “Time’s unflinching rigour” – “Time” has also been referred to as a character who does things in a “mindless rote”; without thinking. The usage of “substance” to “phantom figure” shows the transition of the lively Emma to her ghostly appearance, reinforcing the theme of life and death.

“At Castle Botorel” has in it a melancholic ending with stanza six. The repetition in the phrase “shrinking, shrinking,” casts an image of persisting gloom and desperation. The caesura in the line, “For the very last time; my sand is sinking” shows the gradual breakdown in Hardy’s speech and the tumbling rhythm that crashes in the penultimate stanza. The imagery of the phrase “for my sand is sinking,” is that of an hour-glass, where Hardy’s time is ticking, that is, death awaits him. “Old love’s domain” could have three potential meanings – one, the region of a long-term relationship; two, the landscape of love; and three, love as viewed from old age. Either of these interpretations hold significant value in the poem, and the last line, “Never again” confirms the reader’s belief that yes, Hardy will never be able to experience true love again.