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.
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