Havisham- Carol Ann Duffy - 680 Words

In her morbid poem Havisham, Carol Ann Duffy redefines one of Charles Dickens most memorable characters, Miss Havisham. Jilted at the alter by her one true love, Dickens portrayed Havisham as an old spinster, her life wasted away trying to gain revenge on all men. Through her dramatic monologue Havisham, Duffy gives the disturbed old woman a voice to express her feelings about her wasted life. One of the themes that I found fascinating in this poem was the idea that a moment of betrayal can destroy a persons life and identity. After introducing her lover as â€Å"beloved sweetheart bastard†, Havisham tells us that â€Å"not a day since then/ I havent wished him dead†. The preposition â€Å"Then† clearly refers to the day her lover abandoned her on†¦show more content†¦Her reflection in the mirror is something other than herself and she asks the rhetorical question- â€Å"who did this/ to me†. Interestingly, at first it seems as if the betrayal of her lover is the cause of her destruction, but really it is Havishams inability to escape one moment in her past, that has caused her to choose this life for herself. Havishams confused feelings and loss of humanity is continued over verse three and four as she resorts to â€Å"sounds not words† and she tells us of â€Å"loves/ hate†. This oxymoron is split over verse three and four, and reminds us that Havisham cannot ever escape her past, or forgive any man that would betray her. For her, love always coexists with hate and she can never love a human without also hating them and fearing betrayal. I believe Havishams whole character is epitomised in the second to last phrase, â€Å"give me a male corpse for a long slow honeymoon†. This gruesome depiction of Havishams long desired honeymoon clearly shows just how disturbed this old woman has become, all because of one moment of betrayal. Everything she does and everything she dreams of has taken a distorted, unn atural and sickening twist, and Duffy definitely implies some sort of mental illness or psychosis. The forceful imperative â€Å"give me† shows Havishams desire for the power she lost years ago, and the idea of honeymooning with a â€Å"male corpse† also expresses Havishams need for control over something powerless. Throughout the macabreShow MoreRelatedHavisham by Carol Ann Duffy Essay1257 Words   |  6 PagesIn Havisham, Carol Ann Duffy creates an interesting character. Write about the way the character is created, and compare this with the way other characters are created in three other poems. You should compare it with one poem by Simon Armitage and two poems from the pre-1912 poetry bank. In Havisham, Carol Ann Duffy explores the character of Mrs Havisham and develops her by using vivid imagery and metaphors. She starts the poem with ‘Beloved sweetheart bastard’ which is an oxymoron, used to displayRead More Comparing Carol Ann Duffys Havisham and Robert Brownings The Laboratory621 Words   |  3 PagesComparing Carol Ann Duffys Havisham and Robert Brownings The Laboratory In the poem â€Å"Havisham†, Carol Ann Duffy presents the subject as an old, embittered woman with â€Å"ropes on the back of her hands†. In â€Å"The Laboratory† by Robert Browning the subject is a strong and determined, but very jealous and embittered, young woman. Both poems are written in the first person in the form of a dramatic monologue. Carol Ann Duffy writes about the feelings of rejection, isolation and desolation thatRead MoreTheme Of Havisham972 Words   |  4 PagesI will discuss and compare Havisham by Carol Ann Duffy, and Warning by Jenny Joseph. I believe that these poems deal with a similar theme; freedom. In Havisham, the woman is longing for freedom from her haunted wedding day. She feels trapped in the past, and cannot find a way to move on. In Warning, the woman yearns for freedom in her old age, but learns that she must begin rebel and be free now, in her younger years. Other significant themes in Warning include non-conformity, and rebellion. OtherRead More The two Duffy poems I have chosen to compare the way she presents732 Words   |  3 PagesThe two Duffy poems I have chosen to compare the way she presents the speaker’s relationship with the person she is speaking to are Havisham and Elvis Twin Sister. Havisham is in a form of a monologue. Choose two Duffy Poems. Compare the way she presents the speaker’s relationship with the person she is speaking to (or about) Most of Carol Ann Duffy’s poems are about love, but that does not always mean that they contain positive connotations. Some contain positive where as quite a fewRead MoreHavisham Review1315 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿Havisham Havisham is a 16 line and four stanza poem with four lines making up each stanza. This poem shows the nature of an old woman after being devastated after being left at her wedding day and having lost her fortune to the man who left her. The four stanza poem is a harsh reflection of anger, pain, and disbelief; it’s a sad tale of a wedding and life gone horribly wrong that still haunts the character. In my review, I will explore the poem through each line and comment on the literary termsRead MoreHavisham Essay935 Words   |  4 PagesHavisham essay. ‘Miss Havisham’ is a bitter and twisted character from the novel ‘Great Expectations’ by Charles Dickens. Carol Ann Duffy takes this character and explores her tragic life in the poem ‘Havisham’. Duffy uses Dark themes, structure, symbolism and other poetic techniques to express Havisham’s hatred for men after her tragic wedding when she was rejected by her fiancà ©. Duffy’s use of these poetic techniques create a sinister character and makes Havisham feel real to the reader. Read MoreExamine the Ways in Which Poets Portray the Experience of Love in 2 Poems That You Have Read. You May Wish to Explore the Types of Love, the Effects of Love and How the Poets Use Language and Structure.896 Words   |  4 Pageswhich poets portray the experience of love in 2 poems that you have read. You may wish to explore the types of love, the effects of love and how the poets use language and structure. In Havisham and Sonnet 43 we are given a good idea of how two poets can have different opinions on the experience of love. Havishams experience of love is violent with dark implications of death â€Å"Beloved sweetheart bastard.† The plosive alliteration of B emphasises her hatred towards her ex and shows her experienceRead MoreWhilst Lady Macbeth895 Words   |  4 PagesEnglish Essay In this essay I am will be analysing how Shakespeare and Duffy present madness in â€Å"Macbeth† and â€Å"Havisham†. Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare. It starts off with three witches who tell Macbeth that he will become the king. Macbeth kills the king and becomes king. Macbeth is beheaded by Macduff who was born by Caesarean section which was not considered to be born of a woman. The play was set in the Jacobean era. The Jacobean Era refers to the time in English and Scottish historyRead MoreEssay about Love and Hate in the Poems Havisham and The Laboratory676 Words   |  3 PagesThe poems Havisham and The Laboratory teach us that love and hatred are two of the most powerful yet contrasting emotions in this world. In both the poems they are loving to hate and hating to love. This means that when love is given it leaves us vulnerable , and if the love is not returned then it can turn to hate as quick as boiling water to steam. For both women in the poem have been rejected from their men mentally and physically, leaving them nothing but pain and the overwhelming desireRead MoreHow are relationships presented in the poems you have studied?1679 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿How are relationships presented in the poems you have studied? In ‘Havisham’, ‘Quickdraw’, ‘Salome’ – all by Carol Ann Duffy, the current poet laureate of Britain – and ‘The Farmer’s Bride’ by Charlotte Mew, relationships are presented as being constant power struggles between the two parties involved. These poems do not conform to traditional romantic poetry, but instead take a candid approach to the aspects of relationships that aren’t conventionally explored. All four of the poems I studied