This is short note on Critical Appreciation Edmund Spenser’s One day I wrote her name . This is entirely for the students of honours graduation and master of arts. Read the article below and comment how you like it.
Critical Appreciation of Edmund Spenser’s One Day I Wrote Her Name…
“One Day I Wrote Her Name” by Edmund Spenser is a masterful sonnet that goes into the themes of love, remembrance, and the fleeting aspect of human existence. The poem was written during the Elizabethan period. It illustrates Spenser’s command of the language as well as his ability to portray powerful emotions within the restrictions of a classical sonnet form.
The poem opens with the speaker recalling a fleeting moment when he inscribed his beloved’s name on the sand, only to have the tide sweep it away. This act of writing represents the fleeting nature of love and human life. This evanescent image is to reflect on the impermanence of love and the inevitability of mortality. It generates a melancholy undertone that resonates throughout the poem.
The sonnet’s first quatrain sets the scene and introduces the key metaphor of writing on the sand. The poet contrasts the complexities of human emotions and the passage of time with the simplicity of this image. The subtle alliteration in the phrase “where coming waves did it efface” lends the poem a gentle melodic character. This also heightensa its introspective tone.
Edmund Spenser’s One day I wrote her name…
Spenser shifts from describing the act of writing the name to meditating on the nature of memory as the sonnet develops. The speaker conveys his wish to immortalize his beloved’s name in the eternal records of heaven in the second quatrain. He aspires for her name to become known beyond the confines of earthly existence, implying
The volta, which occurs at the beginning of the third quatrain, signifies a change in tone in the poem. The poet admits that his efforts to immortalize the beloved’s name in any tangible way are futile. He recognizes that human endeavors are constrained by time and nature. This insight intensifies the poem’s melancholy subject and adds a sense of reflection.
The final couplet is a strong ending that stresses the fleeting nature of human life and the enduring character of nature’s cycles. The phrases “deserts wild” and “vain worlds” symbolize humanity’s barren and hopeless attempts to outlive mortality. The juxtaposition of these useless activities with nature’s never-ending renewal underscores the concept that all human endeavors, including love, are ultimately ephemeral.
Edmund Spenser’s One day I wrote her name…
Spenser’s sonnet is beautiful because of his masterful use of metaphor and imagery to portray complicated emotions. The act of writing on the sand represents the fleeting and fragile aspect of love. The sea represents the unstoppable force of time and mortality. The poet’s heartfelt desire to keep his beloved’s name alive immortalizes the essence of love, even if its outward expression is fleeting.
Furthermore, the sonnet follows the standard Shakespearean sonnet structure, with three quatrains and a final couplet. The poem’s melody is enhanced by Spenser’s superb use of iambic pentameter. It has constant rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.
Finally, “One Day I Wrote Her Name” is a moving and thoughtful sonnet. It is about love, remembrance, and the fleeting essence of life. Edmund Spenser’s deft use of metaphor, imagery, and poetic form elevates this poem to the status of timeless literature. It is a moving reminder of the transience of human existence and the eternal power of love in the face of time.