Triad

What can the poem Triad be used for?

Women/Religion/Feminist

What does the title ‘Triad’ empathise?

• emphasises the concept of how three diverse women are all victims of love and the oppressive Victorian Society which leaves them dissatisfied with their lives.

• This theme is conveyed through elements of both Petrarchan and Shakespearean sonnets.

• Although they come together as one, the women are presented with significant diversity, as Rossetti begins by depicting one of them as a somewhat tempting figure. 

What type of language is used for the first women?

The use of licentious language ‘'one with lips crimson, with cheeks and bosom in a glow, flushed to the yellow hair”,

What is the effect of the assonance?

‘'one with lips crimson, with cheeks and bosom in a glow, flushed to the yellow hair”,

• The assonance present provides a fluidity that can be interpreted as sexual, emphasised through the provocative colours of 'lips/crimson' and 'yellow hair.’

How does the structure of the poem further exemplify the woman’s erotic nature?

The structure of the poem further exemplifies the erotic nature of her depiction

• use of enjambment at the end of the first line, 'lips/crimson,' highlights this sexual part of a woman's body, while the caesura after the noun 'lips' draws our attention to the sensuality of her mouth

What does the effect of her body ‘flushed’ from the top of her head to her ‘fingertips’?

Lastly, the first woman having her body 'flushed' from the top of her head 'to her fingertips' creates the image of an afterglow of sexual pleasure.

• Thus, the anaphora in line 9 shows how 'one' of the women 'shamed herself in love.'

What is the second woman portrayed as and how?

The second woman is portrayed as the embodiment of the idealised woman, characterised by the sibilance in the description that she sang 'soft and smooth as snow.'

• This simile highlights her purity and virginity, qualities that the first woman lacks.

What natural imagery is used for the 2nd woman?

The idea of purity is further reinforced by the natural imagery of her blooming

• 'like a tinted hyacinth at a show.'

While this simile initially seems to depict her as fresh and beautiful,

• the phrase 'tinted hyacinth' and the context of a 'show' imply a performative and disingenuous aspect of this seemingly idealised woman

How is the 2nd woman left ‘souless’

The soothing sibilance that emphasises her purity juxtaposes the marginalisation and confinement she faces due to the constraints of her marriage, making her feel 'soulless.'

When is guttural language used for the 2nd woman?

The use of guttural language to describe her as a 'sluggish wife' further underscores her oppression.

How is the anaphora of ‘one’ continued with the 2nd woman?

Continuing with the anaphora in line 13, she is described as the 'one' who 'droned in sweetness like a fattened bee.'

• The plosive language in the word "bee" conveys how she is depicted as being controlled and limited in her existence. 

 

What does the 3rd woman represent and how?

The final woman may represent the embodiment of those who die virginally; she is depicted as being 'blue with famine after love,'

• and her description as someone who like a 'harpstring snapped like a harp string' evokes a sense of deep pain.

• The use of violent adjectives such as 'harsh' and 'blue,' along with the verb 'snapped,' clearly illustrates her suffering.

• She is the only woman who 'famished' and 'died for love.'

How does Rossetti suggest that death is better for them?

Rossetti presents the female characters as diverse yet all victims of love: 'thus, two of three took death for love and won him after strife.'

• This line suggests that in death, they might find fulfilment, yet they all remain 'short of life.'

• This highlights how each woman's experience reflects a dissatisfaction and victimhood in love, despite their different paths; they are all connected by this common struggle. 

What did Edmund Grosse state?

An early critic described the sonnet as “marvellous”, and in his general review of work (1893) asked,

• “Why has Miss Rossetti allowed this piece, one of the gems of the volume of 1862, to drop out of her collected poems?”

What did writer for The Spectator (RW political magazine) say?

He sneered at its ‘voluptuous passion’, fearing the moral and social implications of the poem.