The Eve of St Agnes

Who was St Agnes

Saint Agnes was a Christian martyr who died in Rome in the 4th century. She is one of the most revered virgin martyrs of the Roman Catholic Church and is the patron saint of young girls, chastity, rape survivors, and the Children of Mary.

St Agnes’ Eve

A night of superstition and divination, celebrated on January 20th.

Folklore suggests that unmarried women can see visions of their future husbands by performing rituals such as walking backwards upstairs while holding a candle.

The night is named after St. Agnes, a Christian martyr who was killed for her faith.

‘St Agnes’ Eve’

A characteristically dramatic opening that enhances the drama

‘Seem’d taking flight for heaven, without a death’

Mention of death shows that the fate of the characters has already been sealed

‘back returneth’

The Beadsman’s entire day is spent praying for others, tragic because he spends the entire day praying for others (the upper class) yet cannot pray for himself

‘meagre, barefoot, wan’

Triplet of adjectives emphasises the poverty and simplicity of the Beadsman’s life, contrasting to the indulgement of the people he prays for

‘Music’s golden tongue’

Personification of music contrasts with Beadsman’s purgatorial surroundings, suggesting his life has been so self-sacrificing that he hasn’t fully appreciated the earthly joys

‘supperless to bed they must retire’

‘nor look behind’

‘nor sideways’

The superstition around St Agnes’ Eve is rendered here by Keats.

The rituals are nonsense but attest to the yearning of young women for happy marriage.

Madeline proceeds to follow all of these rules in the following stanzas which is ironic as she is pure and innocent in comparison to to other young women who yearn for sexual fulfillment

‘Madeline’

The choice of name is significant as ‘Madeline’ is a French cake, sensuous to be consumed

‘Porphyro’

Name is a reference to the colour purple with regal and opulent connotations

‘gaze and worship’

Highlights Porphyro’s physical yearning for Madeline , intending to claim her virginity

‘Made purple riot’

Porphyro’s hamartia- he lets passion rule him

‘Thou canst surely be the same that thou didst seem’

Complex nature of man’s moral standards are undermined by his sexual hunger for Madeline

‘I will not harm her, by all saints I swear’

Porphyro’s poetic language in the=is stanza charms Angela into trusting him-- is hye a noble hero with pure intentions or simply deceptive?

‘Burning Porphyro’

Porphyro is burning with passion and he is dangerous

‘The maiden’s chamber, sliken, hush’d, and chaste’

Her chamber holds a sense of puroity like her characteristics, contrasting to Porphyro’s headstrong predatory nature

‘Her throat in vain, and die, heart-stifled, in her dell’

Having something horrible done to you and being able to do nothing about it, hints at a darker tone of Porphyro’s aggression

‘A shielded scutcheon blush’d with blood of queens and kings

A reference to the violent feud between Madeline and Porphyro’s families, heritage is revealed to be roya;

‘Like a saint: She seem’d a splendid angel, newly drest’

Ironic as angels are supposed to be genderless and non-human

Halo also signifies her innocence and purity, even Porphyro recognises her innocence

‘So pure a thing, so free from mortal taint’

Her purity is arousing for Porphyro- he is the one who gets to ‘taint’ her

‘As though a rose should shut, and be a bud again’

The reversal of time- undoing what is done- a reference to Madeline’s imminent loss of virginity, something that cannot be undone

‘The kettle-drum, and far-heard clarinet’

Keats juxtaposes the noisy celebration below with the silent bedroom to break the atmosphere and remind the readers of the danger that Madeline and Porphyro face

‘My seraph fair’

Porphyro equates Madeline to all things heavenly and angelic, yet he still defiles her

‘Painful change’

* Perhaps the Porphyro she dreamed about is not the same
* Perhaps Porphro may have raped her as she woke up:

\- physical pain: loss of virginity

\-emotional pain- loss of innocence

‘dreamingly’

Conveys the dream based nature of their love, a sense of peace and relaxation that disappears once she sees Porphyro

‘How chang’d thou art! how pallid, chill, and drear!’

* Their love is based on idealism/ dreams
* His sadness could be an expression of his guilt- contrasting with the fiery and vibrant meaning of his name

‘Silver shrine’

Despite raping her he attributes Madeline to religious status almost as if he is unaware of what he has done

‘I will not rob thy nest’

Says he will not rob her anymore despite robbing her of her most important attribute- virginity

‘Tis an elfin-storm from faery land’

Porphyro believes the storm is benevolent- he has a false sense of security as the storm is responsible for their deaths

‘The chains lie silent on the footworn stones’

Suggests the couple escape stealthily and ghost-like through the shadows

‘And they are gone…long ago’

Keats reveals the story happened long ago despite being told in the present tense

‘Lovers fled away into the storm’

Ambiguous ending creates a number of possibilities- fleeing to happiness or further entrapment/ kidnapping

‘Of witch, and demon, and large coffin-worm’

The castle owners and guests are dreaming of deaths and terrible fears- adds to uncertainty of couples fate

‘The Beadsman, after a thousand aves told, For aye unsought for slept among his ashes cold’

* Both the Beadsman and Angela die
* The Beadsman’s prayers are pointless it does not save him from death nor Madeline from shame
* The ending is cyclical of life and death- Madeline and Porphyro escape together whilst the older generation fade an die