The Eve of St Agnes Key Quotes

"bitter-chill" "cold" "frozen grass"

This acts as an anchor to reality, Keats overemphasises the bitter weather as it acts as a contrast the apparent heat and sensuality in Madeline's dream later in the poem.

"seemed taking flight for heaven" "his weak spirit fails" "ache in icy hoods and mails" "already had his deathbell rung"

The opening of the poem is incredibly negative, undermines ideas of positive love. From the very beginning of the poem we are surrounded by death, from Stanza I in fact. The Beadsman seems weak and on his way to heaven already, these death references could represent the inevitability of tragedy, has their fate already been decided?

"with plume, tiara, and all rich array"

The people partying upstairs are all young, vibrant and full of life contrasting the Beadsman who is "meagre, barefoot, wan".

"heart had brooded"

Yes Madeline is in love but it is negative love, to brood = think deeply about something that makes one unhappy, angry, or worried. Love is pain.

"Nor look behind, nor sideways, but require

Of Heaven with upwards eyes for all that they desire"

The requirements of the weird Eve of St Agnes ritual leaves Madeline in a very vulnerable position- she our tragic victim.

"Madeline"

Even Madeline's name can be seen to be a reference to a Madeleine cake which is something sweet and obviously something to be consumed.

"Hoodwinked with faery fancy"

Foreshadowing the fact she is tricked by Porphyro? Is he the tragic villain then and she is our tragic victim?

"Mid looks of love, defiance, hate, and scorn"

Love is followed by three strong negatives, the opening of the poem portrays love in a very negative light.

"young Porphyro, with heart on fire"

Porphyro is a reference to the colour purple which has regal and opulent connotations. Once again a very negative portrayal of love. It sounds to be destructive, painful and dangerous. He is portrayed to be very rash, if he is our tragic hero maybe this is his fatal flaw?

"speak, kneel, touch, kiss"

Monosyllabic sentence structure illustrates the simplicity of this chain of events. To him this is the most logical progression. Ignorance on the part of Porphyro and could reflect Keat's own confusion surrounding women.

"a hundred swords will storm his heart" "those chambers held barbarian hordes, / Hyena foemen and hot-blooded lords" "not one breast affords / Him any mercy"

It sets up this very Romeo and Juliet esque tragedy, it is so dangerous for Porphyro to be here their love is that dangerous. There isn't any mercy to be found for him here either. Tragic Hero or Tragic Villain? Yes it sets up that waring family narrative but how can we sure Porphyro hasn't done something to warrant such a treatment?

"one old beldame, weak in body and in soul" "aged crone" "churchyard thing"

Is how Angela is described to us, foreshadows her eventual death and indicates that she is easy to manipulate.

"The sound of merriment and chorus bland"

A time and place of celebration, in terms of Bakhtin's theory of the carnivalesque such a time allows for chaos and subversion of societal norms.

" 'Mercy, Porphyro!' "

He generates a negative reaction when Angela sees him, so maybe he is more of a villainous figure?

"They are all here to-night, the whole blood-thirsty race!"

If Porphyro is our tragic hero than his hamartia arguably is him stepping foot through into the castle and his fatal flaw is his love for Madeline?

"Flit like a ghost away"

Refers to Porphyro, loss of identity? Inevitability of tragedy? He's dead already, he's doomed already.

"here in this arm chair sit"

The fatal flaw of Porphyro? His hubris, he himself does not realise or recognise the danger he is in by being here. He is very casual about it and this is his fatal flaw?

"Pale, latticed, chill, and silent as a tomb"

Death imagery, foreshadowing? It sounds as if Angela is leading Porphyro to his death.

"stratagem"

a scheme to outwit or deceive an opponent or to gain an end- it as very unusual lexical choice here. 'The Hoodwinking of Madeline' by Jack Stillinger argues that the fact he gains access to Madeline's bed through "stratagem" makes him a deluded villain and Madeline a victim to his scheming. Madeline is deluded by the dreams she had of Porphyro and he takes advantage of her.

" 'A cruel man and impious thou art' "wicked men like thee. Go, go!" "Thou canst not surely be the same that thou didst seem"

The blurring of the lines between hero and villain, his plan is so shocking to Angela that she tries to get rid of him. The final quote almost proposes a question to the reader, can we actually trust this guy? Or is he actually a bit creepy, a bit of a villain?

"I will not harm her, by all saints I swear"

Would a hero have to make such an assurance? Surely when it comes to a hero such a thing would be a given?

"If one of her soft ringlets I displace,"

"I will ... Awake, with horrid shout, my foeman's ears"

"believe me by these tears"

Is Porphyro noble here? He is willing to put his life on the line. However, this is a lie as he does more than displace one of her hairs- villain then? This is just him manipulating the poor old Angela?

"That Angela gives promise she will do

Whatever he shall wish, betide her weal or woe"

Angela changing her mind and becoming incredibly willing help Porphyro creates an uneasy atmosphere, has he just taken advantage of her weak soul? This change occurs after a "gentler speech" from Porphyro so???

"burning Porphyro,

So woeful, and of such deep sorrowing"

Once again Porphyro is linked with this dangerous and destructive love, love is suffering and pain- the veil of soulmaking?

"That he might see her beauty unespied,

And win perhaps that night a peerless bride"

The voyeuristic element just sounds kind of creepy- worrying as is this what a nobleman would really do? Also goes onto objectify poor Madeline so what is Porphyro really? Hero or Villain?

"The maiden's chamber, silken, hished, and chaste"

Madeline's bedroom is very much linked with her characterisation. It holds a sense of purity, a purity that Porphyro will corrupt?

"Where Porphyro took covert, pleased amain"

Porphyro hides himself with violent pleasure, again it sounds weird and it sounds creepy especially when Madeline is portrayed in a way that makes her sound so vulnerable.

"gazing on that bed"

He sounds lusty, is this maybe his hamartia? He promised that he wouldn't give into passion but there seems a high chance he will.

"like ring-dove frayed and fled"

Madeline sounds to be in a vulnerable and pure state, she has had her winged clips and can't escape? Porphyro very much feels like a hunter and she the prey in this situation.

"she closed the door, she panted"

The way in which Madeline is described here contributes to the voyeuristic feel of the poem, each of her accusations are described down to her panting.

"like a saint:

She seemed a splendid angel, newly dressed,

Save wings, for Heaven" "so pure a thing, so free from mortal taint"

Madeline is so pure and a truly tragic victim? This element of supernatural love that means it is inevitable they will die?

"Unclasps her warmed jewels one by one

Loosens her fragrant bodice; by degrees

Her rich attire creeps rustling to her knees:

Half-hodden, like a mermaid in sea-weed"

The vivid description provided by Porphyro adds to this sense of voyeurism, the fact she is also now naked makes her sound even more vulnerable than she once was. It is kind of creepy from Porphyro that he is just hiding and watching this!

"In sort of wakeful swoon, perplexed she lay,

Until the poppied warmth of sleep oppressed

Her soothed limbs, and soul fatigued away"

Once again issues of consent can begin to be raised by Feminist critics, Madeline is not quite sleeping and not quite awake as well as her mind no longer being here. So is Porphyro in a way taking advantage of her with his actions later in the poem? The warmth of Madeline's sleep and dreams contrasts with the cold nature of reality outside their window

"trembling in her soft and chilly nest"

After the intense description of Madeline getting undressed, her bed is the described as being a nest- it sounds like she is some sort of vulnerable prey in her nest and Porphyro is this primal hunter?

"Blissfully havened both from joy and pain;

Clasped like a missal where swart Paynims pray"

Is Madeline really safe with this dream? The second line is also a religious reference, she is described to be shut up like a Bible within a non Christian country. It sounds as if she is shutting herself away but yet Porphyro comes in a ignores this fact? Villain? The "pray" could be just as easily read as also meaning "prey".

"Stolen to this paradise, and so entranced"

Madeline seems like she has had a spell cast over her, this dream she enters is a "paradise" the supernatural dream world is always better than the mortal world.

"listened to her breathing" "from the closet crept" "over the hushed carpet, silent, stepped"

"wilde wilderness"

The voyeuristic nature of this section of the poem makes Porphyro sound more like a hunter, approaching his prey than her apparent lover.

To then further this point the safety of her bedroom then appears to totally disappear as it becomes a wilderness.

" 'tween the curtains peeped"

It is as if he is destroying the barrier which was supposed to keep Madeline safe, this curtain is the barrier between the supernatural and natural world. He also isn't keep to his word, he promised Angela he wouldn't do anything!

"an azure-lidded sleep"

There is something mystical and magical about her sleep, this supernatural and better world.

"my soul doth ache"

Love is pain, it is suffering.

"Her blue affrayed eyes wide open shone"

Is he a villain? Promised to not touch her and he has only gone and woke her up! What interestingly wakes her up is a tragic song of "La belle dame sans mercy".

"There was a painful change, that nigh expelled

The blisses of her dream so pure and weak"

This encapsulates what tragedy is in Keat's eyes, reality is pain with the real world being shite compared to the dream world. This change is also Porphyro's fault, can we trust this donny? The real world will simply never compare with this dream world.

"Madeline began to weep"

This what reality is, it is sad to be here after the joys of the dreamy supernatural world!

" 'Ah, Porphyro!' "

The fact we are only just hearing Madeline's voice within these closing stanzas emphasises her role as a tragic victim in this tragedy.

"How changed thou art!" "Those looks immortal"

"Oh leave me not in this eternal woe"

"For if thou diest, my Love, I know not where to go"

Reality is undesirable, the real world just isn't that great. There is a stark contrast between the dream world Porphyro and reality Porphyro. It is the tragedy of mortality, it is always disappointing. Porphyro has changed so much that Madeline thinks he is dying! TRAGEDY OF LIFE.

"Into her dream he melted"

It is a sexual reference, but interestingly there is no consent and especially with how Madeline was described earlier issues surrounding consent can be raised. Does it almost feel like Porphyro is forcing himself into this supernatural world?

"I will not rob thy nest"

The fact that Porphyro has to enforce the idea that he is actually a good guy makes us doubt if this is really the case.

"Awake! arise! my love, and fearless be"

Another example of Porphyro's fatal flaw? Hubristic as he doesn't fear what could happen to him if discovered?

"She hurried at his words, beset with fears"

Love hasn't saved her in any way, is Porphyro then our Tragic Villain? She doesn't seem too convinced by Porphyro.

"They glide, like phantoms" "like phantoms"

They sounds like they're dead already, loss of identity?

"And they are gone - ay, ages long ago

These lovers fled away into the storm"

What does it matter? Everyone is dead by now anyway it happened so long ago, it's the tragedy of man. Does this "elfin-storm from faery land" that they run off into symbolise chaos? Death? Nonetheless, Keats being surrounded by death influences him once again- everything feels pointless to him. The ending is where the true tragedy lies!

"Angela the old / Died palsy-twitched"

"The Beadsman, after thousand aves told,

For aye unsought for slept among his ashes cold"

We get deaths at the end of the poem but not the ones we actually expect to get! Subversion of tragic expectations by Keats.

Porphyro is a problematic character- he desires physical experience when Madeline desires visions of her lover- Porphyro gets what he wants but does Madeline?

Characterisation of Porphyro

Poem is structured around a series of opposites- dream vs reality where the dream world is warms and reality is the cold anchor of the poem.

Setting