The Forsaken Merman (Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Matthew Arnold
- First Published: 1849
- Type of Work: Dramatic monologue
- Genres: Poetry, Dramatic monologue
The Poem
Matthew Arnold’s 143 line lament of a merman (a mythical being with the form of a human from the waist up and of a fish below) over the desertion by his wife, Margaret, pits the vitality of paganism against drab Victorian Christianity. The story that unfolds as the poem progresses is that Margaret, a human, had married the merman, had lived happily with him for many years beneath the sea, and had borne his children. Margaret’s existence was a happy one in this enchanting world “Where the winds are all asleep;/ Where the spent lights quiver and gleam,/…Where the...
[The entire page is 1570 words long]
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