illustration of two faces, a man and a woman, staring at one another and connected by vines that meet together between them holding a glass of wine

Song: To Celia

by Ben Jonson

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What does the speaker give to Celia, what does she do with it, and how does it affect the speaker's feelings?

Expert Answers

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He sent her a "rosy wreath."

She sent it back.

He doesn't say directly how it makes him feel. He says that he smells it now, because it smells like her, and not like roses, so he claims that he's not disappointed, and that it actually worked out okay, because he has a special reminder of her.

I think he feels disappointed and is covering up, but I'm reasoning from what I'd feel, not from what he says explicitly.

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