illustrated portrait of English author Emily Brontë

Emily Brontë

Start Free Trial

Editor's Choice

Can you explain "Spellbound" by Emily Bronte?

Quick answer:

"Spellbound" by Emily Brontë explores a speaker trapped in a perilous, wintry scene by an uncontrollable force. The "tyrant spell" immobilizes the speaker, preventing escape despite the threatening environment. The repetition of "cannot go" underscores the speaker's powerlessness, while the imagery of storm, darkness, and cold symbolize death. Despite visions of heaven and hell, the speaker's determination to remain, expressed as "I will not, cannot go," highlights a resilient spirit against overwhelming odds.

Expert Answers

An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

While it seems possible to interpret the speaker as resolute and defiant in the face of frightening scenes and possibilities, I think the speaker is more likely powerless and unable to move. After all, she is "spellbound," or so we can assume from the poem's title: this means that she is held by or held as if by a spell, something she cannot control. Notice that at the end of each stanza, she says she "cannot, cannot go" and not that she will not, will not go. To say that she cannot go suggests that she is powerless to go, that she is unable to leave because of the "tyrant spell" that "has bound" her. If she had said she will not go, then a choice is implied. Therefore, despite the frightening scene developing around her, she is unable to get away. She is forced to remain, in thrall and in fear, because she is "spellbound" and captivated by something outside of her control.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

The speaker in this poem is alone, somewhere outside in a wooded area on a stormy, windy, snowy night, but for some reason the speaker is unable or unwilling to leave. "A tyrant spell" is holding him/her and preventing his/her departure. As the night grows darker and the winds get colder, the speaker "cannot, cannot go" - repetition that lends emphasis to the determination to remain in spite of the conditions.  Cold, dark, night - all are frequently symbols of death; the speaker seems to be in a perilous place, but something is holding onto him/her and not allowing death to come and take him/her.

In the second stanza, "the storm is fast descending" and is affecting things, and perhaps people, around the speaker, as "giant trees are bending, their bare boughs weighed with snow." Still, the speaker "cannot go."

In the third stanza, the speaker has visions of "Clouds beyond clouds above me" - heaven, perhaps - and "Wastes beyond wastes below" - the depths of hell. There is a power or wish to live that is stronger for the speaker than these powerful images, however.
 "But nothing drear can move me, I will not, cannot go." The addition of "I will not" emphasizes the speaker's determination to remain, not allowing all the perils and troubles to conquer his/her spirit.

Get Ahead with eNotes

Start your 48-hour free trial to access everything you need to rise to the top of the class. Enjoy expert answers and study guides ad-free and take your learning to the next level.

Get 48 Hours Free Access
Approved by eNotes Editorial