Student Question
Is the nymph in "The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd" a realist or a romantic?
Quick answer:
The nymph in "The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd" is a realist. She responds to the shepherd's romantic and idealistic promises with skepticism and practicality, acknowledging that beauty and love are fleeting. Throughout the poem, she highlights the impermanence of youth and affection, refusing to be swayed by the shepherd's offers. Her realistic view contrasts with the shepherd's romantic notions, as she sees life as it is rather than how it is imagined.
I find the nymph much more realistic than romantic.
Let's first clarify the difference between realists and romantics.
Those with realistic perspectives, like the nymph speaking in the poem, see things as they are. They don't imagine fanciful versions of reality; they just accept it the way it is and recognize the sad realities of life. In the words of the Oxford English Dictionary, realists "regard things as they really are, rather than how they are imagined, or desired to be, sometimes to the point of cynicism."
On the other hand, those with romantic perspectives, like the shepherd to whom the nymph in the poem is speaking, see the world in a more sentimental, optimistic, and imaginative way. They like to interpret the world in a wondrous, even magical way. The Oxford English Dictionary says romantics are "responsive to the promptings of imagination or fancy regardless of practicality."
Next, let's...
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take a look at how the nymph reveals herself as a realist in this poem. What does she say that shows how she sees the world in a practical and even unimaginative or cynical way?
- In the first stanza, the nymph basically says, "Sure, I'd come live with you and be your love, IF the world were forever young, and IF all shepherds like you always told the truth." Her implication is that the world, and love itself, are not as youthful and pure as the shepherd thinks—plus, she knows that the shepherd might be lying. She's not willing to be swept away in the beautiful promises and offers he's made to her.
- In the second, third, and fourth stanzas, the nymph talks about how all things die, even someone's love for someone else. Nothing lasts.
- In the fifth stanza, the nymph basically says she won't be persuaded to be the shepherd's lover, no matter how lovely the things are that he offers her.
- In the sixth and final stanza, the nymph comes back to the idea that IF we lived in a world in which youth, beauty, love, and joy could last forever, THEN she might agree to be the shepherd's lover.
So as you can see, the nymph is a realist. She recognizes all things fade away with time, even love. She doesn't put faith in the shepherd's implied promises to love her forever.
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