Student Question
Who is the speaker in Sara Teasdale's poem “May”?
Quick answer:
The speaker in Sara Teasdale's poem "May" is someone who feels betrayed by love, despite the spring setting that usually symbolizes new beginnings. The speaker reflects on how love that seemed promising in April turned out to be false in May, leading them to a metaphorical "wintry way" symbolizing decay and disappointment. It is possible that the speaker is a reflection of Teasdale herself, considering her own experiences with love and divorce.
The poem "May" is written in the first person perspective, so it is tempting to think that the speaker and the poet might be one and the same.
From the poem, we can infer that the speaker is someone who feels let down by love. Indeed, although the poem is set in "the spring," which usually connotes new life and new beginnings, the speaker's feelings push her towards "a wintry way." Winter usually connotes death and decay. She feels this way because the love that "smiled in April" proved "false to (her) in May."
The poet, Sara Teasdale, divorced her husband, Ernst Filsinger, in 1929. She is reputed to have been very lonely because Filsinger was constantly travelling for his work. With this in mind, the speaker in the poem, "May," could be Teasdale herself, and the love which proved "false" could be the love between her and Filsinger.
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