The speaker wishes the rose to communicate more than just his
Not a love poem- more critical feelings to the woman in question and wants it to remind her that
beauty like hers should be admired and enjoyed, not hidden away,
CARPE DIEM = “Seize the day” or withheld, because, just like the rose in his hand, it too will wither
(BIG THEME) and fade.
Commanding- shows his impatience.
Go, lovely Rose Metaphor: Rose being compared to a
woman- obviously symbolic as roses
the beauty and love it represents will
encourage the woman to accept his
have been prized for their beauty and
The speaker hopes the flower, and
Go, lovely rose! She’s wasting his time too.
fragrance since ancient times. The
rose is an object of his affection.
Tell her that wastes her time and me
Indicates the speaker
That now she knows, Introduces a subtle sense of unease.
doesn’t know the
Compare Suggests she is not doing something he
woman very well.
When I resemble her to thee, thinks she should be, and implies that
advances.
there is not an unlimited amount of
How sweet and fair she seems to be. time available to her to do whatever this
activity is.
Tell her that’s young,
realize that she, too, has no time to waste and must
He urges the woman to look at the dead flower and
Suggests that she is shy, coy, or modest and hides herself
Avoids Beauty Perceived away. The speaker instructs the rose to explain to the
seize the day while she is young and beautiful.
And shuns to have her graces spied, woman that its beauty would have gone unnoticed and
unappreciated if it had grown in a desert.
That hadst thou sprung
In deserts where no men abide, Anecdote (story)- A rose, such as the woman is,
Not complimented cannot live without being appreciated for her beauty.
Thou must have uncommended died.
This is a strange compliment. “Unseen beauty is a
waste.”
Small is the worth There is no reason, he thinks, for beauty to exist away
Life from the light. “Revel in your youth and beauty.”
Of beauty from the light retired;
Speaker returns to directly addressing the rose. He had become
Bid her come forth, consumed in his own beliefs about beauty and is now returning
to his mission.
Suffer herself to be desired, She must put herself out of her comfort zone and needs to
become aware that she is desired.
And not blush so to be admired.
.
The rose must die- this is abrupt, unsettling, and startling.
Then die—that she After it has done its job and convinced the woman to come
Death Juxtaposition out into the light, it should die. Witnessing how swiftly the
The common fate of all things rare beautiful flower has withered and died will shock the
woman and help her realize that her own beauty will fade
May read in thee; and wither away. He feels as if she doesn’t understand that
one day she will die. If he can convey that fact to her,
How small a part of time they share perhaps she will be even more motivated to come to him.
That are so wondrous sweet and fair! Used instead of full stop → indicates a link in
ideas
He concludes his argument with the rather forlorn and
ominous suggestion that the more delicately beautiful a
thing is, the shorter its lifespan will be.
Not a love poem- more critical feelings to the woman in question and wants it to remind her that
beauty like hers should be admired and enjoyed, not hidden away,
CARPE DIEM = “Seize the day” or withheld, because, just like the rose in his hand, it too will wither
(BIG THEME) and fade.
Commanding- shows his impatience.
Go, lovely Rose Metaphor: Rose being compared to a
woman- obviously symbolic as roses
the beauty and love it represents will
encourage the woman to accept his
have been prized for their beauty and
The speaker hopes the flower, and
Go, lovely rose! She’s wasting his time too.
fragrance since ancient times. The
rose is an object of his affection.
Tell her that wastes her time and me
Indicates the speaker
That now she knows, Introduces a subtle sense of unease.
doesn’t know the
Compare Suggests she is not doing something he
woman very well.
When I resemble her to thee, thinks she should be, and implies that
advances.
there is not an unlimited amount of
How sweet and fair she seems to be. time available to her to do whatever this
activity is.
Tell her that’s young,
realize that she, too, has no time to waste and must
He urges the woman to look at the dead flower and
Suggests that she is shy, coy, or modest and hides herself
Avoids Beauty Perceived away. The speaker instructs the rose to explain to the
seize the day while she is young and beautiful.
And shuns to have her graces spied, woman that its beauty would have gone unnoticed and
unappreciated if it had grown in a desert.
That hadst thou sprung
In deserts where no men abide, Anecdote (story)- A rose, such as the woman is,
Not complimented cannot live without being appreciated for her beauty.
Thou must have uncommended died.
This is a strange compliment. “Unseen beauty is a
waste.”
Small is the worth There is no reason, he thinks, for beauty to exist away
Life from the light. “Revel in your youth and beauty.”
Of beauty from the light retired;
Speaker returns to directly addressing the rose. He had become
Bid her come forth, consumed in his own beliefs about beauty and is now returning
to his mission.
Suffer herself to be desired, She must put herself out of her comfort zone and needs to
become aware that she is desired.
And not blush so to be admired.
.
The rose must die- this is abrupt, unsettling, and startling.
Then die—that she After it has done its job and convinced the woman to come
Death Juxtaposition out into the light, it should die. Witnessing how swiftly the
The common fate of all things rare beautiful flower has withered and died will shock the
woman and help her realize that her own beauty will fade
May read in thee; and wither away. He feels as if she doesn’t understand that
one day she will die. If he can convey that fact to her,
How small a part of time they share perhaps she will be even more motivated to come to him.
That are so wondrous sweet and fair! Used instead of full stop → indicates a link in
ideas
He concludes his argument with the rather forlorn and
ominous suggestion that the more delicately beautiful a
thing is, the shorter its lifespan will be.
