Love's Philosophy

• Who wrote Love's Philosophy?

  Percy Bysshe Shelley
• When was Love's Philosophy written?

  1820
• What era was Love's Philosophy written in?

  Romantic
• What is Love's Philosophy about?

  The voice being desperate for a relationship and using natural imagery to convince the woman he wants the relationship with
• What is the tone of Love's Philosophy?

  Longing, desperate and playful
• What is the structure of Love's Philosophy?

  2, 8 line, regular stanzas of alternate rhyme
• 'The fountains mingle with the river /

  And the rivers with the Ocean, '
• 'The winds of Heaven mix for ever /

  With a sweet emotion;'
• 'Nothing in the world is single; /

  All things by a law divine'
• 'in one another's being mingle - /

  Why not I with thine?'
• 'See the mountains kiss high Heaven/

  And the waves clasp one another;'
• 'No sister-flower would be forgiven /

  If it disdain'd its brother:'
• 'And the sunlight clasps the earth, /

  And the moonbeams kiss the sea -'
• 'what are all these kissings worth, /

  If thou kiss not me?'
• What is significant about the line: 'The fountains mingle with the river / And the rivers with the Ocean,'?

  The line uses the natural imagery of water
• What is significant about the rhyme between 'river' and 'ever'?

  It is a half rhyme which suggests that the relationship is one-sided
• What is significant about the verbs 'mix' and 'mingle' in the first stanza?

  They have a soft 'm' sound which makes them seem less threatening
• What is significant about the phrase 'law divine'?

  It suggests that the law is derived from God, and the relationship is God's wish - this is how the voice manipulates the woman into having a relationship with him because during the Romantic era, the majority of people believed in God
• What is significant about the lines 'Why not I with thine?' and 'If thou kiss not me?'?

  They are rhetorical questions which are both situated at the end of each stanza - this emphasises their importance
• How is stanza two different to stanza one in Love's Philosophy?

  It is more coercive, manipulating and threatening
• What is significant about the words 'kiss' and 'clasp' in the second stanza?

  They have harsh, clashing consonants which emphasises the threatening nature of the stanza and are more physical than the verbs used in stanza one
• Where is anaphora used in Love's Philosophy and why is it significant?

  In the lines: 'And the sunlight clasps the Earth, / And the moonbeams kiss the sea -' and it is significant because the repetition of the word 'And' emphasises the desperation the voice feels
• What is significant about the words 'sunlight' and 'moonbeams'?


  'Sunlight' represents light and 'moonbeams' represent darkness and this juxtaposition emphasises the fact that nothing in the world is ever single, not in light and not in darkness
• What is significant about the personification used in Love's Philosophy?

  It shows the reader how the voice really feels by giving his feelings to the nature within the poem
• What is the effect of the rhythm?

  The trochaic metre and iambic tetrameter throughout the poem makes it more abrupt and strong which emphasises the threatening nature of the poem
• Why is there half-rhyme throughout out the poem (other than because it is a one-sided relationship)?

  Because it is a half formed argument
• What is significant about the title of the poem?

  The term 'philosophy' suggests that the poet understands the logical laws that love must abide by
• When was Love's Philosophy written?

  1820
• How can Love's Philosophy be seen as playful?

  Because the poet oversimplifies the idea that just because things in nature come together, he and the woman must come together too
• Why is the repetition of the verbs throughout the poem significant? What are the verbs?

  To emphasise the physical relationship he wants - the verbs include 'mingle', 'mix', 'kiss' and 'clasp'
• What are the key themes in Love's Philosophy?

  Nature and longing