Form - A Helpmeet for Him

• The poem 'A Helpmeet for Him' follows the Roundel Form, a variation of the rondeau developed by Algernon Charles Swinburne - It consists of three stanzas, typically structured as 11 lines in total with a refrain (a repeated line) and a fixed rhyme scheme - ABAR / BAB / ABAR - where "R" is the repeated refrain - Rossetti's use of this tightly controlled and circular form mirrors the themes of fixed gender roles and divine order, reinforcing the notion of woman’s purpose as predetermined and unchanging
• The poem 'A Helpmeet for Him' follows the Roundel Form, with its fixed refrain and recurring structure, mirrors the repetitive and predetermined expectations placed upon women within patriarchal and Tractarian ideology - Just as the form returns inevitably to its opening line, so too does the figure of woman in the poem return to her ordained function - as helper, stabiliser, and silent strength - This circularity emphasises the inescapability of her role, suggesting both constancy and confinement
• The poem 'A Helpmeet for Him' follows the Roundel Form, and the roundel’s musical and incantatory qualities resonate with the solemn, chant-like cadences of church liturgy, aligning womanhood with religious devotion and sacred duty - Rossetti, deeply influenced by Tractarianism, uses form as a spiritual echo, reinforcing the idea that female subservience is not just social but divinely instituted - This rhythmic formal choice thus sanctifies woman’s role, elevating passive femininity into a holy calling
• The poem 'A Helpmeet for Him' follows the Roundel Form, by embedding subtle proto-feminist themes within a conservative, fixed form, Rossetti cleverly veils critique beneath orthodoxy - The roundel’s restraint mirrors the social decorum expected of women, yet the poem’s content - exploring inner strength, veiled might, and moral influence - quietly destabilises the submissive image - Form here becomes a kind of containment that the content subtly pushes against, reflecting the Victorian woman’s experience of living within limits while possessing complex agency
• The poem 'A Helpmeet for Him' follows the Roundel Form, the balanced, symmetrical nature of the roundel reflects the idealised mutual dependence between man and woman that the poem espouses - Just as the form relies on the repetition of its refrain to maintain unity, the poem presents woman as essential to man’s spiritual and emotional completeness - This structural harmony underscores the theological notion of divine complementarity while subtly affirming the quiet power in being indispensable
• The poem 'A Helpmeet for Him' follows the Roundel Form, the roundel’s circular construction, always looping back to its refrain, enacts the theological concept of eternal truths - particularly that woman was made for man’s support - Rossetti uses the rigidity of the form to underscore how women’s roles, in the eyes of Tractarian thought, are timeless, universal, and non-negotiable - Through this repetition, the poem becomes almost doctrinal, embedding its ideology in both language and structure