Love's Philosophy

• Love's Philosophy'

  Content: Literally means 'love of wisdom' is a way of thinking which aims to make sense of reality and the meaning of life. In this poem, the narrator is trying to come to an understanding about love.
• "The fountains mingle with the river"


  Language about nature: Imagery of flowing water in natural springs shows that everything is connected to everything else.
• "river", "ever"

  "heaven", "forgiven"


  Form: Half rhymes, reflects how the couple are not united.
• "And the rivers with the ocean"


  Language about nature: from the fountains, river, shows an increasing scale of imagery, showing water joining larger and larger bodies hints that loving someone makes you part of something bigger yourself.
• ""The winds of heaven mix for ever"


  Content: Indication of the length of time and the holy connotations in regards to the love. The idea that love is natural and pure.
• "With a sweet emotion"


  Language about nature: Personification suggests that nature enjoys and benefits from this union.
• "Nothing in the world is single,"


  Structure: This line sums up the narrator's argument. The narrator uses the majority of each stanza to build up evidence to support his argument that everything in nature is supposed to come together.
• "All things by a law divine"


  The narrator thinks it's God's law that everything
• "In one another's being mingle - "


  Language device: Repetition of "mingle" emphasises how everything in nature is united. This is what the poet wants.

  The dash at the end of the line creates a pause which emphasises the question at the end of the stanza.
• "Why not I with thine?"


  Structure: In both stanzas, the first 7 lines are confident assertions, which contrasts with the rhetorical question. The poem is tightly structured to be persuasive.
• "See the mountains kiss high heaven"


  Language device: Repetition from lines 9, 14 and 16.

  Content: Use of physical language hints at his frustration that he's can't "kiss" or touch his lover.
• "And the waves clasp one another."

  Content: Image of water mingling and mixing and the personification of the waves gives a sensual image.
• "No sister-flower would be forgiven"

  Religious imagery: The narrator claims that his loved one's lack of love towards him goes against God's law and is therefore unforgivable.
• "If it disdain'd its brother;"


  Content: Hints that the woman the narrator is addressing has rejected him. This word means looked down on or scorned.
• "And ..."

  "And ..."


  Repetition: Anaphora at the start of these lines highlights just how many examples he can show her of unity in nature.
• "And the sunlight clasps the earth

  And the moonbeams kiss the sea

  What is all this sweet work worth"


  Language about nature: The narrator questions the point of the world if his lover doesn't love him - this suggests that love gives life meaning. This question can also be seen as hyperbole - he might be deliberately exaggerating to try to persuade her.
• "sunlight clasps the earth"


  Language about nature: Personification of the sun holding the earth. Imagery of the natural world benefiting from love. The idea that love is essential for life.
• "moonbeams kiss the sea"


  Language about nature: Personification of the moonbeams on the water, which also returns the image of water from the first image of the "fountains". Natural world is giving, showing that love itself is natural and necessary.
• "If thou kiss not me?"


  Structure: Final line of each stanza is monosyllabic and only has five syllables - this increases the impact of the rhetorical questions and makes them stand out. They are separated from the rest of the poem, just as the narrator is separated from his lover.
• Form

  The poem is short and apparently simple - the narrator believes that what he is saying is a simple truth.
• Rhyme scheme

  ABAB, but two lines in each stanza don't fully rhyme. This reflects the way that all of nature is in harmony except for the narrator and his loved one.
• Feelings and attitudes: Longing

  The narrator longs for love. He is frustrated that his love is not returned when he sees all the bonds that exist in nature around him.
• Feelings and attitudes: Playfulness

  The poem can be read in a playful way, the narrator is oversimplifies the idea that because things in nature come together, he and the woman he wants should also come together.
• Key Themes: Natural imagery

  Used to express love. Similar to 'Winter Swans'.
• What relationship is being presented?

  The poem is an romantic plea to persuade a young lady to succumb to physical desire and kiss the man

  
  

  It is told from the viewpoint of the male and addresses the lady directly and has a light & joyously passionate tone
• "The fountains mingle with the river"

  Nature is personified, creating a sharp parallel between the purity of the natural world and the purity of their love. Likewise, her restraint and rejection is seen as unnatural and unforgivable

  
  

  The poem uses a strong semantic field of nature. This is thecentral conceitof the poem - the argument that in the same way natural elements mix, humans are designed to behave in a similar way
• "Why not I with thine?"

  The use of rhetorical questions at the end of both stanzas is used to directly address his lover (as means to convince the woman), in order to emphasise his self pity and pining for her

  
  

  Here, the reader learns the speaker is experiencing unrequited love, and the ​monosyllabic​ nature of this line adds to its impact, making the stanza more persuasive
• "Nothing in the world is single; all things by a law divine"

  It is God's Law that everything in nature mingles together, religious language suggest love isn't just natural, it's divine and sacred

  
  

  Powerful religious imagery reinforces the sense that her submission to him is morally right and virtuous. Shelley's position as an Atheist enables us to interpret this as something slightly more manipulative and unscrupulous

  
  

  It seems ironic and that, as a passionate lover, he would be prepared to say anything in his quest for a kiss
• "The mountains kiss high Heaven and the waves clasp one another"


  Natural aspects are personified to persuade his lover, and the metaphorical bond between nature represents his idea of unrequited love

  
  

  Repetition of"kiss"suggests the speaker wishes he had an intimate and physical relationship with the woman he is addressing (stresses the importance of physical togetherness)

  
  

  "Clasp"has highly sensual connotations and the sibilance​ denotes a loving, intimate connection, as well as the continuing semantic field of embrace
• Rhyme scheme

  The alternate (ABAB) rhyme scheme further highlights that everything comes in pairs, apart from him and the regular rhyme represents his unwavering feelings
• Structure

  There are only two stanzas, illustrating the idea of couples expressed in the poem

  
  

  The consistency in form (regular rhyming couples and rhyming pattern, regular structure) may suggest the intensity and unchanging nature of his desire for the addressee as well as a highly reflective and considered line of thought.

  
  

  The two stanzas follow a similar pattern which begins with multiple examples to persuade, finishing with a rhetorical question. The rhyme scheme mixes masculine rhyme (single final syllable rhyme) with feminine rhyme (two syllable rhyme), further enhancing his 'philosophy' that masculine and feminine shouldmixandmingle
• Punctuation

  Shelley's use of punctuation throughout the poem is also significant- each stanza represents a single long sentence punctuated with colons and semi-colons

  
  

  This structure shows in an almost child-like way, Shelley's persistence in the quest for his love.
• Context

  Nature is also a typical Romantic motif (as part of the romanticism movement, typically associated with youthful passion), Shelley focuses the lady's attention on the most beautiful natural elements to appeal to her

  
  

  Thus the poem is written in simple language, typical of the Romantic poets. This simplicity echoes the simplicity and purity Shelley is alluding to with his passionate intentions & desire