Go, lovely rose

• Edmund Waller


  Child prodigy and brown-noser extraordinaire of the 17th century
• Edmund Waller (1606 - 1687) graduated as a lawyer at 16 and was elected to parliament at 18, the youngest person there
• Waller was an active politician for more than 60 years
• Title


  Go, Lovely Rose
• Speaker


  • The speaker, using an imperative, instructs the "lovely rose" to "[g]o" in order to give a very important message to the woman whom he loves. The speaker personifies the rose by giving it qualities of communication.
• Instructions


  The speaker instructs the rose to "go" (line 1), and "[t]ell her" (lines 2 and 6) and "Bid her" (line 13) how beautiful the woman he loves is and how she should share her beauty. He then goes on to instruct the rose to "die" (line 16) so that the woman can see how beauty does not last forever.
• Extended metaphor


  Throughout the poem, the speaker compares ("resemble[s] - line 4) the woman's beauty to that of a rose, saying she is "sweet and fair" (line 5), "rare" (line 17) and "wondrous (line 20).
• Symbolism: "Rose meanings have fascinated almost every culture for centuries. Although red roses are commonly known to symbolise love and romance, there's much more to roses than meets the eye.
• In fact, each rose colour has a different meaning, and these meanings can be used to unveil different layers of rose symbolism. No matter whether you're trying to express love, joy, friendship or sadness, a rose will be able to convey the perfect sentiment."
• Tone


  The tone seems argumentative and persuasive as the speaker uses a combination of persuasive language techniques (like instructions, exclamation marks, repetition, some indirect threats, etc.) and flattery to convince the woman he loves to be courted by him.
• Instructions


  The speaker tells the rose to convey three messages to the woman:

  1. that she is as "sweet and fair" (line 5) as the rose;
  2. that she should not hide herself from being admired ("Bid her come forth,/ Suffer herself to be desired,/ And not blush so to be admired." (lines 13-15));
  3. that time is short and no thing of beauty lasts forever. She and her beauty, like that of the rose, will fade and whither over time and eventually die as it is the "common fate" (line 17). Thus she should enjoy her youth and beauty while she still can and share it willingly with others.
• When war broke out, Waller was arrested for rebellious acts


  He promptly struck a bargain to be exiled instead of executed
• Possible seen comparison poem


  "To Me, Fair Friend" because of the comparisons to nature.
• Structure: Lyric poem (Lyric poetry refers to a short poem, often with songlike qualities, that expresses the speaker's personal emotions and feelings. Historically intended to be sung and accompany musical instrumentation. The structure is appropriate because of the subject matter and the fact that the rhyme and meter have musical qualities.
• Waller initially supported Charles I

  When Oliver Cromwell became Lord Protector, Waller turned on a dime and wrote poems praising Cromwell
• The rhyme and meter match:

  • Lines 1 & 3 rhyme and are made up of 4 syllables (2 pairs of iambs with one unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one).
  • Lines 2, 5 & 5 rhyme and have 8 syllables (4 pairs of iambs with the same stress as lines 1 & 3).
• Lyric poem


  A short poem, often with songlike qualities, that expresses the speaker's personal emotions and feelings. Historically intended to be sung and accompany musical instrumentation.
• Structure of the poem

  • 4 stanzas x 5 lines each (quintains)
  • Lines 1 & 3 rhyme and are made up of 4 syllables (2 pairs of iambs with one unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one)
  • Lines 2, 5 & 5 rhyme and have 8 syllables (4 pairs of iambs with the same stress as lines 1 & 3)
• The rhyme and meter match
• Lyric poetry refers to a short poem, often with songlike qualities, that expresses the speaker's personal emotions and feelings. Historically intended to be sung and accompany musical instrumentation.
• The structure is appropriate because of the subject matter and the fact that the rhyme and meter have musical qualities.
• The poem maintains, with slight melancholy, that the more beautiful "sweet and fair" (line 20) something is, the shorter its lifespan is ("[h]ow small a part of time they share").
• The poem compares the "common fate" of death.
• This comparison is supposed to be persuasive, but it does come across as slightly eery.
• The poem addresses the "lovely rose".
• The more beautiful something is

  The shorter its lifespan is
• The poem is a lyric poem.
• The poetic style of Waller's day was one of hedonism, carpe diem, and liberalism, which would have been seen as shameful by more conservative readers
• The poem has 4 stanzas with 5 lines each (quintains).
• The rhyme and meter match.
• Lines 1 & 3 rhyme and are made up of 4 syllables (2 pairs of iambs with one unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one).
• Lines 2, 5 & 5 rhyme and have 8 syllables (4 pairs of iambs with the same stress as lines 1 & 3).
• Edmund Waller: 'YOLO!'
• Go, lovely Rose


  The imperative form leaves the rose little choice in the matter. The rose is personified by being given an instruction and by being capitalised. It is clear who the master is in this situation.
• Famous Cavalier Poets


  • Richard Lovelace
  • Robert Herrick
  • Thomas Carew
• Tone


  The way the poet has created the mood and reflects the way he/she feels about the subject matter
• Mood


  The atmosphere created for the reader
• The addressee in the poem is the rose, but the subject matter is about the transience of beauty and, just as how the beauty of the rose will fade, wither and die, the beauty of the woman whom the speaker loves will diminish over time as well
• "...wastes her time...and me"


  The speaker is losing patience with the young women in question. This is a last resort to make her see reason.
• Message


  The main idea or theme that the poet is trying to convey