Symptoms of Love

• Poet


  Robert Graves, british novelist, critic and classicist
• Context


  Was written when Graves was in a volatile relationship with Laura Riding after leaving his wife. He has been described as a toxic lover and had divorced many times. His experiences may have influenced his views on love
• Form


  Poem is a lyric which expresses emotional feelings. Usually short and song-like quality. Don't tell a story really.

  
• Rhythm


  Short, continuous rhythm mirrors sound of a heartbeat

  
• Structure


  5 stanzas. Each stanza becomes a more personal depiction of love. Last stanza gives encouragement to those enduring the labours of love
• Title


  Very unconventional as it depicts love in a nitty gritty way . Negative focus on love. "symptoms" evokes connotations of pain and suffering.
• "migraine and stain"


  Begins with a metaphor comparing feeling of being in love to feeling of pain. Unusual depiction connotes negativity. Emotional pain so damaging it causes a headache

  
• "Universal"


  Emphasises vulnerability and the idea that everyone can experience this pain

  
• "Blotting out reason"


  Hyperbole shows love is so strong it can affect someone mentally. "reason" connotes sanity, reinforcing the cliche "love is blind" and can cause you to overlook the negative aspect of a relationship
• "leanness, jealousy, laggard draws"


  Triple. Listing refers to "symptoms." Each noun carries negativity like symptoms of a disease. Line reads methodically. Negative diction creates a semantic field of darkness. Evokes images of suffering/torment. Love is painfully reinforced.
• "laggard"


  When waiting for love, it can be a slow, long, and gruelling process which is emphasised in this adjective.
• "omens and nightmares"


  Metaphorcompares love to omens evokingsupernatural imagery. Love is destructive. "omens" creates asinister tonewhich shows how love an be uncontrollable and lead to misfortune.

  
• "listening for a knock"


  Auditory imagery shows how love can make you feel tense and waiting on edge

  
• "waiting for a sign:"


  Love can leave you impatient/anxious. Caesural pause on colon represents the speaker waiting, creating a poignant tone

  
• "touch of her fingers"


  Tactile imagery shows how it is natural to crave intimacy and connection

  
• "darkened room"


  Desire for closeness/privacy. Light imagery could also indicate anxiety and reflect the detrimental impacts of love
• "Take courage lover!"


  Volta. Pessimism-> Optimism. Imperative shows speaker encouraging the reader to take risks and to persevere through the pain as the suffering can be worthwhile if it is for the right person. Exclamation mark reinforces this opinion
• "At any hand but hers?"

  Leaves reader to ponder the sacrifices made in relationships. Idea of being brave is reinforced through the rhetorical question.
• Overall presentation


  Atypical presentation of love