(Info4now)– In Elegiac Stanzas William Wordsworth works on his theme in style. While mourning the demise of his brother John, the image of Peele Castle intervenes the development with poetic artistry. With structural similarity with Tintern Abbey and thematic approximation to his numerous numbers like Ode on Intimation of Immortality and Resolution and Independence, it differs in fashion and style. 

Summary: Elegiac Stanzas

George Beaumont’s picture on Peele Castle reflects the restlessness of the sea and the poet gets surprised to see such a painting. The memory of Peele Castle flashes on the poet’s eye and he only imagines a calm and quiet environment around the old castle. He can see a smiling sea “on tranquil land, beneath a sky of bliss”.

Adventurous John, brother of William Wordsworth dies in the sea. The poet comes to himself and realizes the meaning of the painting. His primary thought on the picture must be an example of immaturity. The artist painted it with his vision, an art had required. The castle stands erect fighting the adverse circumstances around it.

The subject matter deviates a little bit towards the end. The unhappiness of the poet finds out the proper reason. He can calculate the true image of a natural phenomenon, calculate the reality of life. But the figure of the castle is given a separate image. The stability of the castle makes him stable against the demise of his brother. He is happy in understanding the sufferings of human beings. 

Critical Analysis

The poet mourns the death of his brother and we cannot chew on it as the secondary theme of the poem. In Tintern Abbey the poet moves into a deeper thought step by step. But as a nature poem, the start of Tintern Abbey is absolutely beautiful. It’s not right to find any thematic similarity between the two in that sense. However, the structure is the same. 

The mourning starts at the very start of the poem. The sense of loss is reflected. The adventures of John were very loving to Wordsworth and Dorothy. They never found fault with his desire of voyaging to the beautiful seas. That beauty of the ocean opens the story of Elegiac Stanzas and that beauty ironically sets the tone of the loss incorporated throughout the poem. 

It’s very symbolic and at the same time very artistic to meditate on the picture and tell a story. With the lovely description of the Peele Castle visited earlier, the poet contrasts a death with life. The depth of the loss should be brought into focus. It’s a fantastic set-up for the poet to phrase ‘t is no more’. The start reflects his love for Nature. But the violent beauty of the sea takes away his brother’s life. 

The acceptance of a recognized violent beauty lies in front of him—one which is painted by Beaumont. He is all praise for the picture. The poet realizes that the artist’s brain works more on truth than on sheer ‘consecration’. The expressions like ‘deadly swell’, ‘rueful sky’ and ‘dismal shore’ not only bring the uniqueness of the picture, but also mirror the consequence of brother John.

The castle stands for one that can deny the violence of the sea. The castle is the representative of Beaumont reality that fights the obstacles all around. Against the restless sea, dismal shore and rueful sky, the lone castle diffuses bravery. The poet’s dream shatters and takes resort to the Castle’s realization of the truth.

Conclusion

More than becoming a good elegy, Elegiac Stanzas marks one of Wordsworth’s best compositions. Along with the description of Nature, the paintings of Beaumont and the death of John Wordsworth serve rich contents of romanticism to the poem. Rhythmically written, artistically developed and emotion incorporated, Elegiac Stanzas controls Wordswothian philosophy and makes way for a romantic number.

( The author is an independent literary critic and the article is from his complete personal views.)