Eve of St. Agnes Does Porphyro rescue or steal madeline
John Keats' beautiful poem, "The Eve of St. Agnes," causes some disagreement among his readers. This work is often either interpreted as an enchanting love story with a fairy tale ending or the complete opposite, a story of deceitful seduction with a grave ending. However, "The Eve of St. Agnes" can be interpreted as a combination of these explanations. Porphyro neither seduces nor loves Madeline. He is, however, infatuated with her and unknowingly takes from her, her security and purity, resulting in a very unhappy ending.Porphyro is unaware that the night he chooses to visit Madeline is The Eve of St. Agnes. In fact, he asks Angela when the girls are weaving wool for St. Agnes (line114-117). Even Angela responds with, it seems, a sudden realization that it is St. Agnes Eve (118). If he did deliberately come to Madeline on the Eve of St. Agnes then the reader would understand that he did so to manipulate her. However, because this is not the case, the reader cannot assume that conclusion. It is true that Porphyro seeks Madeline out and comes to her home pining after her. However, the text provides clues that this behavior is not due to deceitful intentions, but to Porphyro's honest feelings for Madeline. For example,
Keats' poem, "The Eve of St. Agnes" is not as cut and dry as some may think. Does Porphyro love Madeline, or does he seduce her? The answer is neither. He does not truly love her. Although, he thinks himself madly in love with her, he is really infatuated with her. He does seduce her in the sense that he acts in ways that do not honestly represent his feelings for her. However, this is not seduction in the sense that it is not intentionally deceitful. He shows her that he loves her because he thinks that he really does love her. Also, does this poem end happily or does it end badly? The ending is tragic in that Madeline is taken away from her home only to be brought into a storm that symbolizes more tragedy to come. However, the end of the poem should not be interpreted that Porphyro is now stealing her away after seducing and corrupting her, for he does not know the effects of his actions on her. The reader is left with the thought that now both Porphyro and Madeline are innocently left victim to the storm. upon his entrance in the poem, he "implores all saints to give him sight of Madeline...that he might gaze and worship all unseen (lines 77-80)." It is immediately clear that he is obsessed with her. The fact that he wants to worship her and later on views her as an angel (line 222-225), reveals that he has an admira
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Approximate Word count = 905
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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