Sir Walter Raleigh
The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd
Who is Sir Walter Raleigh?
- historians aren't sure when he was born (1552 or 1554)
- English explorer, writer, and soldier
- studied at Oxford
- his family faced persecution from Mary I because they were Protestant
- Queen Elizabeth's favorite after serving in her army in Ireland
- became a knight in 1585, 2 years after became Captain of the Queen's Guard
- established a colony near Roanoke Island in which he named Virginia
- accused of treason by James I, imprisoned and executed on October 29, 1618
Queen Elizabeth
Raleigh Lays His Coat Down for the Queen
James I
Stanza 1
- end rhyme
- hypothetical thought
- states that world is not young and that shepherds lie
- won't give into the shepherd's promises and live with him and be his lover
Stanza 2
- end rhyme
- alliteration (flocks from field to fold, rivers rage and rocks, care to come)
- the nymph undermines the man's promises and offers to her
- reverses his images into negative ones by concept of time and change (rocks grow cold, rivers rage, flocks are driven to fold in winter, fields yield to the harvest)
- reference to Philomel who was raped and turned into a nightingale
Stanza 3
- end rhyme
- alliteration (flowers do fade, wayward winter, fancy spring but sorrow's fall)
- talks about a honey tongue as a disguise for a cold heart and doesn't know true passion
Stanza 4
- end rhyme
- repetition of first word (thy, soon, in)
- alliteration (reason rotten)
- all the things the shepherd promises will fade away and lose value over time
Stanza 5
- end rhyme
- what he promises her will not make her change her mind because she believes that he can only promise her material goods instead of true love
Stanza 6
- end rhyme
- states that if she was promised a life of everlasting youth, happiness, love, joy, and no aging then she is willing to make the shepherd her companion
Video: The Life of Sir Walter Raleigh
The Life of Sir Walter Raleigh
Song: Forever Young by One Direction
One Direction - Forever Young (Music Video) + Lyrics
Works Cited
Biology.com Editors. "Walter Raleigh Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.
Graham, Ruth. "The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.
"Raleigh, Sir Walter (also Ralegh) (1551?-1618)." Benet's Reader's Encyclopedia of American Literature. George B. Perkins, Barbara Perkins, and Phillip Leininger. Vol. 1. New York: HarperCollins, 1991. 895. Literature Resource Center. Web. 18 Feb. 2016.
OneDirectionZic. "One Direction - Forever Young (Music Video) Lyrics." YouTube. YouTube, 28 Dec. 2015. Web. 18 Feb. 2016.
Song, Jeni. "The Life of Sir Walter Raleigh." YouTube. YouTube, 2 Mar. 2014. Web. 18 Feb. 2016.