"My Belladonna" is a poem influenced by the poets William Shakespeare and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. This essay will critically reflect on the thematic and stylistic choices fabricated within the themes of love, time and death which are strongly embedded in the cryptic "My Belladonna" poem.
The thematic choices of "My Belladonna" stem from the basis of an imperfect romantic relationship between two people. Love, time and death are crucial themes within the poem. Rooted from the famed "Romeo and Juliet" play by playwright and poet William Shakespeare (2018), "My Belladonna" echoes fragments of the tale. Similar to "Romeo and Juliet," the poem symbolises a narrative of unparalleled sorrow, highlighting the inevitability of the lovers' tragic fate. Romeo proclaims "Juliet is the Sun," (Shakespeare, 2018: 48, line 17) in the same fashion that the speaker in "My Belladonna" refers to Belladonna in line five (Kistiah, 2024).
In addition, another of Shakespeare's works "Let me not to the marriage of true minds" exerts an influence on the entirety of this metaphorical poem. "Let me not to the marriage of true minds" indicates "the marriage of true minds" – love – is perfect and unvarying; love does not change when there are changes in the loved one, therefore, it does not "admit impediments" (Shakespeare, 2013: 52, line 2). "My Belladonna" is a contradiction, contrasting the poem in a negative approach. "My Belladonna" states there are changes loved ones undergo in romantic relationships, these changes bring rise for the love to vary and become unstable until there is no love remaining. "My Belladonna" uses diction and imagery to convey the above message and the theme of time. The imagery of the "Sun" (Kistiah, 2024: line 5) is a form of symbolism as it represents something other than the image itself (Blank and Kay, 2019). The speaker stating, "My Belladonna, you are the Sun and I am the world" (Kistiah, 2024: line 5) emphasises that the Sun is the centre of the solar system, therefore indicating Belladonna is the centre of their life, as their world revolves around her. Hence, the speaker puts Belladonna on a pedestal, idolising her and subsequently devaluing themself. They entitle Belladonna "[a] white light, a wildfire" (Kistiah, 2024: line 6) juxtaposing ethereality, hope and transcendence with destruction, rage and uncontrollable nature. The juxtaposition of these words conveys the first impression of Belladonna – an indication of time - which leads the speaker to believe she is their saviour, their "white light" (Kistiah, 2024: line 6) when in fact the light the speaker witnessed was the flames from her "wildfire" (Kistiah, 2024: line 6).
The references to astronomy in various aspects of "My Belladonna" are governed by American poet and educator Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. His poem "A Second Psalm of Life: The Light of Stars" embodied deep personal, emotional and spiritual depth (Walker, 2015). These elements influenced the creation of "My Belladonna," as they are weaved within the poem. "My Belladonna" stems from the poet's trajectory which evolved from her insecurities. The poem is from the perspective of a fictional character whom the poet conjured. The actions of Belladonna in the poem mirror her fears of destroying her partner in a relationship due to underlying traumatic events. Influenced by Longfellow's poem, the poet uses symbolic astronomical imagery of the "Sun" (Kistiah, 2024: line 5), "world" (Kistiah, 2024: line 5), "stars" (Kistiah, 2024: line 2) and "Pluto" (Kistiah, 2024: line 16) to convey her message with leaving room for interpretation for the reader. "Belladonna" (Kistiah, 2024: lines 1-18) translates from Italian to "pretty woman." However, Belladonna is another name given to one of the most beautiful plants which happens to be poisonous named Deadly Nightshade. Longfellow uses astronomical imagery in his poem "The Light of Stars" as a use of symbolism.
The stylistic analysis of "My Belladonna" is broken down into structure and rhyme scheme. The poem features an ABAB rhyme scheme, as well as a slant rhyme, which emphasizes the imperfect relationship between Belladonna and the speaker. The poem is composed of five stanzas, including four quatrains and a rhyming couplet at the end. Traditionally, a rhyming couplet signifies the end of a poem and in this particular instance the end of the romantic relationship between Belladonna and the speaker which is interpreted as the theme of death. The anaphora, which is the repetition of "My Belladonna" at the beginning of each stanza, conveys the speaker's desperation in calling out to Belladonna. Additionally, there are words in bold throughout the poem that form a sentence stating, "My Belladonna was my wildfire burning my skin." This sentence reveals the speaker's unconscious thoughts as they refuse to recognise or acknowledge that Belladonna has hurt them. Therefore, the message is hidden cryptically, indicating the speaker's denial.
Influenced by Longfellow and his use of mythology in "The Light of Stars," throughout "My Belladonna" there are references to Chinese mythology and Greek mythology. Both of these converge to form an intricate take on fate. In the first stanza, line one, the speaker states they "are tied by the invisible string," (Kistiah, 2024) which is a reference to the Chinese myth of "The Red String of Fate." The myth states that two people who are destined to be soulmates are tied together by a single invisible red thread. This red thread may tangle or extend for miles, but it would never break regardless of time, place or circumstance. "Icarus", in line 18 of the last stanza (Kistiah, 2024), is a reference to the Greek myth of Icarus and Apollo (the Sun). In the myth, the Sun (Apollo) burned Icarus and in this poem, the Sun (Belladonna) burns the speaker. The speaker compares himself to Icarus as he was aware of the risks of the ancient myth, yet he ignored the warnings, similar to how Icarus ignored Daedalus and flew too close to the sun. The contrast from the first to the last stanza is an indication of reverse catharsis on the speaker.
In summary, "My Belladonna" has an intricate web of the themes of love, death and time which are weaved together to add depth to the poem. The stylistic poetic techniques create a descriptive as well as cryptic message within the poem which enables the reader to interpret the deliberate characteristics. Poets William Shakespeare and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow are great influences on the trajectory of the poem.
Referencing
- Blank, K. and Kay, M. 2019. The Close Reading of Poetry, 10 September 2019. [Online]. Available at: https://web.uvic.ca/hrd/closereading/imagery.html [Accessed: 31 March 2024].
- Kistiah, D. 2024. My Belladonna, Berry, D (1st edition).
- Shakespeare, W. 2013. Let me not to the marriage of true minds. In: Moffett, H. Seasons come to pass: A poetry anthology for Southern African students. Cape Town: Oxford University Press Southern Africa, 52-53
- Shakespeare, W. 2018. Romeo and Juliet. [eBook]. Available on Standard eBooks at: https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/william-shakespeare/romeo-and-juliet/download?format=epub [Accessed 31 March 2024].
- Walker, A. 2015. Poem Analysis: The Light of Star, [s.a.]. [Online]. Available at: https://poemanalysis.com/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/the-light-of-stars/ [Accessed 31 March 2024].
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My Belladonna
Poésie'My Belladonna' is a cryptic, modern retelling of Icarus and Apollo influenced by poets William Shakespeare and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
