Cummings Study Guide

Type of Work

.......“The Passionate Shepherd” is a pastoral poem. Pastoral poems generally center on the love of a shepherd for a maiden (as in Marlowe’s poem), on the death of a friend, or on the quiet simplicity of rural life. The writer of a pastoral poem may be an educated city dweller, like Marlowe, who extolls the virtues of a shepherd girl or longs for the peace and quiet of the country. Pastoral is derived from the Latin word pastor, meaning shepherd.

Setting

.......Chistopher Marlowe sets the poem in early spring in a rural locale (presumably in England) where shepherds tend their flocks. The use of the word madrigals (line 8)—referring to poems set to music and sung by two to six voices with a single melody or interweaving melodies—suggests that the time is the sixteenth century, when madrigals were highly popular in England and elsewhere in Europe. However, the poem could be about any shepherd of any age in any country, for such is the universality of its theme.

Characters

The Passionate Shepherd: He importunes a woman—presumably a young and pretty country girl—to become his sweetheart and enjoy with him all the pleasures that nature has to offer.
The Shepherd’s Love: The young woman who receives the Passionate Shepherd’s message.
Swains: Young country fellows whom the Passionate Shepherd promises will dance for his beloved.

Theme

.......The theme of “The Passionate Shepherd” is the rapture of springtime love in a simple, rural setting. Implicit in this theme is the motif of carpe diem—Latin for “seize the day.” Carpe diem urges people to enjoy the moment without worrying about the future.

Writing and Publication Information

.......Marlowe wrote the poem in 1588 or 1589 while attending Cambridge University at its Corpus Christi College. It first appeared in print in poetry collections published in 1599 and 1600.

Meter

.......The meter is iambic tetrameter, with eight syllables (four iambic feet) per line. (An iambic foot consists of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.) The following graphic presentation illustrates the meter of the first stanza.

.......In each stanza, the first line rhymes with the second, and the third rhymes with the fourth.

Structure

.......The poem contains seven quatrains (four-line stanzas) for a total of twenty-eight lines. Marlowe structures the poem as follows:

.......Following are examples of figures of speech in the poem.

Alliteration

.......Marlowe mixes images of objects made from nature (beds of roses, a cap of flowers, a belt of straw with ivy buds) with images of man-made objects (gold buckles, silver dishes). His beloved thus will receive the best of both worlds.

The Poem’s Enduring Appeal

.......Over the centuries, Marlowe’s little poem has enjoyed widespread popularity because it captures the joy of simple, uncomplicated love. The shepherd does not worry whether his status makes him acceptable to the girl; nor does he appear concerned about money or education. The future will take carry of itself. What matters is the moment. So, he says, let us enjoy it—sitting on a rock listening to the birds.
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