Poetry and Stanza Shows Mariana

Mariana’ is based on a fictional character. Written in 1830 this poem portrays the feelings, thoughts and actions of the lonely ‘Mariana’. Like the other poems, Tennyson uses pathetic fallacy to show her mood thought the poem. As the poem is written in 3rd person narrative it makes the reader feel even more sympathetic toward ‘Mariana’. Written in the omniscient viewpoint it also gives the feeling of sadness and isolation. The rythem of the poem is worth considering as it takes the form of 7 12-line stanzas, each divided into 3 4-line rhyme units ABAB CDDC EFEF this gives the reader the impression that it is ordinary speech and 

The Pathetic fallacy is used in the first stanza as ‘Mariana’ is said to be living in a ‘Moated grange’. This gives the impression of self-inflicted isolation. However this could also be interpreted as her tears filling up this moat and cutting her off from normality. There are also many references to evil as Tennyson uses alliteration when using the words ‘sad and strange’, these words sound like hissing sounds, this could be seen as the devil and may be seen as sinister. By describing the shed as ‘broken’ Tennyson symbolises ‘Mariana’ as a broken woman. The word ‘dreary’ is used which gives the impression of a dull uninteresting scene. Repetition of the word ‘aweary’ gives the reader a sense of tiredness as she wishes that she wasn’t weary. The final line of then first stanza is a shocking admission and frighten the reader as ‘Mariana’ says that she ‘would that I were dead!’ The explanation mark sums up the importance of this line, as it is a clear reference to suicide. 

In the second stanza Pathos is used to evoke pity and sorrow toward ‘Mariana’. There are again references to self-imposed isolation as ‘she drew her casement-curtain’. Tennyson also shows the reader that she is still crying as ‘the dews were dried’. The reader also notices that ‘Mariana’ may be scared of the day, as this may be the reason for drawing her ‘casement...