Key learning points

1. Shelley uses natural imagery to create an idyllic and idealised natural landscape.
2. Shelley uses religious imagery to suggest that natural symmetry is divine.
3. Shelley uses sensual verbs to convey his desire for physical intimacy with his partner.
4. Shelley uses rhetorical questions to suggest his frustration in his failure to woo his lover.
5. Shelley uses form and structure to subtly reinforce the importance of coupling.

Keywords

• Divine - supremely excellent, like God (or the work of God)

• Rhetorical questions - asked for effect or to provoke thought, not requiring an answer

• Sensual - relating to the senses, especially pleasure derived from physical gratification or aesthetic experiences

• Religious imagery - symbols or representations evoking spiritual themes

• Trochaic meter - poetic rhythm with stressed syllables followed by unstressed syllables, like ‘footsteps’ or ‘poetry'

Common misconception