The passage in question: the verse paragraph beginning on l. 73 and ending l. 98. It works as a self-contained unit (more so than other verse paragraphs in the poem), but it also connects to Eloisa's overall chain of thought. Line 81 often trips people up. It's reasonable to think that "the jealous God" is...well, God. A lot of editions of this poem, however, put a footnote in at that point to suggest that "the jealous God" refers back to "Love" in the previous line and means, not God, but Cupid (the god of Love). Try reading it with that gloss, and see if it makes sense.
What is Eloisa saying in this verse paragraph? How does it connect to Eloisa's other thoughts and concerns in this poem?
Deadline:
8 comments:
In this verse, Eloisa scorns laws that have nothing to do with love and states that in Abelard's presence she is better than Caesar’s empress. She states "No, make me mistress to the man I love; If there be yet another name more free, More fond than mistress, make me that to thee!" (l. 88-90). She speaks of freedom in being able to be with her lover without any of the constraints of society or convention, such as marriage and how much more free they were as a result. I think that the “jealous God” in line 81 is, in fact, God, because she talks of things like scorning his law and making mistaken mortals groan which are not often talked about in relation to Cupid but in relation to God. If Eloisa were talking about Cupid, I would expect her to talk of arrows and embracing his law because it is what made her fall in love.
Given the context that precedes Eloisa’s reference to a jealous God, I think she is describing Cupid. At line 75 she transitions from describing love as a concept to addressing Love as a personified being. The capitalization of “Love” and direct address is one indication that she is no longer talking about love in an abstract manner, but instead portraying it as something tangible. The imagery Eloisa uses in describing how Love “spreads his light wings, and in a moment flies” (76) indicates that it is something palpable. While Margaret is correct in stating that this figure lacks some of the qualities and accessories that we typically associate with Cupid, I would disagree that this discounts the possibility that Eloisa is referring to Cupid. In fact, her description summons the popular representation of Cupid as a Cherub, a depiction that Pope would likely have been familiar with.
With this personification of erotic love, Eloisa conveys her restlessness. Like love, her passion flies “in a moment,” (76) and Eloisa finds that love is the ultimate freedom. Despite the proclamation that “love is liberty” (92) and the rejection of other laws, it seems as though Eloisa is bound and confined by Love, and this is something that she addresses in other parts of the poem.
In later lines, She searches for a less erotic and more divine form of love. As a result, God, in the non-pagan sense, emerges as a foil to Cupid, the personification of passionate love. This God is not jealous but rather willing to “[absolve] our frailties” (316). Although lines 73-98 contain a cohesive thought, I do not think that it is representative of what Eloisa identifies as an eternal form of love at the end of the poem. It does, however, heighten Eloisa’s conflict and sets up her shift toward the contemplation of divine love and death.
I think Eloisa is referring to God and not Love for two reasons. First, I think you can tell from the other times she mentions "God" that she means this to be "God". She talks about God four or five times throughout the piece and I think it is unlikely she would use the word "God" to mean something else and then go on to use it when she is talking about redemption, forgiveness, etc. Second, I think you can tell she's not talking about love based on the context of what comes before line 81, where she says "the jealous God". During lines 73-80, she is talking about love. She says that "before true passion, all those views remove", by which she means she values love above "wealth" and "honour". I think this means she doesn't care as much about man's laws as she does about love. In like 80, she writes "Fame, wealth, and honour! what are you to love?" and then she says "the jealous god... those restless passions in revenge inspires". It wouldn't make sense for her to be saying how she valued love over other virtue/rules, and then speak of love as a "jealous God". Cupid, the god of love, wouldn't be jealous of her for valuing love. I think she is saying she believes God is angry with her for following her heart rather than his rules. That's why he makes "mistaken mortals groan, who seek in love for aught but love alone", as she says in lines 83-84.
I disagree with the previous comment. Eloisa is most certainly speaking of her love. In line 81 "The jealous God, when profane his fires," she uses the word profane which means not devoted to holy or religious purposes. That means that she does not mean to relate this to anything religious by any means. She on the other hand does state "Himself, his throne, his world, I'd scorn 'em all: Not Ceasar's empress would I deign to prove; No, make mistress to the man I love; If there be yet another name more free, More fond than mistress, make me that to thee!" (86-90). Eloisa main message in this passage is that she would not care for all of the riches in the world, or all the luxuaries, she would reject everything if she could only be with her one true love. She would gladly become his mistress and if there was something that would allow to show her love in a better way, she would become that. "How oft when press'd to marriage, have I said, Curse on all laws but those which love has made!" (73-74). She defines her feelings in these two lines, Eloisa wishes to forget all morality and normal rules of society and to only follow the rules of her heart to guide her to be with Abelard.
In this particular verse, I think that Eloisa talking about her "love" she has for Abelard. I think that she meantions the word God but is talking about how this has nothing to do with him (God) or any other religious reference. However, when she states "Fame, wealth, and honour! what are you to Love? The Jealous God, when we profance his fires (80-81). Eloisa is stating that she doesn't care about having everything "perfect" as in alot of fame or being really wealthy but she wants the person that makes her feel this sense of worth, which happens to be Abelard. This verse relates to the many others in this particular poem because it describes how far and serious she is to explain that Abelard is the one she wants, and has the power to complete her. I think that she wants to let God know that she doesn't feel inclined to be limited to these strict rules she must follow in order to be happy by Abelard side.
I think Margaret has it spot-on. Eloisa views love in a very forward-thinking way in that it's about being happy and comfortable with whom you are with. But this defies the social construct of "marriage" of that time, where men and women wed for reasons usually not pertaining to love. I recently read "Pride and Prejudice", and I recall how Lizzie's friend Charlotte married Mr Collins so as to protect her status rather than for love. The comparison isn't perfect, but it illustrates the institution very well.
I think the Cupid idea is still there, though, because in line 76 Pope refers to "wings" and "flight". Arguably, love is Red Bull, but I would say that this is the idea that Cupid's image as a winged god. There may also be an allusion to the story of Eros and Psyche in the paragraph. Aside from the fact that Eros flees Psyche at some point during the story ("Love...at sight of human ties / Spreads his light wings, and in a moment flies"), we can recall that Aphrodite was very "jealous" of Psyche's beauty. When Eros falls in love with Psyche, he defies his mother and stops making people fall in love, which threatens her temple ("profane his fires"). I recognize that the pronoun following "jealous God" is male, but it still adds up to the fable. Food for thought.
Eloisa is cursing all the rules of the world of religion that are keeping her and Abelard apart. She shows anger towards God, but tries to do it in a respectful if possible, way. Eloisa is mad that laws do not permit love to be the main reason for marriage, while that is the poetic and fantasy style of idea behind it. In some ways I think she refers to God in a sarcastic way where she knows she has been told it is God's will for it to be like this, but she really believes it is the virtues of men that have orchestrated the lives all are assumed to lead.
In this verse paragraph, Eloisa speaks of the virtues of pure love removed from the pretensions and blockades placed on its expression by the society which she is forced to deal with. It serves as counterpoint to the problems Eloisa is facing by pointing out how she would be fine if left to simply share her love with Abelard as opposed to dealing with the complications which others have imposed upon her.
Post a Comment