Pastoral Poetry Study Guide

Study Guide “Time drives the flocks from field to fold,/When rivers rage and rocks grow cold,/And Philomel becometh dumb…” This passage is describing the coming of winter. The speaker’s attitude toward the themes of love and youth in “The Nymph’s Reply” are brief, saying that “flower’s do fade.” The setting of “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love” is an idealized countryside on a May morning. “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love” is a pastoral, because it celebrates the pleasures of simple country life. In contrast, the reply criticizes this landscape and lifestyle.

Study Guide 5. By “the posies wither,” the poet mean the posies dry up and die in the winter. 6. Someone in love might sing a madrigal to his or her beloved, because a madrigal is a love poem set to music. 7. Shepherd’s statement vs. Nymph’s feelings “…we will sit upon the rocks,/ Seeing the shepherds feed their flocks” Response: The flocks will have to leave the field when it grows cold. “And I will make thee beds of roses,/ And a thousand fragrant posies” Response: Flowers fade. “The shepherds’ swains shall dance and sing/ For thy delight each May morning” Response: Winter will come.

Study Guide 8. The speaker of “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love” is a simple shepherd who walks the hills and fields with his flock. 9. Marlowe portrays nature as a source of beauty and joy in “The Passionate Shepherd…” 10. The Nymph points out that the beauties of nature that the shepherd describes will not last.

Study Guide: Essay Questions 11. Carpe Diem, or “seize the day,” is common theme in poetry. In an essay, explain how some of the details in “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love” and “The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd” might support an argument that carpe diem is a theme in both poems. 12. Based on the world’s views presented in “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love” and “The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd,” do you think the woman would be happy if she accepted the shepherd’s invitation? Explain your conclusions in an essay that supports your ideas with details from both poems. 13. The two poems, “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love” and “The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd,” present a kind of debate. In an essay, tell which writer, Marlowe or Raleigh, you think gives the more successful and convincing presentation. Give reasons for your choice and examples from the poems to support your opinion.

Study Guide: Essay Questions 14. What is the relationship between place and literature? Each of the two poems creates a sense of place through description. In an essay, describe the sense of place the poems create. Then explain which sense of place you feel is stronger and more convincing, and why. Use details from the poems to support your response.