HAVISHAM Beloved sweetheart bastard. Not a day since then I haven’t wished him dead. Prayed for it so hard I’ve dark green pebbles for eyes, ropes on the back of my hands I could strangle with. Oxymoron – still loves him but hates him for what he has done to her unmarried name reminds her of being jilted thus the title Metaphor – green has connotations of jealousy; while her eyes are described as being like rocks – she’s become so hardened by hatred that she can’t see properly Metaphor – her veins and sinews stand out from her flesh – a sign of her age Word choice is very aggressive – she is so angry she could murder him literally “with her bare hands” Word choice
Spinster. I stink and remember. Whole days in bed cawing Nooooo at the wall; the dress yellowing, trembling if I open the wardrobe; the slewed mirror, full-length, her, myself, who did this Single word sentence – this is what she feels defines her Word choice - She’s disgusted with herself List suggests confusion about who it is she is looking at in the mirror Word Choice – imagines the mirror as twisted rather than herself Word choice – indicates fear – she is frightened to see herself in the wardrobe mirror Word choice – onomatopoeic describes harshness of her Voice. Elongated vowel sound emphasises her frustration Enjambment – pause before we hear how damaged it is – unexpected description Word Choice – shows age and decay
to me? Puce curses that are sounds not words. Some nights better, the lost body over me, my fluent tongue in its mouth in its ear then down till I suddenly bite awake. Love’s Enjambment from previous verse emphasises her confusion Word choice – the colour of blood – implies her fury In her fantasies, the man is seen as an object, not a person Metaphor – shows how violently her dreams Speaker recognises how irrational and savage she sounds Her words are evil.
hate behind a white veil; a red balloon bursting in my face. Bang. I stabbed at a wedding-cake. Give me a male corpse for a long slow honeymoon. Don’t think it’s only the heart that b-b-b-breaks. Enjambment emphasises contrast between two emotions Symbolism – usually hides a “blushing bride” but here hides speaker’s hatred Symbolic of her fury at the loss of her husband and of her life of marriage. Note the word choice here is very aggressive Onomatopoeia – also shows her unpredictability Symbolism – balloon symbolises celebration/party etc; bursting suggests destruction of that celebration, as in the wedding party which never happened Use of indefinite article – wants revenge on men in general, any man will do Usually a happy time but here connected with death and revenge – very sinister tone Alliteration shows that her ability to speak is breaking down also. This is probably because of both her tears and her mental fragility The body (of her “male corpse”) and her own mind can also break (and apparently has)
Extra notes: “Havisham” is a dramatic monologue. It is one person speaking throughout. This format helps the reader get into the mind of the speaker. But makes it untrustworthy as only one side explained. “her, myself” – confusion and no longer recognises herself. Mental breakdown.
1.What does Miss Havisham call her fiancé? 2.What does she want to do to her fiancé? 3.What is someone who is old and not married called? 4.What can Havisham smell? 5.Why does she scream at the wall? 6.Why does she not want to look in the mirror? 7.What does Havisham remember when she wakes up? 8.What pops in her face? 9.What does she want for her honeymoon? 10.What happens at the end of the poem?