The persona of Havisham lacks stability and the relationship in ‘Quickdraw’ is whimsical and fast-paced, emphasised by the two lines: “you ring, quickdraw, your voice a pellet in my ear, and hear me groan”. These erratic verses are followed by the crux of the poem, cleverly disguised by Duffy through the use of enjambment. If lines 5 and 9 are put together, they read “you’ve wounded me through the heart”. This ingenious manipulation of structure intensifies the meaning of the poem and makes us sympathise with the speaker about her failed relationship. On the other hand, it is the chaotic structure and rhyme scheme in ‘The Farmer’s Bride’ that reflects the wife’s apparently unpredictable personality. At first, the wife is described by Mew as not being a woman, but more like “a little frightened fay”. On the surface, this simile would suggest that she was a demure, lithe character who is afraid of human contact; nevertheless, according to Elizabethan folklore, fays – also called fairies or faeries – were wicked creatures that would happily unleash their wrath on those who didn’t cajole them and comply with their every demand. This paints a much more alarming picture of her persona, which could somewhat reflect Charlotte Mew’s own mental state, as she had a thorough insight into mental illnesses.
The persona of Havisham lacks stability and the relationship in ‘Quickdraw’ is whimsical and fast-paced, emphasised by the two lines: “you ring, quickdraw, your voice a pellet in my ear, and hear me groan”. These erratic verses are followed by the crux of the poem, cleverly disguised by Duffy through the use of enjambment. If lines 5 and 9 are put together, they read “you’ve wounded me through the heart”. This ingenious manipulation of structure intensifies the meaning of the poem and makes us sympathise with the speaker about her failed relationship. On the other hand, it is the chaotic structure and rhyme scheme in ‘The Farmer’s Bride’ that reflects the wife’s apparently unpredictable personality. At first, the wife is described by Mew as not being a woman, but more like “a little frightened fay”. On the surface, this simile would suggest that she was a demure, lithe character who is afraid of human contact; nevertheless, according to Elizabethan folklore, fays – also called fairies or faeries – were wicked creatures that would happily unleash their wrath on those who didn’t cajole them and comply with their every demand. This paints a much more alarming picture of her persona, which could somewhat reflect Charlotte Mew’s own mental state, as she had a thorough insight into mental illnesses.