The Passionate Shepherd Essay

In the poems, “The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd” and “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love,” the man, also referred to as the shepherd, and the woman, referred to as the nymph, have completely different views of love. In “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love,” the Shepherd presents a view of love that is held together by normal human desires for material items such as beauty, music, fine clothes, dancing, and other nice things such as roses. The Shepherd believes that the key to attracting the nymph is by presenting to her many items and possessions in hopes that she will fall for him. Likewise, in “The Nymph and the Shepherd,” the nymph displays a more negative attitude towards love. She believes that since nothing lasts forever, permanent love cannot exist. Both …show more content…
Unlike that of the Shepherd, the Nymph views love pragmatically, as well as in a long-term aspect. “If all the world and love were young, and truth in every Shepherd’s tongue, these pretty pleasures might me move, to live with thee, and be thy love” (Nymph’s Reply L. 1-4), suggests that the Nymph only felt love was possible if everything lasted forever. The Poem suggests that the nymph’s hopes and expectations towards love can best be viewed as pragmatic and emotion-centered, while the shepherd’s hopes and expectations towards love are considered unrealistic. When the shepherd offers the nymph his items such as a “gown made of the finest wool” (Passionate Shepherd L. 16), the nymph denies his offer by stating “Thy gowns, thy shoes, thy bed of Roses, thy cap, thy kirtle, and thy posies soon break, soon wither, soon forgotten” (Nymph’s Reply L. 16-17). As the nymph continuously denies the Shepherd’s offers, the reader begins to interpret that she is disinterested and dispassionate about harnessing love with the Shepherd, because again, nothing lasts