0
Thomas Moore canvasses two periods (past and present) and kinds of memories (boyhood and present) in "Oft in the Stilly Might." The first stanza begins with memories of boyhood, and the last ends with present circumstances. The theme of death carries throughout. Two periods of memories occupy the first stanza. Death is first presented here in shining eyes that are now "dimmed and gone." It is next presented as "cheerful hearts now broken"; Moore transitions from boyhood to present time by switching from past to present tense in the space of two lines:
Now dimmed and gone, [past tense]
The cheerful hearts now broken! [present tense]
The second stanza brings near-present memories of "friends, so link'd together." Death is presented here as friends who "fall / Like leaves in wintry weather." Death is again presented in a personal connection and in a threatening way, threatening the poetic persona (who is accepted as being Moore himself) in the lines:
Whose garland's dead,
And all but he departed!
The opening lines become the refrain, with a variation of "Thus" on the opening "Oft" when the lines form the stanza-end refrain:
Oft [Thus] in the stilly night,
Ere Slumber's chain has bound me,
Fond Memory brings the light
Of other days around me;
In conjunction with the tenses changes shown above and the personalization indicated by "Whose"and "he," the repeated lines bring the binding chains nearer and nearer to the persona thus creating a sense of impending doom that grows as the "other days around me" allude to nearer and nearer times:
Some banquet-hall deserted,
Whose lights are fled,
Whose garland's dead,
And all but he departed!
Thus in the stilly night,
Ere Slumber's chain has bound me,
Sad Memory brings the light
Of other days around me.
Having explained this, the summary of the poem is that a speaker, facing a sense of doom accompanied by "chains" that bind, takes a verbal journey through the thoughts that engage his mind "in the stilly night / [Before] Slumber's chain has bound" him. He thinks of the light of "Fond memory" of "boyhood's years" and the loving words spoken. His thoughts then compare this to the absence of loving friends with "cheerful hearts now broken" in death.
Note that "Slumber's chain" that binds is a metaphor for psychological bonds of emotional chains, as in mourning for his dead children. With this in mind, in the end lines, his thoughts lean toward adulthood's memories of "friends" who "around [him] fall." Alone, as in "Some banquet-hall deserted," he feels the chains encroaching upon him--even as night's slumber encroaches--as "Sad Memory brings the [memory of] light / Of other days." [Note, Thomas Moore (1779-1852) is not to be confused with Thomas More (1477-1535) who was beheaded for treason.]
Wiki User
∙ 10y ago
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
What does shortened word oft mean in shakespeare?
Oft is not a shortened word. Often is a lengthened word. The original word is oft and the form often did not appear until about a century before Shakespeare's day. They are, of course, the same word and mean the same thing.
What does Shakespeare mean by the word 'oft'?
It means "often". "Often" is actually a lengthened form of "oft"Oft is a poetic way of saying "often."Shakespeare's text is written in early modern English, not shakespeare talk. But I digress, oft means "often.""Oft" is the same word as "often". You will notice that words with -en at the end will sometimes have a form without the -en ending. Thus "hap" and "happen", "ope" and "open". Many of these appear to be adjectives formed from the past forms of words or from nouns, as "wooden" from "wood", "hempen" from "hemp", "shotten" from "shot".In the case of words like "often", the ending has survived after the reason for it has ceased to be.
Summary of the poem six and out by G.D.Martineau?
the pitch was only smooth in parts it sank at either crease and motor vans and bakers carts at times disturbed the peace the bowlers found it hard to hit the lamp post slender stem the broader wicket opposite was cleared at 6.00 PM it was a keen ,determinedschool unorthodox oft made 'the rule and not the MCC the scorer, seated by the well kept up a fire of talk he was both umpires crowd and all and plied a busy chalk so standing musing on the scene i let the moments pass how well he drove to the screen. and then the crash of glass. i watched the players as they ran and heard while yet they fled the voice of an angry man the laws majestic head by: GD martineau
Who is the Franciscan priest in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet?
Friar Lawrence, who we might guess to be a Franciscan friar, invokes St. Francis quite often. In Act 2, he says to Romeo: "Holy Saint Francis, what a change is here!" And in Act 5, he says, as he's rushing to the graveyard, "Saint Francis be my speed! how oft to-night Have my old feet stumbled at graves!"
How many abbreviations did William Shakespeare use in his writing?
'tis, ope, o'er, gi, ne'er, i', e'er, oft, a', e'ev are some abbreviations made be shakespeare
Who wrote oft in the stilly night?
The poem "Oft in the Stilly Night" was written by the Irish poet Thomas Moore. It was first published in 1815 as part of a collection of Moore's works. The poem reflects on the theme of nostalgia and the passage of time.
What should you out at the back of your year 12 jersey?
Through the poem, "oft in the still night", The poet tries to give a few life lessons to the readers. Rationalize the statement with reference to the poem
What are the release dates for Oft in the Silly Night - 1929?
Oft in the Silly Night - 1929 was released on: USA: 8 June 1929
What does oft mean?
Oft is a poetic way of saying "often."
What rhymes with aloft?
Coughed Scoffed Oft Loft Microsoft
What Is The Abbreviation of Often?
oft
When was Aunt Louisa's Oft Told Tales created?
Aunt Louisa's Oft Told Tales was created in 187#.
What gang is Lil Durk in?
OFT
Is there a 1 syllable word for often?
Yes, the word 'oft', but it is an archaic word or only used in 'literary' works.e.g."Oft expectation fails, and most oft thereWhere most it promises; and oft it hitsWhere hope is coldest, and despair most fits."[Shakespeare: All's Well That Ends Well, Scene II, Act I. Words spoken by Helena.]
What does shortened word oft mean in shakespeare?
Oft is not a shortened word. Often is a lengthened word. The original word is oft and the form often did not appear until about a century before Shakespeare's day. They are, of course, the same word and mean the same thing.
What does acronyms OFT stand for?
The acronym OFT stands for many different things. Some things the acronym OFT stands for are Office of Force Transformation, Optical Fiber Thermometer, Operational Field Test, Operational Flight Trainer and many more.
What rhymes with soft-spoken?
oft broken
