Love: Themes & Linking Poems

Love: Key Themes & Linking Poems

Passion and Intensity

“Valentine”: Demonstrates an unconventional representation of love, describing it as raw, intense and full of truth.
“You”: Poem combining the dreamlike with the physical to convey the intoxication of love and its ability to transform everyday life.

Loss and Desire

“Warming Her Pearls”: Portrays unrequited love from a servant to her mistress, demonstrating desire, longing and the pain of unfulfilled love.
“Havisham”: Showcases the destructive nature of love, featuring a character obsessed with a lost relationship, and leading a life filled with bitterness and hatred.

Love and Identity

“Litany”: Explores love as it relates to personal identity and social norms, displaying societal expectations of love and marriage in contrast with private desires and insecurities.
“Quickdraw”: Takes a humorous yet poignant look at love’s battles and the effects on personal identity.

Shifting Power Dynamics in Love

“The Devil’s Wife”: Narrates from the perspective of Myra Hindley, illustrating the dark, manipulative side of love and the resulting shifting power dynamic.
“Mrs Lazarus”: Showcases an evolving power dynamic, as a grieving widow reclaims power after her husband’s resurrection, depicting love’s resilience and renewed independence.

Transformational Power of Love

“Anne Hathaway”: Represents love as a transformative experience that transcends death, portraying love as a powerful creating force.
“The World’s Wife”: A collection of poems illustrating how love can lead to empowerment and personal transformation in women.

Carol Ann Duffy’s depiction of love is enormously varied, showing the emotional complexities and the transformative power of love. Her work encourages contemplation about the societal norms, power dynamics, and the diversity of emotional experiences within love.