Rapture: Key Quotes

“Rapture” Key Quotes

“What did I look out at from the tower, not knowing yet what I looked out at?”

Duffy creates ambiguity and uncertainty through rhetorical questions which emphasise the journey of self-discovery throughout the poems.

“Dawn. The habit of light in my hands.”

The use of the phrase ‘habit of light’ personifies light and links the natural world to the speaker, implying the thought of repeated experiences and familiarity.

“Sudden in the silence, love’s time’s beggar…“

This phrase positions love as beggarly, suggesting an intense but temporary affection. The phrase further implies that love eventually requests time from its holders.

“The hundred corners of a boy’s body.”

The phrase illustrates a hyperbolic exaggeration, referencing the many areas of attraction and exploration. It reflects the physicality and intimacy deep within the relationship.

“Treasure…its platinum loops shrunk to a wedding-ring…“

This line shows how love’s treasures shrink or narrow (as a platinum loop becomes a wedding ring), exploring the theme of love’s possessiveness and limitations.

“By the river’s lunar light… the deep throated stars all out…”

Through these lines, Duffy demonstrates extensive use of imagery and symbolism to illustrate the depth and vastness of emotions she experiences in this relationship.

Keep these quotations at hand when you’re revising “Rapture” and mull over the themes and techniques used by Duffy to represent the existential and passionate nature of love in this collection.