Rapture: Plot

Rapture: Plot

Introduction to “Rapture”

• “Rapture” is a collection of 52 sonnets by Carol Ann Duffy, each captures a different moment or aspect of love.
• The book traces a romantic and passionate relationship, from its hopeful beginnings to its heartbreaking ending.
• It explores the nature, joy, pain, obsession and loss associated with romantic love.

Beginning of the Relationship

• The early poems reflect the excitement and newly found passion as the love affair unfolds.
• The poem “You” serves as a strong opening, with the persona expressing admiration and deep affection for their beloved.
• The poem “Text” captures the experience of instant communication in relationships and how it enhances the feeling of new, electrifying love.

Height of the Relationship

• The middle section of the book explores the peak of the romantic connection, illustrating love’s intensity and the emotional climax.
• In poems like “Hour” and “Quickdraw”, there’s an exploration of time’s role in love. Each moment becomes precious as the persona grasps onto the joy of the relationship.
• The obsessive element of love is also depicted here; the lover is seen almost as a divine entity in the persona’s universe.

End of the Relationship

• As the book nears its end, the poems shift from rapturous love to inevitable heartache. The emotional weather grows colder, echoing the stages of an ending relationship.
• In “Rain”, a sense of longing and sadness prevails, hinting at the approaching end.
• The final poem, “Over”, symbolises the end of the relationship, suggesting the cyclical nature of love.

Remember, a detailed understanding of “Rapture’s” plot will assist in developing essay responses and discussions about Duffy’s exploration of love’s complexities.