Rapture: Themes & Linking Poems

“Rapture” Key Themes

Time and Love:

“Rapture” chronicles the arc of a love affair, illustrating how time impacts emotional states and relationships. This theme is recurrent in many Duffy’s poems, twin to the theme of love and its various stages.

Passion and Desire:

Throughout “Rapture”, Duffy explicitly explores desire, both physical and emotional. Passion plays a critical role in the intense, overwhelming feelings expressed in these poems.

Loss and Longing:

The theme of loss and longing is prominent in “Rapture”, especially in the latter part of the collection where the aftermath of the love affair is laid bare. This is often coupled with a sense of nostalgia, or longing for the happier times the speaker once shared with their lover.

Nature and Emotion:

Nature is a recurring motif throughout “Rapture”, used often to embody the speaker’s emotional state. Duffy utilises natural imagery to metaphorically represent the rise and decline of the love affair.

Linking “Rapture” to Other Poems

To “Havisham”:

Just as in “Rapture”, “Havisham” explores the themes of passion, longing, and rejection. Both works also use vivid imagery to portray the emotional toll of lost love.

To “Hour”:

Similar to “Rapture”, “Hour” explores the theme of time and love as a precious possession that transcends material wealth. They both underline that the depth of love experienced is more valuable than the physical passing of time.

To “Pluto”:

Duffy uses celestial imagery in both “Rapture” and “Pluto” to connect earthly human emotions to the grandeur and majesty of the cosmos. It signifies the power and endurance of love even in the face of despair and loss.

To “Anne Hathaway”:

Both “Rapture” and “Anne Hathaway” use sensual, romantic language to highlight the beauty and intensity of their romantic experiences. This strong connection between love and language suggests that poetry can be a means of preserving or immortalising love.

In summation, “Rapture” explores the multifaceted nature of love - its beginning, peak, decline, and end. It’s these key themes that unify the collection of “Rapture” and connect it to several of Duffy’s other poems.