Sir Walter Raleigh: "What is our Life? A Play of Passion
What is our life? A play of passion,
Our mirth the music of division,
Our mother's wombs the tiring-houses be,
Where we are dressed for this short comedy.
Heaven the judicious sharp spectator is,
That sits and marks still who doth act amiss.
Our graves that hide us from the setting sun
Are like drawn curtains when the play is done.
Thus march we, playing, to our latest rest,
Only we die in earnest, that's no jest.
Detailed Meaning:
The poet draws the reader's attention to the meaning and concept of life. He compares life to a play of passion or a short comedy. Man's happiness is compared to interlude between long periods of struggle and suffering. He continues his image by saying that the embargo in his mother's womb is like the actor who gets ready in the dressing room to appear on the stage. This actor gets dressed to come on the stage. He draws the reader's attention to the fact that God watches our deeds and actions. Both man's good and evil deeds are recorded in heaven. God does not interfere in man's life. He only gives man the opportunity to act freely according to his inclination and desires but he records his deeds. Yet, every man is destined to die one day. The end of the play represents man's death. In other words, drawing the curtains symbolizes man's death. Death is considered to be the eternal rest. It frees man from the weariness and suffering of life. The poet sheds light on the difference between the unrealistic artistic performance of the play and man's death. The dramatic performance is fanciful and unrealistic, but death is an inevitable fact. In conclusion, the phases of man's life are represented as a dramatic play.
Figures of Speech:
The poet uses conceptual image. It appeals to the reader's mind and intellect. There is an extended metaphor throughout the poem. The poet compares man's life to a dramatic play which is performed on the stage. The play is short. The theatre symbolizes earthly life. This is a sustained image. Man's happiness are compared to the long periods of suffering, distress and struggle. He continues this image throughout the poem. He shows that the embryo in his mother's womb is like the actor who gets ready in the dressing room to come out and appear on the stage. Moreover, he compares God to the audience of the play. This shows that God watches man's deeds and actions. Both man's good and evil deeds are recorded in heaven. He also compares drawing the curtains to death. The end of the play represents man's death. The poet compares man's grave to the curtains which are drawn to hide the actor from the sight of the audience.
This image shows the poet's philosophical idea. He draws the reader's attention to the fact that man's life is temporary. It is not permanent. It witnesses certain phases which are compared to the acts of a play. Yet, he shows that there is a difference between man's life and the dramatic play. Th play is an unrealistic performance, but death is an inevitable fact. Death frees man from the weariness and suffering of life. It represents man's eternal rest. This shows that he belittles life. He shows that the play is short to reveal the untrustworthiness, triviality and brevity of afterlife. This image shows a sense of bitterness. Death shows the normal course of nature. Death has to happen to emphasize the idea of finality. The play of passion is a medieval play. It was performed in the church. It represents the life of Jesus Christ from his birth to his crucifixion. This shows the element of suffering.
Sound Devices:
The poet uses a regular rhyme scheme. It follows this pattern aa bb cc dd ee. This rhyme creates a natural easy flow of sound. It reflects the monotony of life. This regularity of the rhyme scheme shows the inevitability of death. Death represents the normal course of nature. The rhyme is smooth. It shows that life is short and monotonous. He uses a lot of sound devices. This is one of the characteristics of the Petrarchan school. There is an alliteration in "A play of Passion" due to the repetition of the /p/ sound. It intensifies the musical effect and creates unity among words. It draws the reader's attention to the central image of the poem. The poet compares man's life to a short comedy. This shows that he belittles man's life and existence. There is alliteration in "mirth" and "music" due to the repetition of the /m/ sound. It shows that man's happiness is short and disturbed by long periods of suffering. There is assonance in "sit" and "still". It raises the musical effect and creates unity among words. It draws the reader's attention to the fact that God watches man's deeds and does not interfere in his conduct or actions.
Intentions:
The poet, here, deals with a universal issue. He is objective. He draws the reader's attention to a significant issue which shows the brevity of earthly life. He belittles life and shows its unworthiness. He compares man's life to a short comedy. He means that life has all elements of acting. Human beings are seen like actors who perform certain roles. This shows that he looks down upon earthly life. The only difference between play acting and life is death. Death is the only inevitable fact. Thus, he shows that man's life is transient because every human being is destined to die one day.
Diction:
In his poem, Walter Raleigh uses rhetorical language. He opens his poem with a rhetorical question. It shows a sense of wondering. The poet wonders about the nature of man's life. This rhetorical question involves the reader into the subject and draws his attention to the poet's idea. The poet wants to show the meaning of life. He sheds light on the fact of death and the brevity of our life. The rhetorical question shows that the poet belittles man's life because it is short and transient. The word "division" shows that man's happiness is short and temporary. The word "short" shows the brevity of the earthly life. Man's life is transient because every human being is destined to die. The word "judicious" and "sharp" show God's justice and good sense. He confirms that God is restrict and accurate. He does not interfere in man's action and deeds. He only watches the human beings and records their deeds. There is inversion in "sharp spectator is". The adjective precedes verb to be. The poet uses this inversion for the sake of the rhyme scheme. It also draws the reader's attention to God's justice and accuracy. The word "only" draws the reader's attention to the difference between the play acting and the real life. The poet shows that death is an inevitable fact. Death is the only difference between real life and play acting. The phrase "latest rest" symbolizes death. Death is considered man's eternal and ultimate rest.
Tone:
The tone of this poem is serious. The poet expresses his sense of bitterness. He shows how short and unworthy man's life is. He draws the reader's attention to the fact of death and the brevity of life. He confirms that death is inevitable. Moreover, man's life is considered to be short period of suffering and pain. Furthermore, the poet undermines and belittles man's life because it is short and transient.
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