‘Imagery…is the fireworks of poetry’ (Shira Wolosky). Use this remark as a point of departure for discussion of the function and effect of ‘imagery’.
Throughout many epochs and styles of poetry, imagery is arguably the most commonly used technique used by writers to convey meaning and emotion. ‘Imagery is another basic poetic unit; it is the fireworks of poetry, often thought of as poetry’s defining characteristic’ perhaps due to the obvious impact it has upon the reader. It has such ‘large a role the kind of vivid visual picture we think of as the very stuff of poetry plays varies from literary period to literary period, with changes in literary taste and literary fashion’ . Shakespeare, Keats and Blake all employ the use of imagery whether it be used in the sonnet form or use of quatrains. Shakespeare, writing in the Elizabethan period, uses imagery with a different function and effect in Sonnet 130 than those previously. This again, varies from the use of imagery adopted by Blake and Keats writing in the Romantic period, who in turn use imagery unconventionally for the forms of poetry used. Imagery is indeed conspicuous, yet it does not negate the intricacy it has and the sheer power that it holds for the reader.
Shakespeare’s primary use of imagery in Sonnet 130, ‘My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun’ (1609), is to mock the over exaggeratory poets of the Elizabethan era. The use of natural imagery, which would have been commonly known within the society, would have had an obvious ironic notion. Natural images which typically are used to show a grand, wholesome love have been twisted by Shakespeare. He uses the romantic images of ‘roses’, the ‘sun’ and ‘coral’ to contrast against his lover, satirising the other love poets of the literary period. Alternatively, in Keats’ poem ‘When I Have Fears that I may Cease to be’ (1818) the natural imagery used has a different function and effect than Shakespeare’s use. It could be argued that they both use natural imagery untypically, especially considering the use of the sonnet form. The imagery of nature represents himself and that his true nature is to be at work, the sonnet as a whole being about his aspirations for success. The use of the lexis ‘night’s starr’d face’ and ‘high cloudy symbols’ combined with imagery of knowledge such as ‘my pen has glean’d’ and ‘high piled books’ convey to the reader that it is in the speaker’s nature to pursue knowledge. The imagery of nature which is typically used to represent love, instead represents the creation of great literature.
Blake’s use of imagery in the poem ‘The Tyger’ (1794) also has a different function and effect than the employment of imagery by Shakespeare and Keats. He uses imagery to demonise the ‘tyger’ yet to also show the wonder and awe the ‘tyger’ possesses. The imagery of a fire is shown throughout the poem with direct references to ‘burnt the fire of thine eyes’, ‘burning bright’ and ‘furnace’. This immediately shows the beauty and awe -inducing feature of the ‘tyger’ yet also show the destruction that the ‘tyger’ has. The extended metaphor which runs throughout the poem through the use of imagery illustrates Blake’s idea of the moral problem of evil. Blake builds on the idea of the creator throughout the poem. In the fourth stanza, the constant questions ‘what the hammer? What the chain?|In what furnace was thy brain?’ give the connotations and image of the creator being alike to a blacksmith. This is emphasised through the constant rhyme and repetition, sounding almost like the hammer which the creator yields. The consistency could imply that the creator endlessly makes creatures and puts them on the planet, starting with the lamb and progressing into creating evil like the ‘tyger’. Blake was seen as a mould breaker at the time, despising the Church of England. Perhaps the imagery employed within the poem poses the question, how could an omnibenevolent creator create so much destruction and evil of the world? God put thought into the powerful creation of the ‘tyger’ and thus the imagery evokes a challenge to God’s intentions when creating the world.
A common trope for the use of imagery is the depiction of heaven and a spiritual realm. In Shakespeare’s ‘Sonnet 130’ the image of the speaker’s lover being a ‘goddess’ further emphasises the satirising nature of Shakespeare. He uses this image to show that women are not perfection and will not conform to the Sixteenth century standards of women being put on a pedestal, not being allowed to talk out of place. This is further shown in the rhyming couplet ‘And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare| As any she belied with false compare’. This tells the reader that the speaker will not make any false comparisons with his lover as other poets generally did. ‘One feature of Shakespeare’s collection that differentiates from all others is that the beloved, though frequently idealized the first part, is nevertheless faulty’ . The imagery used is realistic for a woman, like the speaker’s lover to obtain, indeed highlighting that true love comes from genuine care not being placed on a pedestal to be admired.
Similarly, classical and spiritual imagery is also used by Blake in ‘The Tyger’. In the penultimate stanza imagery of the heavens is used. The speaker uses personification: ‘when the stars threw down their spears| And water’d heaven wither their tears’, showing the pain of the stars. The imagery perhaps has the function of showing the stars’ emotions, inflicting pain yet having remorse. The ambiguous lines could also be a reference to comets. These often symbolised when a catastrophic event was to happen in early literature. These lines of sorrow contrast with the next line: ‘Did he smile his work to see?| Did he who made the Lamb make thee?’. The lexis ‘smile’ implies the happiness God had with his creation. The speaker questions how God could have been happy creating such evil yet such beauty. This fear can be further shown through the repetitions of ‘dread’ and ‘dare’. These verbs convey the admiration of the speaker but the chant- like nature of the poem emphasises the disgust. The speaker has conflicting views on the creation of the ‘tyger’, just like the ‘tyger’ is beautiful yet dangerous. The paradoxical viewpoints could show that ‘The Tyger has many meanings, not only because it is an emblematic masterpiece which by itself supports a variety of valid interpretations, but because its context in Blake's thought as a whole gives it many’ . The poem and its imagery are ambiguous, functioning in a way that readers take individual meaning from it.
The romantic Elizabethan imagery and classical images of perfection are shown in ‘Sonnet 130’ used through the depiction of the colours ‘red’, ‘white’ and ‘black’. These traditional, strong colours which are used to describe the ideal Elizabethan woman are used in an unconventional way. A woman was to be pale with dark hair and have red lips. The speaker says that his lover’s lips are not as red as ‘coral’, her breasts are ‘dun’ and her hair is ‘black wires’. These traditional colours juxtaposed with unattractive images convey the realistic expectation the speaker has for his partner. The effect of the depiction would highlight a relatable image of beauty. The unflattering language and images are therefore used by Shakespeare in his sonnet, in order to relieve woman of upholding tight conventions whilst mocking the men of the Elizabethan era who force them to keep to a certain ‘perfect’ standard.
The Elizabethan imagery juxtaposes with the function and effect of imagery used by Keats in the Romantic period. The imagery of books and education in ‘When I Have Fears That I May Cease To Be’ could have the function of showing his internal meditation. Keats could produce all of this material, but he is scared that he will be unable to in case he died. This was a real fear for Keats who did actually die at the age of twenty-five before he ever met his lover. Scholars have suggested that ‘It is true that Keats longed to shape existence into the permanent form of beauty, but he could never forget the anguish and limitation in his individual self’. The literal fear that he ‘may cease to be’ is very prominent at the beginning of the poem but is then countered in the volta. By the end of the poem he seems to have come to terms with the inevitability of death before he will have chance to gain great success for his work. The rhyming couplet in the last lines of the sonnet, contains imagery of the sea and the notion of drowning. Keats ends the poem by saying ‘of the wide world I stand alone, and think|Till love and fame and nothingness do sink’. The poet uses this dark, lonely image of drowning to highlight that the text ends when Keats wants it to end. Although it may seem like a morbid image, having a slow death, it does indicate that he has come to terms with the limitations that he will face during life. Imagery and symbolism are thus used to powerfully, whether it be in terms of commenting on the treatment of women or presenting fears and acceptance of an inevitable death.
‘Imagery… is the fireworks of poetry’, being the most exciting and interesting but also a necessary component of a poem. The poet shapes meaning through the use of imagery, allowing the reader to actively engage with the work of literature. Many writer’s, like those discussed, can use imagery conventionally or unconventionally. The untypical use of certain imagery, particularly using natural imagery or light imagery when not talking about love, has a meaning in itself. It can highlight that the poem will break out of the mould for its genre or time period, and will make the reader question, thinking about the deeper meaning of the poem. The function and effect of the imagery used is subjective and can be dependent on the reader. All poems are likely to convey a different function and effect, the imagery in Shakespeare’s being satirising, Keats using imagery to show his anxieties about death and Blake’s use of imagery to make a theological comment on the creation of the earth. These all have massive variety yet have overlaps in period and form. This could be because individual ‘Poets… have relied on metaphor to express their awareness of the phenomena and processes with which they must inevitably concern themselves’ . Imagery is therefore a powerful tool employed by poets throughout centuries. It thus has a unique function and effect conveying the individual’s thought which is subjectively perceived by the reader.