College of Education

ENG118- Survey of English and American Literature

Activity 4

Name: Bernard B. Onasin Jr, Course/Year/Section:BSED ENGLISH 3-B.

1. Why it is considered that "The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd" by Walter Raleigh is a parody of
Christopher Marlowe's "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love."
Sir Walters poem “The Nymphs Reply to the Shepherd” is a response to Christopher Marlowes
poem, “The Shepherd to His Love.” A shepherd in Marlowe's poem asks a young woman to be his
"Love," promising her a happy, carefree life in the idyllic countryside. However, in Sir Walter’s poem,
a different perspective is presented where the nymph seems to be mocking the shepherd for his idea of
a beautiful life in the countryside. The nymph expresses her belief that time passes quickly and all the
gifts that the shepherd offers, such as gowns, shoes, beds of Roses, cap, kirtle, and posies are temporary
and will eventually fade away. The nymph, subtly rejects the shepherd's offerings and explains that
everything he offers is only good for a mortal being's finite time, so it won't last. This creates a sense
contrast between the view of the shepherd, with the viewpoint of the nymph, we can then consider the
poem The Nymphs Reply to the Shepherd” a parody of Christopher Marlowes poem, “The Shepherd to
His Love.”

2. What is the message that the persona of the poem "The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd" wanted
to convey?
The persona of the poem "The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd" meant to convey a sense of
reality, the effects of time, and the conflicting ideals that Marlowe's poem depicts. The nymph talks
about how everything—including time, pleasure, and possessions—is temporary. These joys, as well as
unwise choices and kind words, won't last forever. These things all fall between the seasons of "spring"
and "fall". Even though they may be lovely right now, they will fade when the season changes, just like
everything else. The nymph challenges the shepherd's proposals. Lastly, she indicates how time has a
significant impact on us and emphasizes the importance of freedom and self-preservation. The poem
provides a perspective on the themes of love and nature.

3. Discuss the comprehensively the elements of the poem:

A. Form
- The poem "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love," which has seven stanzas made up of two
rhyming couplets each, is written in iambic tetrameter, which is four feet (tetra) of
unstressed/stressed syllables (iambic). When reading aloud, iambic meter has a particular pace
and tone because the second syllable is given greater emphasis than the first.

B. Sound
- Alliteration and assonance are two sound devices used in the poem that add to its overall
sound. The poem uses a lot of assonance (1,4,6,7,18,20,24), consonance (3-4,7-8,9-10), and
alliteration (1,2,5,6,8,18,20,24) to entice the women to live with the shepherd. Marlowe uses

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 alliteration to enhance the appeal of the shepherd's proposals. Additionally, the rhyming scheme
of the poem contributes to the sound quality.

C. Rhyme
- The poem follows the "AABB rhyme scheme" which plays a significant role in shaping the
poem's structure. The poem "The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd" has a musical and
symmetrical structure that is created by the use of AABB rhyme pattern. Additionally, the
poem's rhyme pattern helps the author create the sound patterns that serve as a contrast between
the shepherd's idealistic perspective on life and the nymph's realistic one.

D. Imagery
- In "The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd", Walter Raleigh uses imagery in order to convey his
central idea of love and nature are beautiful, but don't last forever. Nature and natural imagery
are presented as constantly in decay and moving closer toward death. For example, in the lines
"The Flowers do fade, and wanton fields," and in the 4th stanza:
“Thy gowns, thy shoes, thy beds of Roses,
Thy cap, thy kirtle, and thy posies
Soon break, soon wither, soon forgotten:
In folly ripe, in reason rotten.”
This is an example of how imagery is used by the author to illustrate the idea that nature won't
always be appealing.

E. Figurative Language
- "The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd" by Walter Raleigh uses a variety of figurative language
in order to create a deeper meaning in the poem and establish an oppose idea about nature and
love. Some examples are:

Allusions - For example, the phrase “live with me, and be my love“. This is an example of an
allusion.
Metaphor- The author has used the fleeting nature of time as an extended metaphor in the poem
to reflect the bitter realities of life.
Imagery: The poem uses several images of fading nature in its imagery. Winter descends upon
everything that was once growing as the flowers wither and the wanton fields lose their harvest.
Personification- Nymphs are personified as beautiful, graceful young women. She represents
beauty in all its forms.

F. Speaker
- The speaker is a young, beautiful female nymph. A “nymph” is a creature from Greek
mythology who is considered to be a personification of nature. They usually reside in the woods
or the sea. They are minor deities in the larger Greek pantheon. In this poem, she replies to the
shepherd’s proffered love by depicting the temporary nature of all pleasures.

G. Theme

- Walter Raleigh's poem presents the theme of inevitable marching of time, temporary beauty
of love and nature. This poem presents the idea that everything in this world is temporary
including love and beauty. This is apparent in the nymphs reply to the sheperd's proposals,
unlike the positive views on the themes of nature and love of “The Passionate Shepherd to His
Love,” "The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd, uses nature to represent a pragmatic sense of
harsh reality of love and life. The poem also highlights the inevitable marching of time that
leads us to our end, as well as the temporariness of life.

H. Symbol

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 - "The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd" by Sir Walter Raleigh, the ultimately symbolizes the
harsh reality of beauty, love, and time. This poem is a response to Marlowe's romantic "The
Passionate Shepherd to His Love." The nymph's reply symbolizes a more realistic view. She's
basically saying, "Your promises of a perfect, idyllic life sound nice, but they're not very
realistic." Her emphasis on time passing and the changing seasons stands for the fleeting nature
of human desires and love. It's like a reminder that love isn't always sunshine and roses; it has
its ups and downs, and we should keep it real. It also serves to remind that everything is
temporary, even gifts, feelings , and life.
4. Narrate/Interpret the poem "The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd" by Walter Raleigh by
recording it through a video. Observe proper pronunciation, breathing, enunciation, gesture, etc. Submit
video in my messenger.

Accredited: Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities of the Philippines (AACCUP)
Member: Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC)
Agricultural Colleges Association of the Philippines (ACAP)