18 pages • 36 minutes read
William WordsworthShe Was a Phantom of Delight
Fiction | Poem | AdultA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Light
The presence of light, likely of divine origin, is a major motif in the poem. In Line 2, Mary “gleamed” upon the poet’s sight. Light seems to emanate from her. Her eyes light up like stars (Line 5). In Stanza 2, the poet refers to her as “A creature not too bright or good / For human nature’s daily food” (Lines 17-18). He is not saying that his wife is not intelligent; he means that, in addition to the light that radiates from her, she also has the more down-to-earth qualities that enable her to function in the day-to-day world. She is not merely a spiritual being. The last two lines of the poem also emphasize how light clings to Mary. The poet repeats the word “bright” in Line 29, and Mary partakes of “angelic light” (Line 30).
Otherworldliness
Otherworldliness is another motif or recurring element in the poem. It is most prominent in the first stanza, in which the woman is given otherworldly qualities. She is described as a “Phantom” (Line 1) and “Apparition” (Line 3,) as if she does not fully belong to the human world and has been “sent” (Line 3) from somewhere else. This sense of otherworldliness diminishes in the second and third stanzas, as the woman reveals her ability to function in the human world. However, it can also be seen in the two references to Mary as “a Spirit” (Lines 12, 29) and in the final line, in which she is linked to the angelic kingdom (“With something of angelic light,” Line 30).
Coexistence of Opposites
In the eyes of the poet, the spiritual and the mundane coexist in Mary’s being. They are essential elements that contribute to her beauty and to the admirable, resourceful way in which she lives. It is her ability to embody both the spiritual and the material world that makes her, according to the poet, a “perfect Woman, nobly planned” (Line 27). Retaining the qualities of a “Spirit” (Line 29) ennobles her, but she also possesses “reason firm” (Line 25); her rational faculties are fully developed.
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By William Wordsworth
