The House Of Life

We've all seen the Disney movies in which the handsome prince saves the damsel in distress. They both immediately fall in love with each other the first time they lock eyes and live "happily ever after." Nearly everyone dreams of finding that "special someone," and Dante Gabriel Rossetti is no exception. After the death of his wife, Dante Gabriel Rossetti entered a state of depression and from that point on became infatuated with the idea of eternal love in order to cope with his wife's death. The sonnets in his book, "The House of Life," reflect his personal quest, if not his unrealistic obsession, of finding "Everlasting Love." The sometimes painful experiences he had pursuing what actually was an ideal and most likely unrealistic love, taught Rossetti that sadly, many do not live life happily ever after.

In the "Introductory Sonnet," Rossetti captures the feelings of a particular moment. The first sonnet is used to describe what a sonnet really means to Rossetti, and how personal his writings are. The figurative language used brings out the qualities and characteristics of the sonnet that the author cannot say directly. Rossetti tragically experienced the death of a young wife. Perhaps in his quest to replace his negative, depressed emotions led him to have an affair with one of his friends' wives, as he was attempting to find and again experience the wonderful experiences that he felt during his relationship with his dead wife. The result of this misguided and unhealthy relationship which was not built on anything other than passion and deception was extreme guilt and misery.

The question posed in the "Introductory Sonnet" is, "What does love mean to Rossetti?" "Carve it in ivory or in ebony, / As day or night may rule; /and let Time see/ Its flowering crest impearled and orient." (Page 4) Here, human love is compared to divine love and the question of God also comes up. In "Love Enthroned," Rossetti describes the different emotions he finds honorable: Truth, Hope, Youth, and Fame. He goes on to say that although these are great qualities of the heart, all display impermanence, and that the "Everlasting Love" Rossetti is searching for is so much more sincere and worthier (page 5). This should show the reader how much he respects "Everlasting Love," and how much he is striving for it despite the love's difficult concept to grasp with lack of experience.

In "Bridal Birth," Rossetti uses the analogy of a mother giving birth to a person truly understanding love. This sonnet describes the feeling a mother has of always loving the child she is carrying, but experiencing the love to its full extent from the moment she gives birth to her child and holds him in her arms. The "Introductory Sonnet" (Page 1) is linked to this sonnet through the idea of capturing a strong feeling in a particular moment. This sonnet is also linked to Rossetti's personal life through the title. The word "Bridal" relates back to the love present at the start of marriage and the word "Birth" refers to the love of marriage renewed through the child at birth. The sonnet also says that "Till to his song our bodiless souls in turn / Be born his children, when Death's nuptial change / Leaves us light for the halo of his hair. "(Page 6) Again, Rossetti is referring to an "Everlasting Love," one that surpasses all, by mentioning a renewal of love after death.

In "Pride of Youth" Rossetti uses the image of a child who is not mourning for the dead for "it is his time to live." (Page 20) Here, Rossetti talks of his own love story. Right as he has let go of a past romantic interest, another one comes his way and Rossetti immediately dismisses the old love. Rossetti describes the New Love as "catching wind and flying forward vigorously," while the Old Love is "left behind with the day." Towards the end of the sonnet, Rossetti displays an expression of sorrow and says, "Alas for hourly change! Alas for all / The loves from his hand proud Youth lets fall, / Even as the beads of a rosary (page 20)." Here, the impression is given off that Rossetti realizes that it is not easy for youthful people to fall in love and that he is more infatuated with the idea of finding the eternal love and is not able to see the nature of the relationships he gets himself into.

In "Winged Hours," Rossetti