The Images of Full Fathom Five :: Full Fathom Five Essays

The Images of Full Fathom Five   In the world of seafa address men, William Shakespeargon may not be particularly celebrated. It cant, however, be said that he didnt try his hand at a requiem for such sailors in his rime, Full Fathom Five. In this poem, the use of concrete images and onomatopoeia holds to life the poem, bringing the reader closer to the bottom of the sea where the poem is set.   On the seafloor, we are told, a corpse of thy father (Imogen) lies (l. 1). The poem at present so begins to paint the setting of his watery grave with images that the reader is then almost able to see. Of his bones are corals made/Those are pearls that were his look (ll. 2-3) presents two images in quick succession, as our minds latch on to the mood of vibrantly colored coral and milky pearl. We begin, through these carefully selected images, to see the posture the corpse rests in.   ...doth suffer a sea change/Into something rich and strange. (ll. 5-6) is a more subtle image, calling on the associations that the reader holds in his or her mind. The word sea brings to mind varied input from impressions of the sea- usually higher up it. This makes the reader think of the tossing waves and changes of the sea, which are then reinforced (in the context beneath the waves) by the combination with the word change directly afterwards, and the explanation that the changes are rich and strange. This makes us think of almost supernaturally strange changes, merely in a warmer context because of their richness.   Once we book these images in mind, we are presented with the concept of the sea nymphs ringing bells for the deceased- hourly ring his knell/Ding-dong. (ll. 7-8) How do they ring the bells? With the sound ding-dong, the onomatopoeic qualities of which help bring the reader over the shifting waves to the sound of the bell. Hark now I hear them-Ding-dong, bell. Because the poet states that he can hear them, he brings us to that opposite sense beyond images- a world of auditory perception.