21 pages • 42 minutes read
Prologue
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Literary Devices
Form and Meter
Bradstreet generally favored the iambic pentameter couplet to structure her lines. In the 1650 edition of The Tenth Muse, Lately Sprung Up in America, only two poems deviate from the couplet pattern, and one of them is “Prologue.”
“Prologue” is made up of 48 lines, separated into eight stanzas of six lines each, known as sestets. These sestets are written in iambic pentameter (meaning each line is composed of 10 syllables, with the stress falling on each second syllable; one stressed and one unstressed syllable make up an iamb).
The poem follows the rhyme scheme of ABABCC, also known as the heroic sestet. Used in epic poetry, this sestet form was revived by William Shakespeare in his poem “Venus and Adonis” (1593), after which the form became known as “the Venus and Adonis stanza.” Generally, this stanza posits an idea in its first four lines (ABAB) and then comments on this idea in the rhyming couplet (CC). For example, in the fourth stanza, Bradstreet compares her weak lines to a novice, a broken instrument, and a faulty muse. In the rhyming couplet, she comments that this state, “to mend, alas, no Art is able, / ’Cause Nature made it so irreparable” (Lines 17-18). Bradstreet might have also used this specific form to allude to the epic poetry that she says she will not discuss.
Rhetorical Self-Deprecation
One persuasive rhetorical technique is to speak in a way that makes one’s ideas seem non-threatening. By positioning herself as humble and meek, Bradstreet is hoping to make it seem like she has no pretentions to make herself a great poet. This point is made repeatedly throughout the poem, as she diminishes her creative prowess, ending with the idea that her “unrefined ore of mine” (Line 47) will make other poets’ work sparkle more. Her pen is described as “mean” (Line 3), unworthy of “superior” (Line 3) topics. She creates lines that are “obscure” (Line 6) or “lowly” (Line 45), and her skill is “simple” (Line 12). Her muse is “broken [and] blemished” (Line 16) and “irreparable” (Line 18). She worries that her mind is “weak or wounded” (Line 24) and unable to live up to the challenges of her craft. She is a “Fool” (Line 9) and does not deserve the award of the “Bays” (Line 46) reserved for master poets.
Yet all of this proves to be a concocted bluster to hide her true argument that her poems deserve some “small acknowledgement” (Line 42) and perhaps a wreath or two of lesser herbs. As a preface, this poem alerts readers to look for hidden gems. In other words, Bradstreet manipulates the reader into arguing for her worth so that she doesn’t have to.
Alliteration
Alliteration is the use of words that begin with the same letter in quick succession. It usually enhances the musicality of a work, adding a sense of sophistication and style, something that Bradstreet names as a concern in “Prologue.” In this case, it also adds to Bradstreet’s argument that she has no desire to replace male poets. The poem begins with a hard “c” sound dominating as she discusses how, unlike Virgil, she will not “sing of Wars, of Captains, and of Kings, / Of Cities founded, Common-wealths begun” (Lines 1-2). The alliteration here gives a sense of authority to the male poet immediately, although it ironically adds to Bradstreet’s own argument.
Alliteration is also used at the end of the poem for contrast to this opening. Nearly every line in the last stanza contains alliteration to make it more melodious and pleasing:
And oh ye high flown quills that soar the skies,
And ever with your prey still catch your praise,
If e’er you deign these lowly lines your eyes,
Give thyme or Parsley wreath, I ask no Bays.
This mean and unrefined ore of mine
Will make your glist’ring gold but more to shine (Lines 43-48).
It is notable that the alliteration of “m” in the penultimate line is also continued in “make” and “more” (Line 48) in the last. All of this suggests a euphonic conclusion that is juxtaposed with the more dominant opening, adding to the tone of cajoling and supporting Bradstreet’s case.
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Related Titles
By Anne Bradstreet
