Summary:
T.S Eliot's `Portrait of a Lady' focuses on a man who has a detached relationship with an older women. `Portrait of a lady' details the mans inaction, apathy and disconnection towards this lady who he has lost all former connections with. The man is depicted as a self-conscious, almost philosophical character who feels he must part from this lady, but does not dare acting so.
'Portrait of a Lady', focuses on a man who has a detached relationship with an older women. 'Portrait of a lady' details the mans inaction, apathy and disconnection towards this lady who he has lost all former connections with. The man is depicted as a self-conscious, almost philosophical character who feels he must part from this lady, but does not dare acting so.
The poem displays the mans thoughts on their relationship and it is clear that throughout the poem the man is one of thoughts, not actions. The couples' relationship in 'Portrait Of a Lady' was formed on their snobby interest in classical music. The lady attempts to compose an emotional connection between them, however, such attempts are seen as tiring and unattractive to her companion; The lady comments; 'You do not know how much they mean to me, my friends, And how, how rare and strange it is, to find In a life composed so much, so much of odds and ends, [For indeed I do not love it ... you knew? you are not blind! How keen you are!] To find a friend who has these qualities, Who has, and gives those qualities upon which friendship lives. How much it means that I say this to you-- Without these friendships--life, what cauchemar!'
Elliot uses the parenthesis to proclaim the mans thoughts upon the lady's fruitless incoherence. Elliot uses this writing technique to take on both a greater and subtler meaning. The use of parenthesis not only signals the mans thoughts, but further highlights the distanced relationship, in that the man can only recite his true thoughts within himself, not openly.
The man is almost completely distanced from her thoughts and ideals. He only hears in her voice the tedious 'windings of the violins', 'cracked cornets' and to his irritation a lack of emotional sympathy, a dull tom-tom in his mind begins, 'Absurdly hammering a prelude of its own.'" The man comments; 'I remain self-possessed except when a street-piano, mechanical and tired reiterates some worn-out common song." Here Elliot uses metaphor to hint that the mans relationship with his companion is repetitive and stale. The young man has lost all former bonds, however minimal they were initially, and is irritated when he hears that tune repeated. Emotional powerlessness is an underlying theme in the poem, and it is the figurative language used by Elliot above, that most clearly identifies the mans powerlessness over his emotions, and ultimately, their shared relationship. Furthermore, the man feels that he cannot part from the relationship. The vague smile of the man towards the pompous lady who is desperately attempting to find some connecting emotion, illustrates the extent of their detached relationship, and the mans inability to separate himself from her completely.
The man's egos and desires travel from reality to fantasy, though his outward self bears only slight hints to the relationships future. It appears that the man cannot transform his wishes into reality. His public and private thoughts and actions contradict each other greatly. The man is aware of this and wallows in cowardice; 'I take my hat: How can I make a cowardly amends For what she has said to me"'
Ironically, the lady of greater age, perceives their relationship in a shallower light. The lady laments over the fact that she and the man 'have not developed into friends', it is this fault that causes despair in the lady, which she, unlike the man, is more able to display physically. Elliot uses contrasting values and emotions greatly throughout the poem to elicit the mans indifference to his mistress. Ir is Elliot's use of contrast, that helps the reader awaken to how blind the lady really is. As Elliot is effectively creating 'A portrait of a lady,' through the eyes of a former lover, he has used the technique of contrast to great effect as it details the mans burgeoning desire to part from the lady, while the lady is unaware and merely desires to repair their seemingly gradual disconnection.
The man seeks an escape from this tired relationship. He not only escapes through fantasy but to help the pain of being involved in this relationship he uses drugs. The man falls into a 'tobacco trance' which gives him some freedom from the lady. Elliot uses this hazy imagery repeatedly throughout the poem: 'Well! and what if she should die some afternoon, Afternoon grey and smoky, evening yellow and rose.' This metaphysical imagery used by the poet sets the scene for the poem. The atmosphere is hazed and indifferent, just as the man's thoughts over his relationship are uncertain and bleak. The tenuous strain of the relationship even leads the man to contemplating whether he could gain freedom or life from death; 'Well! And what if she should die some afternoon... Would she not have the advantage, after all? The music is successful with a 'dying fall' Now that we talk of dying - And should I have the right to smile." Elliot uses this stark exaggeration to emphasis the lack of life that remains in their relationship. He uses the man's rhetoric with great effect, suggesting that the only way to escape such a sterile relationship, is to end ones life.
The man in 'Portrait Of A Lady' is riddled with uncertainty over his relationship. He does not know how to act or how to feel. The man is uncertain about his moral values and responsibilities, asking 'Are these ideas right or wrong"' Once more, Elliot has used rhetoric questioning with decisive effect to establish the lack of connection within the relationship.
A good relationship, is founded upon communication. It seems, that the man can no longer communicate his thoughts and emotions to his companion, and so their relationship is no more. It is this emotional powerlessness regarding the mans relationship with the older mistress, that is the focus of Elliot's poem. Elliot uses an array of writing techniques effectively, in order to capture their distant bonds. The use of rhetoric, parentheses, metaphor and imagery are all techniques employed by the poet in "Portrait of A Lady," to highlight the mans detached relationship with his companion.
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