Lines 1-2:

The reader may be already familiar with the poem's much-quoted first line. Its appeal over time probably stems from the boldness of its assertion— the speaker's love conveyed through the conventional image of the rose and through the line's four strong beats. The poet's choice of a rose may at first seem trite, and the color "red" may seem too obvious a symbol of love and passion. Yet if the comparison between the beloved and the rose verges on cliché, a careful reading reveals the subtler ways in which the speaker expresses his conviction. Why, for instance, is the word "red" repeated? The answer might be found in the second line. While red is the expected hue of the flower, the repetition of the adjective represents the fullest and most lovely manifestation of the rose: its ideal state. Such also is the nature of the...