The Full Text of “Havisham”
The Full Text of “Havisham”
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“Havisham” Introduction
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“Havisham” Summary
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“Havisham” Themes
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Heartbreak, Sorrow, and Rage
Where this theme appears in the poem:- Lines 1-6
- Lines 9-16
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Grief and Identity
Where this theme appears in the poem:- Lines 2-4
- Lines 8-9
- Lines 12-13
- Line 16
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Havisham”
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Lines 1-2
Beloved sweetheart bastard. ...
... wished him dead. -
Lines 2-4
Prayed for it ...
... could strangle with. -
Line 5
Spinster. I stink and remember.
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Lines 5-7
Whole days ...
... open the wardrobe; -
Lines 8-9
the slewed mirror, ...
... sounds not words. -
Lines 10-12
Some nights better, ...
... suddenly bite awake. -
Lines 12-14
Love's ...
... a wedding cake. -
Lines 15-16
Give me a ...
... heart that b-b-b-breaks.
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“Havisham” Symbols
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Green
Where this symbol appears in the poem:- Line 3: “I've dark green pebbles for eyes,”
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The Wedding Dress
Where this symbol appears in the poem:- Lines 6-7: “the dress / yellowing, trembling if I open the wardrobe;”
- Line 13: “a white veil;”
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The Red Balloon
Where this symbol appears in the poem:- Lines 13-14: “a red balloon bursting / in my face.”
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“Havisham” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Alliteration
Where alliteration appears in the poem:- Line 1: “Beloved,” “bastard”
- Line 5: “Spinster,” “stink”
- Line 13: “behind,” “balloon,” “bursting”
- Line 14: “Bang”
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Enjambment
Where enjambment appears in the poem:- Lines 1-2: “then / I”
- Lines 2-3: “it / so”
- Lines 5-6: “days / in”
- Lines 6-7: “dress / yellowing,”
- Lines 8-9: “this / to”
- Lines 11-12: “ear / then”
- Lines 12-13: “Love's / hate”
- Lines 13-14: “bursting / in”
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Onomatopoeia
Where onomatopoeia appears in the poem:- Line 6: “cawing,” “ Nooooo”
- Line 14: “Bang”
- Line 16: “b-b-b-breaks”
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Oxymoron
Where oxymoron appears in the poem:- Line 1: “Beloved sweetheart bastard.”
- Lines 12-13: “Love's / hate”
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Metaphor
Where metaphor appears in the poem:- Lines 3-4: “I've dark green pebbles for eyes, / ropes on the back of my hands I could strangle with.”
- Line 9: “Puce curses”
- Line 12: “I suddenly bite awake”
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“Havisham” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Bastard
- Spinster
- Cawing
- Wardrobe
- Slewed
- Puce
- Fluent
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(Location in poem: Line 1: “Beloved sweetheart bastard.”)
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Havisham”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“Havisham” Speaker
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“Havisham” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “Havisham”
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More “Havisham” Resources
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External Resources
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Carol Ann Duffy's Biography — Learn more about the poet's life and work from this brief biography, courtesy of the Poetry Foundation.
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The Poem in Performance — Watch a dramatic reading of "Havisham."
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An Illustrated Edition of Great Expectations — View American artist John McLenan's renderings of Miss Havisham for an 1861 illustrated edition of Great Expectations, courtesy of the British Library.
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An Interview with the Poet — Watch Carol Ann Duffy respond to her appointment as the UK's first woman poet laureate in this 2009 interview with The Guardian.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by Carol Ann Duffy
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