The Full Text of “Mrs Darwin”
The Full Text of “Mrs Darwin”
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“Mrs Darwin” Introduction
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“Mrs Darwin” Summary
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“Mrs Darwin” Themes
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The Women Behind Great Men
Where this theme appears in the poem:- Lines 1-4
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Mrs Darwin”
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Lines 1-2
7 April 1852. ...
... to the Zoo. -
Lines 3-4
I said to Him— ...
... me of you.
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“Mrs Darwin” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Allusion
Where allusion appears in the poem:- Lines 3-4
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End-Stopped Line
Where end-stopped line appears in the poem:- Line 1: “1852.”
- Line 2: “Zoo.”
- Line 3: “Him—”
- Line 4: “you.”
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Assonance
Where assonance appears in the poem:- Line 1: “1852”
- Line 2: “to,” “Zoo”
- Line 4: “you”
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Irony
Where irony appears in the poem:- Lines 3-4
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“Mrs Darwin” 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.
- 7 April 1852
- Him
- Chimpanzee
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(Location in poem: Line 1: “7 April 1852.”)
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Mrs Darwin”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“Mrs Darwin” Speaker
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“Mrs Darwin” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “Mrs Darwin”
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More “Mrs Darwin” Resources
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External Resources
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Carol Ann Duffy on "Great Women poets" — Listen to an interview with Duffy on the day she became the first female poet laureate of the UK.
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The Lost Lectures: Carol Ann Duffy — Hear Duffy read from her work and discuss her artistic inspirations.
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Who Was Emma Darwin? — A short biography of Emma Darwin from the University of Cambridge.
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Carol Ann Duffy's Life and Work — A short biography of Duffy from the Poetry Foundation.
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The Theory of Evolution — Learn more about the world-changing theory that Duffy pokes gentle fun at here.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by Carol Ann Duffy
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