The Literature Network - Hardy's 'The Burghers.' (Thomas Hardy)

Hardy's 'The Burghers.' (Thomas Hardy)

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From: The Explicator
Date: 19940101
Author:Kraszewski, Charles S.

The similarities between Thomas Hardy's 'The Burghers' and Dante's 'Inferno' lie not only in the parallel themes and plots but in Hardy's use of terza rima to evoke the 'Inferno's' eschatological atmosphere. Hardy's poem describes how a cuckold plots against his wife and her lover but decides against murder when he realizes that the lovers are more attached to each other than he to his wife. Although the husband lets the lovers flee without hindrance or harm, he allows them to a future with each other that will be their personal hell.

The variety of meters and verse-forms employed by Thomas ...

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