Morris’_Use_Of_Disillusionment_In_The_Haystack_In_The_Floods

Morris’ Use Of Disillusionment In The Haystack In The Floods Fear, hopelessness, suffering and finally detachment take hold of our protagonist, Jehane, in William Morris’ “The Haystack in the Floods.” Being put through a slow and tedious journey that ends in trauma, Jehane will fall through all of the stages of disillusionment. An analysis and explanation of these stages will be made to argue the wonderful use of this disillusionment. In the lines “Had she come all the way for this, / To part at last without a kiss'”(1-2) and “That her own eyes might see him slain/ Beside the haystack in the floods'”(4-5) Morris uses the method of antypophora, the use of a question and answer to foreshadow events to come. In the next stanza Jehane recounts the trials of their journey. Jehane is introduced as a loyal lover following her knight even though she is exhausted and fearful of the situation at hand. “She rode astride as troopers do; With kirtle kilted at her knee, To which the mud splash’d wretchedly; And the wet dripp’d from every tree Upon her head and heavy hair, And on her eyelids broad and fair; The tears and rain ran down her face.” (8-14) Morris uses the dismal darkness of the rain and the hiding of jehane, robert, godmar, head, through, though, hold, disillusionment, come, while, way, reality, now, jehane’s, haystack, beside, wet, strength, situation, morris, made, lines, last, hands, floods, face, eyes, even, work, without, upon, turn'd, tears, suddenly