AQA Love and Relationships

The Farmer's Bride Quotes3 key quotes with full analysis.

A farmer narrates his frustration with his frightened young wife, who recoils from him in fear.

by Charlotte Mew

Context

Published in 1916 by Mew. Explores an unhappy, one-sided marriage, female fear and male desire in a patriarchal society.

All The Farmer's Bride Quotes

“Three Summers since I chose a maid, too young maybe - but more's to do at harvest-time than bide and woo”
Power and ControlLoss and Absence

Context: The farmer explains how he hastily married his young wife.

Analysis

The verb "chose" treats the bride as a possession selected like livestock, reflecting the farmer's lack of romantic understanding. "Too young maybe" hints at the marriage's flaw, while prioritising "harvest-time" over courtship shows love subordinated to practicality. Mew exposes a loveless, patriarchal marriage.

Language Techniques:

DialectPossessive dictionDramatic monologue

Exam Tip

Use for control and the woman's lack of agency. The farmer never understands his wife's fear.

“But her eyes, her eyes, beat like a frightened fay”
Power and Control

Context: The farmer describes his wife's terror of him and other people.

Analysis

The simile comparing her eyes to a "frightened fay" (fairy) presents the bride as a wild, trapped creature recoiling from human contact. The repetition "her eyes, her eyes" reveals the farmer's fixation. Mew conveys the woman's fear and the violence implicit in forced intimacy.

Language Techniques:

SimileRepetitionAnimal/fairy imagery

Exam Tip

Use for female fear and entrapment. The bride is dehumanised as an animal throughout the poem.

“She sleeps up in the attic there alone, poor maid. 'Tis but a stair betwixt us”
Longing and DesireDistance and Separation

Context: The frustrated farmer reflects on the physical distance between them.

Analysis

The single "stair betwixt us" symbolises the unbridgeable emotional gulf in the marriage, despite physical closeness. The farmer's growing desire ("'Tis but a stair") sounds ominous, hinting at possible coercion. Mew creates tension and sympathy for the trapped wife.

Language Techniques:

SymbolismDialectForeboding tone

Exam Tip

Closing quote on emotional distance and threat. The "stair" is a powerful symbol of separation within a marriage.

Compare The Farmer's Bride With…

In the exam you compare two poems on a shared theme. These poems share themes with The Farmer's Bride:

When We Two PartedLord ByronLove's PhilosophyPercy Bysshe ShelleyPorphyria's LoverRobert BrowningSonnet 29 - 'I think of thee'Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Explore More Love and Relationships Poems

View key quotes and analysis for all 15 poems in the AQA anthology.

All Love and Relationships QuotesPractice with English Genie