Romance

Prompt: Seamus Heaney's poetry can be defined by romantic undertones.

Romanticism a definition:

Irish Romance is the allusion to an idealised Ireland. it could be suggested that this romantic vision is ingrained within Irish identity and re-enforced by Irish literature and narrative. It is presenting the Irish identity in a way that is glamourized. The romanticized view of Ireland is often portrayed as a myth, overlooking the brutality and viciousness, focusing on the hope, courage, love and nationalism. "Within Heaney's poetry there can be viewed a nationalistic romanticism that presents an idealized vision of revolutionary Ireland, the nationalist rebellion and Irish nationalism. This romantic vision is central to the Irish identity. In Requim for the Croppies Heaney presents a brutal yet idealized view of the Irish rebels, the suggestion that 'in august the barley grew up out of the grave' hints at a mythologized rebellion that transcended death and defeat, sowing a myth and romantic beauty to nationalism and the wider Irish identity. Like the barley, the Irish identity 'grew up out of the grave' of this rebellion and the deaths of these rebels. they are painted as courageous heroes 'who moved quick and sudden.' They have a romantic quality that highlights hope, courage and dedication. The anonymous quality of the rebels through the suggestion they were buried 'without shroud or coffin' encourages reader to empathize with their character."

Critique 1
Within Seamus Heaney's poetry there exists an underlying sense of romanticism in relation to the Irish rebels during the Troubles that serves to elicit hope and courage. Despite previously being criticized for avoiding strong political messages in his work, in Requiem for Croppies Heaney presents a romanticised vision of Irish Rebels in commemoration of the 1916 Easter Rising that demonstrates an idealized revolutionary Ireland. The image of the "...barley (growing) up out of the grave" serves as an allegory for a defiant Ireland and the persistent, undying spirit of the rebels that the British are incapable of suppressing. Heaney romanticizes the fallen by implying an everlasting sense of hope and bravery that exceeds the boundaries of death. This creates a framework of determination that revolutionary Ireland will utilize to form a centralized identity that transcends defeat at the hands of the British. Through romanticisation of Ireland as a nation and the rebels "...shaking scythes at cannon" Seamus Heaney conveys the doomed heroism of the Irish and how their bravery will not go unnoticed even though they were buried "...without shroud or coffin" their rebellious spirit defies the disrespectful British. In "Requiem for Croppies" Heaney portrays the fallen rebels as heroes lost in tragedy and thus demonstrates how romanticism exists as an underlying theme in his poetry through his attempt to depict Ireland as an idealistic revolutionary nation.

Additionally, Heaney's poetry has tones of literal romance as demonstrated by "The Otter" which reflects upon his admiration and love for a woman, supposedly his wife Marie. Through connection to nature with the otter acting as a symbol for the swimming woman, Heaney demonstrates a sense of love that transcends the past and present. The unrhymed, free verse structure implies the unstructured recollection of a cherished memory that exists in the "pool of the moment."