Commentary on ode à cassandre et sonnet XVI

Commentary on Ode à Cassandre and Sonnet XVI

Ode à Cassandre is the first part of Ronsard’s Ode. Along with Sonnet XVI, although having different features, they both demonstrate similarities in some way and both have the ultimate goal of revealing their central themes. The commentary will discuss both poems through different aspects, including vocabularies, syntax, imagery, form, rhetorical devices and allusions.

Metaphor is the dominant feature of Ode à Cassandre and it is used throughout the poem. At the beginning of the poem, the poet calls the ‘Mignonne’ (l.1) to witness the beauty of the rose. By using human features such as ‘sa robe’ (l.3) and ‘son teint’ (l.6), the poet implicitly tells the readers that ‘la rose’ refers to the lady, who is Cassandre, given that the title addresses directly to his beloved one.  The use of metaphor elucidates the poet’s emotions, the readers know that he is profoundly affected and drawn by the rose’s beauty through such rhetorical figure.

While metaphor runs through the poem, the beauty of the rose is depicted in a majestic tone. By using words such as ‘robe’ (l.3), ‘pourpre’ (l.3) and ‘beautés’ (l.9), the poet praises its beauty.  At the same time, praising his lover’s beauty by comparing her with the rose, ‘son teint au vostre pareil’ (l.6), suggesting that her beauty is unique and almost surpasses the beauty of nature, showing his admiration towards Cassandre.

The poem itself is dynamic, while saying previously that the rose is beautiful even under the glory of the sun (‘sa robe de pourpre au Soleil’, (l.3)), the ephemerality of the rose demonstrates a fast-moving image. While the first stanza demonstrates the rose’s extraordinary beauty, the second stanza shows a dramatic contrast. Words such as ‘laissé choir’ (l.9), suggest that the rose’s ‘beauty is fading away. The verbe ‘laissé’ also signifies the rose’s indifference to her ‘viellesse’. The vulnerability of the rose’s ephemerality is demonstrated through the use of two words which indicate time. ‘Une telle fleur ne dure/ Que du matin jusques au soir’ (l.9-l.10), ‘matin’ and ‘soir’ emphasize again the short life of the rose, and the powerlessness facing the power of time.

Furthermore, the poem’s dynamics are shown in more ways. Since the poem is subject to Cassandre directly, imperative tense dominates the poem. Verbs such as ‘allons’ (l.1), ‘voyez’ (1.2), ‘croyez’ (l.13), and ‘cueillez’ (l.16) directly invite Cassandre to witness the beauty and the fadeaway of the rose, creating an image of Cassandre with the rose.

Besides, the antithesis of the two verbs ‘desclose’ (l.2) and ‘choir’ (l.9) does not only indicate the rose’s changes, but also makes the overall poem more dynamic. The poem is not dynamic in the sense that the actions are violent, but in the sense that the rose experiences different phases.

Moreover, the repetition of ‘Las’ both in line7 and line9 with exclamation marks suggests the poet’s astonishment when he sees the rose’ beauty fade away. In addition, ‘Las’ is a demonstrative adverb of place, it is used here to invite and call the persona, Cassandre to see the rose, hence reinforce the poem’s dynamics.

The reason why the poem is written in such a dynamic way is that the poet wants to emphasize the different phases that the rose is experiencing. The rose in this poem experiences both ‘la naissance’ and ‘la mort’, ‘jeunesse’ (l.16) and ‘vieillesse’ (l.17), indicating that death is the inevitable destiny of the flower.

The poet uses allegories in the last stanza, attaching a moral to the poem. Opposed to the personification used in the first stanza, ‘sa robe de pourpre au Soleil’ (l.3), the poet calls ‘la mignonne’ Cassandre to enjoy her youth through the use of physicalification, ‘cueillez, cueillez votre jeunesse’ (l.16). The repeated verb ‘cueillir’ is a verb destined to flowers, here the poet physicalizes Cassandre’s ‘jeunesse’ to a rose’s blooming stage. The use of physicalification makes the description more vivid, and lets the readers associate humans’ youth to the ephemerality of flowers.

Through this poem, the poet has given the readers a more in-depth meaning of birth and death by using the symbolism of ‘la rose’. He suggests that humans are just like flowers, ‘la jeunesse’ is inevitably followed by ‘la viellese’ and ‘la mort’. However, we should enjoy our youth.

Similarly, Sonnet XVI is also dynamic, but different from Ode à Cassandre, it is dynamic in the sense that violent actions are involved.  The dominant figure of the sonnet is anaphora, with the first three stanzas beginning with ‘je veulx’, and then followed by verbs that indicate actions, for example ‘darder’ in line1, ‘muer’ in line6 and ‘changer’ in line9. Instead of using ‘jeter’ (to throw), the poet use ‘darder’ (l.1). The verb does not only imply a strong, fast movement, but also the poet’s desires to be relieved as he says ‘je veulx darder par l’univers ma peine’ (l.1). The use of ‘je’ at the beginning of the three stanzas emphasize again that he is the one who is suffering from the pain. The poet also compares the action of throwing away his pain to an arrow that flies from the bow, ‘plus tost qu’un trait ne volle au descocher’ (l.2). In this way, the readers are able to understand his suffering and at the same time, enhance the poem’s dynamics.

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