Take a look at the Old English word, "geomor." It means "sad." Get ready, because you'll be seeing that word a lot. Most critics classify "The Wife's Lament" as an elegy, a popular genre of poetry in Anglo-Saxon England, defined by its melancholy, mournful, and otherwise super-depressing tone. While the plot of the poem itself is anything but clear, the power of the speaker's voice, in her ability to express such profoundly difficult emotions, makes us forget about these inconsistencies. Take note, young Shmoopers—this is how you communicate sadness.
Questions About Sadness
- Why do most critics classify "The Wife's Lament" as an elegy?
- How does the author use descriptive imagery to communicate the speaker's sadness?
- Does the husband actually share in his wife's sorrow? How can you tell?
Chew on This
Spoiler alert: the husband is actually dead. Thus the poem is an elegy in the traditional sense, in which the speaker laments the death of a loved one.
It was the husband who intentionally abandons his wife (the jerkface), commanding her into exile.