First published in Carol Ann Duffy's 1993 collection Mean Time, "Havisham" is a dramatic monologue spoken from the perspective of Miss Havisham, the wealthy, embittered spinster from Charles Dickens's novel Great Expectations. In the novel, Miss Havisham was abandoned at the altar during her youth and spends her adulthood seeking vengeance against men for her suffering; for example, she schemes for the novel's protagonist, Pip, to fall in love with her adopted daughter, Estella, so that she can break his heart. In Duffy's poem, Havisham (no "Miss") reflects upon how grief has shaped her life and identity, expressing both longing for and vengeful anger toward the fiancé who left her behind.
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The Full Text of “Havisham”
The Full Text of “Havisham”
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“Havisham” Summary
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“Havisham” Themes
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Heartbreak, Sorrow, and Rage
Where this theme appears in the poem:- Lines 1-6
- Lines 9-16
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Grief and Identity
Where this theme appears in the poem:- Lines 2-4
- Lines 8-9
- Lines 12-13
- Line 16
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Havisham”
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Lines 1-2
Beloved sweetheart bastard. ...
... wished him dead. -
Lines 2-4
Prayed for it ...
... could strangle with. -
Line 5
Spinster. I stink and remember.
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Lines 5-7
Whole days ...
... open the wardrobe; -
Lines 8-9
the slewed mirror, ...
... sounds not words. -
Lines 10-12
Some nights better, ...
... suddenly bite awake. -
Lines 12-14
Love's ...
... a wedding cake. -
Lines 15-16
Give me a ...
... heart that b-b-b-breaks.
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“Havisham” Symbols
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Green
Where this symbol appears in the poem:- Line 3: “I've dark green pebbles for eyes,”
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The Wedding Dress
Where this symbol appears in the poem:- Lines 6-7: “the dress / yellowing, trembling if I open the wardrobe;”
- Line 13: “a white veil;”
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The Red Balloon
Where this symbol appears in the poem:- Lines 13-14: “a red balloon bursting / in my face.”
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“Havisham” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Alliteration
Where alliteration appears in the poem:- Line 1: “Beloved,” “bastard”
- Line 5: “Spinster,” “stink”
- Line 13: “behind,” “balloon,” “bursting”
- Line 14: “Bang”
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Enjambment
Where enjambment appears in the poem:- Lines 1-2: “then / I”
- Lines 2-3: “it / so”
- Lines 5-6: “days / in”
- Lines 6-7: “dress / yellowing,”
- Lines 8-9: “this / to”
- Lines 11-12: “ear / then”
- Lines 12-13: “Love's / hate”
- Lines 13-14: “bursting / in”
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Onomatopoeia
Where onomatopoeia appears in the poem:- Line 6: “cawing,” “ Nooooo”
- Line 14: “Bang”
- Line 16: “b-b-b-breaks”
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Oxymoron
Where oxymoron appears in the poem:- Line 1: “Beloved sweetheart bastard.”
- Lines 12-13: “Love's / hate”
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Metaphor
Where metaphor appears in the poem:- Lines 3-4: “I've dark green pebbles for eyes, / ropes on the back of my hands I could strangle with.”
- Line 9: “Puce curses”
- Line 12: “I suddenly bite awake”
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“Havisham” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Bastard
- Spinster
- Cawing
- Wardrobe
- Slewed
- Puce
- Fluent
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(Location in poem: Line 1: “Beloved sweetheart bastard.”)
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Havisham”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“Havisham” Speaker
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“Havisham” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “Havisham”
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More “Havisham” Resources
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External Resources
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Carol Ann Duffy's Biography — Learn more about the poet's life and work from this brief biography, courtesy of the Poetry Foundation.
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The Poem in Performance — Watch a dramatic reading of "Havisham."
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An Illustrated Edition of Great Expectations — View American artist John McLenan's renderings of Miss Havisham for an 1861 illustrated edition of Great Expectations, courtesy of the British Library.
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An Interview with the Poet — Watch Carol Ann Duffy respond to her appointment as the UK's first woman poet laureate in this 2009 interview with The Guardian.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by Carol Ann Duffy
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