Point of View

"The Apparition" is written from the first-person perspective of a lover who has been rejected by the addressee, a lady. He addresses the lady directly throughout the poem, calling her "O Murd'ress" (1) and "feign'd vestal" (5) at different points. The lover uses the first-person point of view to communicate the pain he feels from her rejection of his advances, comparing it to being killed by her hand. The majority of the poem takes place in a future that speaker cautions will come to fruition if the lady does not concede to him—he will appear by her bedside at night and haunt her until she is virtually a ghost herself. By focusing on the future, the speaker threatens the lady by purportedly showing her the consequences of her current actions, thereby attempting to convince her to return his affection.

Language and Meaning

The language of "The...