Point of View

As mentioned elsewhere in this guide, “The Ecstasy” is notable for the speaker’s steadfast use of the first-person plural point of view. In fact, were it not for his solitary reference to “her and me” (16) at the beginning of the poem, readers could interpret the poem as being spoken from the shared point of view of both of the lovers. But that singular mention of the lovers as separate individuals highlights that the poem in reality reflects the perspective of only the male lover. That he so resolutely speaks in the first-person plural suggests that he feels so tightly fused with his lover, he believes he can speak for both of them. But ultimately the woman’s perspective is a cypher, inaccessible to readers.

The speaker does not just speak for his partner’s perspective. He also attempts to inhabit the perspective of another...