The bed we loved in was a spinning world

of forests, castles, torchlight, cliff-tops, seas

where he would dive for pearls. My lover’s words
were shooting stars which fell to earth as kisses
on these lips; my body now a softer rhyme
to his, now echo, assonance; his touch
a verb dancing in the centre of a noun.
Some nights I dreamed he’d written me, the bed
a page beneath his writer’s hands. Romance
and drama played by touch, by scent, by taste.
In the other bed, the best, our guests dozed on,
dribbling their prose. My living laughing love –
I hold him in the casket of my widow’s head
as he held me upon that next best bed.

Carol Ann Duffy

Anne Hathaway was the wife of William Shakespeare. She married him at the age of
twenty-five, seven years older than her eighteen year old husband. For most of their
married life he lived in London while she remained in Stratford-upon-Avon, raising
their three children.

"Anne Hathaway" is a sonnet spoken in the voice of Anne Hathaway, Shakespeare's

wife. Because Duffy imagines the speaker as one distinct character, we can call this
poem a dramatic monologue.

Language
The metre is iambic pentameter, that is five pairs of stressed and unstressed
syllables to the line. The effect is stately and rhythmic, and conveys an impression of
dignity and seriousness.

Rhyme Scheme
The rhyming pattern often but not always comprises three sets of four lines,
forming quatrains, followed by a closed rhyming couplet.

The bed we loved in was a spinning world

The past tense in the first line indicates that this poem is a reflection of the past.

a spinning world
The bed ‘spinning’ represents their intoxicating and disorientating love. Their love is
described as enchanting; as if on a different planet. They feel comfortably isolated
with each other in bed and have no distractions.

of forests, castles, torchlight, clifftops, seas

These are all great works of art by Shakespeare. The suggestion is that he was just
as creative in bed

where we would dive for pearls. My lover's words

were shooting stars which fell to earth as kisses

as shooting stars are striking, magnificent and light the world, Shakespeare’s kisses
brighten Anne Hathaway’s world.

on these lips;

The earlier sibilant words in lines one and two are continued with more sibilence in
‘kisses’ and ‘lips’. They imitate the whispering of lovers in bed.

my body now a softer rhyme

to his, now echo, assonance; his touch

Duffy uses the language and techniques of poetry — Shakespeare’s own medium —
to describe their love. So, their bodies ‘rhyme’ with each other; they ‘echo’ each
other; Shakespeare’s touch is like a verb dancing in a noun, the noun being a
metaphor for Anne’s body.
These lines are linked by assonantvowels, notably a soft ‘o’ in ‘echo’ and ‘now’ and
‘assonance’. There is also a gentle, feminine rhythm that evokes the sexual act.

verb dancing in the centre of a noun.

It is a metaphor for the feelings Shakespeare stirs in Anne. A noun on its own is un-
moving and inanimate, but when a verb is added the noun comes to life.
Shakespeare had the power to breathe life into his writings — and sexually to do
likewise for Anne.

Some nights, I dreamed he'd written me, the bed

a page beneath his writer's hands.
In this metaphor, the bed becomes a page upon which Shakespeare ‘writes’ Anne.

She only feels alive when she is with him as if he has written her as a character and
brought her to life.

Romance
and drama played by touch, by scent, by taste.
Anne names the two genres of writing – romance and drama – in which
Shakespeare was superbly skilled. These were played out in the real life sexual
relationship of Anne and Shakespeare. The word ‘Romance’ is capitalised and
deliberately placed at the end of line nine to emphasise its importance to their
relationship.

In the other bed, the best, our guests dozed on,

dribbling their prose
In a marked contrast, she compares the poetry and sensuality of their lovemaking
with those who slept in the other bed. In a withering, disparaging comment she
asserts that they are only capable of ‘dribbling their prose’. The implication is clear –
poetry when written by Shakespeare symbolises the most skilful and creative use of
language

My living laughing love -

This has a lilting rhythm. The alliterative‘l’s and short vowels create a light, rhythmic
and joyful sound, like their love.

I hold him in the casket of my widow's head

as he held me upon that next best bed.
She sees him in his casket and compares the body of her husband now to the lover
of the past. She views the memories of him in terms a ‘casket’ or coffin inside her
‘widow’s head’, as real to her as the physical reality of death.
As with all Shakespeare’s sonnets this ends with a rhyming couplet, to provide a
neat resolution. It follows the volta, or turn, where the mood or logic changes. Here,
in the last two lines, Anne moves from the past to the present. Her memories of the
past merge with the reality of the present.