Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "The Couple Overhead," William Meredith utilizes a unique nonce form, characterized by a loose but regular three-stress accentual meter. The poem's rhyme scheme is intricately designed, complementing the seemingly casual yet carefully constructed meter. The narrative paints a grim portrait of a quarreling couple overheard by the speaker, whose reflections draw parallels to Dante's depiction of Count Ugolino from *The Divine Comedy*.

The poem opens with a stark observation: "They don't get anywhere, / The couple overhead." This introductory couplet sets the tone for the rest of the poem, suggesting a sense of stagnation and futility in the couple's relationship. The phrase "They wrangle like the damned / In the bed above my bed" vividly conveys the intensity of their conflict, likening their arguments to the torment of the damned in hell. The choice of "wrangle" emphasizes the pettiness and continuous nature of their disputes.

Meredith then introduces a literary allusion to Count Ugolino, a character from Dante's *Inferno*, who is condemned to eternally gnaw at the head of his betrayer, Archbishop Ruggieri. The reference to Ugolino, "endlessly condemned / To gnaw the archbishop's head / Where the nape and skull are one," evokes a sense of perpetual punishment and obsession. This allusion serves to underscore the repetitive and unresolvable nature of the couple's disputes, suggesting that they, too, are trapped in an endless cycle of self-destruction.

However, the speaker notes a critical difference between the damned souls of Dante's Inferno and the couple overhead: "Not so, these secular drunks." The term "secular" highlights the mundane and earthly nature of the couple's predicament, contrasting with the eternal and spiritual damnation of Dante's characters. The speaker remarks that "Dante would find their treason / Too spiritless to keep," implying that their conflicts lack the depth and gravity of true betrayal or sin. Instead, their actions are compared to "children stealing raisins," a trivial and almost innocent act, underscoring the insignificance of their quarrels.

The line "They eat each other's eyes" metaphorically describes the couple's destructive behavior towards one another, as they consume and diminish each other emotionally. The "ice that grips their flanks" symbolizes the coldness and detachment that has settled into their relationship, a chilling indifference that they themselves have created: "Is something they have frozen." This self-imposed emotional distance further isolates them from one another and intensifies their misery.

The poem concludes with a note of resignation and cyclical inevitability: "After a while they sleep; / And the punishment they've chosen, / After a while it dies." This ending suggests that their conflicts, though intense and damaging, eventually dissipate into an exhausted peace. The phrase "the punishment they've chosen" implies that the couple is complicit in their own suffering, having settled into a pattern of behavior that they cannot or will not escape. The final line, "After a while it dies," offers a bleak commentary on the temporary nature of their torment, which fades only to return again.

"The Couple Overhead" effectively captures the banality and tragedy of a dysfunctional relationship, using a structured yet seemingly casual form to mirror the cyclical and unresolved nature of the couple's conflicts. Through vivid imagery and literary allusions, Meredith explores themes of self-destruction, emotional detachment, and the futile pursuit of resolution. The poem serves as a poignant reflection on the human capacity for creating and perpetuating one's own suffering, offering a microcosmic view of larger existential struggles.

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