Edward

"O I have killed my father dear, Mother, Mother."

Question 4
Does the repetition of each question and answer simply waste words or does it add to the suspense and emotional intensity?


Question 4 asks about the repitition and how the poem would be affected if the lines were not repeated. If you were to take out these lines, the poem would lose some of the creepy tone that comes from the repetition. Not only that, but the questioning on both sides would be lost. By repeating the questions, Edward's mother forces her son to admit the truth of his actions and make him feel guilt. In the end, it is the guilt that Edward feels that makes him curse his mother and tell her she is condemned to hell. Did his mother know all along? Did she tell Edward to kill his father? Regardless, he is troubled when it comes to admitting his wrongdoings and he seems to be upset.