Religion and love make for, well, odd bedfellows most of the time. In "The Blessed Damozel," though, the love between the damozel and her still-living fella is actually framed more in religious terms than it is in romantic terms. Sure, they're looking to be together just like they were back on Earth. Now that she's in heaven, though, their relationship actually needs formal approval from the religious powers that be (first Mary and then Jesus). This may be because they weren't married back on Earth, and so therefore may not be able to enjoy the conventional religious guarantee of meeting back up in heaven after they both die. As a result, the damozel in particular is praying for a religious solution to their problem.
Questions About Religion
- What is the relationship between love of humans (romantic love) and love of God (religious love) in this poem?
- What is this poem's attitude toward the role of religion in romantic relationships?
- Why does the still-living lover seem more skeptical than the damozel?
- Why do you think the lovers need permission from Mary and Jesus to stay in heaven? What parts of the poem support your idea?
Chew on This
This poem actually gives us a very conservative, religious portrait of love: without a church-sanctioned marriage, a couple has no guarantee of spending eternity together.
The anxiety experienced by the damozel and her lover in this poem shows us that religion is more about respecting authority than it is about love.