The Phoenix and the Turtle Essay Questions

Why are certain birds allowed or not allowed to join the mourning ceremony for the Phoenix and the Turtle?

Each potential mourner symbolizes something different. Some have positive associations that make them suitable to join the gathering and others have negative associations. The unspecified “bird of the loudest lay” is invited for the gathering’s “herald” because of its loud voice and association with the palm tree (a symbol of the Phoenix). The screech-owl and other birds of prey are excluded because of their association with death. The eagle is allowed, however, because it symbolizes royalty. The swan represents religion and the crow represents longevity, so they are also allowed to join the group of “chaste wings.”

How does the poem represent the ideal form of love through allegory?

The love and death of the Phoenix and the Turtle is an allegory for ideal love. Their love is described as “married chastity.” Their marriage is not physical but spiritual. They are both united as one being and separate individuals. With their death, this ideal form of love comes to an end. The beauty and truth the two lovers represent are no longer possible.

Why are Number and Reason confused by the love between the Phoenix and the Turtle?

Number and Reason are personified in the poem. They are confused by the love between the Phoenix and the Turtle because it contravenes the laws of mathematics and logic. In math, something cannot be both one and two at the same time, yet the Phoenix and the Turtle are both individual and united. Similarly, Reason cannot understand how the lovers can be both close and distant, united and divided.

What happens to beauty and truth when the Phoenix and the Turtle die?

The love between the Phoenix and the Turtle represents truth and beauty. With their death, these ideals are no longer possible. Things may appear to be true, but they cannot be anymore. Similarly, beauty as an ideal has also died with the lovers. The world is forever changed, which is why the tone of the poem is mournful.

What is the function of fire imagery in the poem?

The phoenix is a mythical bird typically associated with fire. It bursts into flame every 500 years and is reborn from its own ashes. In the poem, fire represents the love between the Phoenix and the Turtle. Their love is a “mutual flame,” not just the flame of the Phoenix. Similarly, fire imagery is also associated with the Turtle, who sees “his right / Flaming in the Phoenix’s sight.”