Rossetti Exam help

[FantasyAndHope]

Dd has been set some holiday work she's doing her alevels
Her set question is about how despair is shown in 'good friday' and dd cannot see 'despair' she can see loss but not loss of hope
Any help? How to underpin 'despair' in this poem?

Hi fantasy; I love this poem and know it well. Despair is powerfully conveyed through not just the language but also the entire premise of the poem; Good Friday is the day of Christ's crucifixion. If your dd has researched the context of the poem (although most people know anyway, since Easter is so important in Christianity) then she ought to understand that Jesus died on this day - not before asking "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" many Bible scholars interpret this as a cry of despair. The use of the rhetorical question is echoed in the structure of the opening stanza.

The speaker juxtaposes the womens' "love" with their "exceeding grief" and furthermore Peter the Disciple "weeps bitterly". Surely these are indications of despair? None of them could save Him. Even the thief alongside whom Jesus is crucified acknowledges Jesus' innocence and the wasted life.

The third stanza personifies the sun and moon and draws further on Biblical references when it describes the eclipse of the sun which occurred at the moment of Jesus' death.

Rossetti herself struggled with Christianity and her speaker illustrates a sense of despair at their lack of faith and empathy.

I could go on, but don't have the time. HTH.

You're welcome