“‘I Scarce Dare Talk’:

The Rhetoric of Silence in Morris’s ‘The Defence of Guenevere’ and Webster’s ‘A Castaway’”

 

Although Morris’s “The Defence of Guenevere” (1858) and Webster’s “A Castaway” (1870) seem disparate, they are both dramatic monologues of fallen women. Guenevere may be a mythical Queen of England, but the poem centers on her purported adulterous affair with Launcelot, while “A Castaway” offers speech to an upper-class prostitute. I argue that insufficient attention has been paid to the use of silence in these poems, which often accomplishes more than speech does. Both Guenevere and Eulalie use silence to preserve an independent space for themself, despite the judgement of society that they face. They alternately disclose and withhold in order to make the audience feel that they’re getting the full story, while constantly reminding them that they are not in possession of all of the information. The tension between what is revealed and what is kept private entices the audience to read between the lines and determine what truth underlies the public faces which these women maintain. Both of these women use silences to reject the authority of society and present themselves as separate and removed. Where speech can be used against them, silence protects their secrets and their hearts, allowing them dignity in the face of social judgement.