Much like Yeat's other poems, this poem seems to confuse me. The scene is set, there's a body, but the conclusion comes out of left field. The Bishop's accusation is clear and concise, but Jane's responses, while in some instances coherent ( "Fair and foul are near of kin and fair needs foul"-- the good or the beautiful cannot exist without their corresponding binaries) don't relate very well to what she's being accused of (at leats from my understanding).
For example, "My friends are gone, but that's a truth/Nor grave nor bed denied/ Learned in bodily lowliness/ and in the heart's pride" doesn't seem to rebuke the Bishop's claim about Jane's apparel and filthy living condition, which is what he is accusing her of. Also, the "truth" Jane is referring to in the second stanza alludes me. What is it exactly? Her friend's death? If that is so, then the rest of the stanza doesn't seem to address this point directly.
"But love has pitched his mansion in the place of excrement." Another puzzling line. Since love is associated with the word "excrement" I assume its seen in a negative light. Maybe her wretched state of affairs is somehow a consequence of a bad experience in the past concerning a loved one. But even if granted, I still can't connect the dots. How does this line address the issue raised in the first stanza?
It's all very confusing. I hope I'll gain some insight in class.
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