Lucifer in Starlight by George Meredith

Questions and Answers

1. What poetic form does “Lucifer in Starlight” follow?
The poem is a Petrarchan or Italian sonnet.

2. To what does the allusion, “the old revolt from Awe” refer?
The allusion is to the biblical tale of Lucifer’s losing battle with God. Upon his defeat, Lucifer was cast down from the heavens.

3. In your own words, what causes Lucifer “to sink”?
According to the speaker, when Lucifer flies up close to the stars, which are “the brain of heaven,” he sees God’s unconquerable army and flees back to his dominion for he knows he cannot beat them.

4. The description of the stars as the “brain of heaven” is an example of the employment of what literary device?
The description is a comparison without using like or as, or a metaphor. The army is composed of the unfallen angels. The unalterable law is the law of God or divine law.