# Epigraph explained — A Pair of Blue Eyes

> Chapter companion for A Pair of Blue Eyes by Thomas Hardy.

## What happens

The epigraph quotes Shakespeare, comparing a young woman to a violet—beautiful and sweet but fleeting, foreshadowing a transient romance.

## Themes in this chapter

### Innocence and Experience

The violet metaphor suggests youthful innocence that is sweet but impermanent, hinting at the loss of innocence through experience.

## Key lines

> A violet in the youth of primy nature, Forward, not permanent, sweet not lasting, The perfume and suppliance of a minute; No more.

Like a violet in early spring, she is forward but not lasting, sweet but temporary—a brief fragrance, nothing more.

_The epigraph sets a tone of ephemeral beauty and love, likely referencing Elfride's fleeting romantic entanglements._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/chapters/epigraph
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_pair_of_blue_eyes_se/chapters