Isolation And Depression In The Swan By Charles Baudelaire

In The Swan by Charles Baudelaire, the speaker suffers from isolation and depression caused by Paris’s rapid urbanization. Rather than openly presenting his strife, the speaker acknowledges people and animals who endured suffering, isolation and depression. More specifically, he acknowledges Andromache and a swan, which he encountered during Paris’s transitional period. The poem is organized into flashbacks or reflections which peel back Paris’s modern stature. The speaker relies on Andromache, a historical reference, and the swan to make a steady case for his feelings. The first stanza begins with the speaker reflecting on Andromache, a notable Greek mythological female. The speaker continues to pursue the reflection theme, he says, “The