Summary of The Inchcape Rock by Robert Southey

Inchcape Rock is a popular poem by Robert Southey about the Inchcape Rock Legend, a reef which is situated in the North Sea, close to the coastal region of Angus in Scotland. The Inchcape Rock is known for its infamy as causation for shipwreck. This poem by Robert Southey revolves around the famous folktale of an Abbot, a monk who placed a bell on the reef to issue warning to seamen and seafarers about the impending danger during storms. According to the folktale, whenever the bell used to ring, the seafarers used to bless the Abbot’s wisdom and thank him for saving them from danger. But a sea robber named Ralph cut down the bell to earn money and treasures from the ships that fatally crashed against the rock. However, a day came when Ralph’s vessel too encounters a storm and crashes against the rock. This is when he hears death bells ringing.

The poem Inchcape Rock is a ballad. It is a lengthy poem consisting of seventeen stanzas. The poet begins the poem with a calm tone describing the sea. To describe the calm state of the sea, the poet has used expression like ‘No stir in the air, no stir in the sea.’ The sea was calm and quiet and ships were sailing peacefully. No wind troubled the ships and her keel was firmly set in the ocean.
The second stanza describes the Inchcape Rock on which the waves are gently moving without making any impact on the Inchcape Bell. The waves are rising and falling without moving the Inchcape Bell.

The third stanza talks about the wise Abbot of Aberbrothok who had placed the bell on the Rock to prevent ships from getting shipwrecked during storms and gales. The bell was placed on a buoy. When a storm occurred, the buoy would float and in turn ring the bell which would provide a warning for seamen.

When the Rock was full of water by the strong waves during high tide, the bell would ring and warn the sailors against the Rock. The rock is termed as ‘perilous’ meaning dangerous by Southey. Then they used to thank the Abbot of Aberbrothok for his idea of placing a bell to prevent shipwrecks.
The fifth stanza is cheerful in tone. It is about a joyful day where the sun was shining brightly and sea birds were circling above, screaming. Their chirping brought joy to all.

The sixth stanza speaks about the buoy which looked like a dark, visible speck on the green ocean. Sir Ralph walked up to his deck and saw the dark speck.

Stanza seven is about the Ralph’s excitement experiencing the pleasant day in the spring season. He sang and whistled. He was extremely happy. However, he had a wicked plan in his mind which made him so glad. We find Ralph looking at the Inchcape Rock with his eyes fixed on it in the eighth stanza. He asks his sailors to take him to the Rock. In his mind he has already planned to destroy the good work of the Abbot of Aberbrothok.

In the ninth stanza, we find the men had already lowered the boat and they are reaching Inchcape Rock. The Rover is all set to execute his wicked plan. Finally, they reach Inchcape Rock to ‘plague the Abbot Of Aberbrothok.’ The wicked Ralph bends down and cuts off the bell from the Inchcape Rock.

In the next stanza we find the bell sinking down making a sound. There were bubbles bursting all around. Ralph says with disregard that no more will anyone thank the Abbot.
In the eleventh stanza, we find the rover becomes rich by looting the wealth and treasures from the shipwrecked ships. He directed his ship towards the shore of Scotland. The ships that came near the Inchcape Rock did not hear the warning bell anymore, as it was cut down. Therefore, the ships suffered shipwrecks and they were looted by Sir Ralph.
The twelfth stanza is about a day where the sun could not be seen. The atmosphere was hazy and strong winds blew the whole day and by evening the storm was clear. The atmosphere somewhat signifies that something was going to happen.

The Rover is seen standing on the deck in the thirteenth stanza. It is dark that he is not able to see the land. He says and hopes that the weather will be pleasant at night.
One of his sailors says that he can hear the roaring of the waves. It seems that the shore is somewhere near about. Another of his sailor wished he could hear the sound of the Inchcape Bell as he was not aware of where they were. This stanza is about the sailors of Ralph who are a little remorseful about cutting down the Inchcape Bell. But it was already to late and we soon find them meeting their fates.
Finally in the fifteenth stanza, the ship of the Rover too crashes against the Inchcape Rock. The ship is struck with a’shivering shock.’ The shivering shock given to the vessel was by none other than the perilous Inchcape Rock. They call upon Christ, the son of God that they have met their horrible fate, the Inchcape Rock.

In the sixteenth stanza, Ralph is seen cursing himself in despair and tearing up his hair in frustration. Meanwhile, the waves have started to engulf the ship and it starts to sink beneath the high tide.
In the last stanza of the poem, Inchcape Rock, Ralph the Rover can hear a ‘dreadful’ sound of a ringing bell which resembles the sound of the Inchcape Bell but is actually the death knell, rung by the Devil Himself. The ringing of the bell was once a blessing to the seamen, but in the final stanza we find the sound had been termed as ‘dreadful’ and it has turned into a curse for the Rover. The Rover finally pays for his own deeds.

“But even in his dying fear,
One dreadful sound could the Rover hear;
A sound as if with the Inchcape Bell,
The Devil below was ringing his knell.”

Solved Questions

Critically Analyse the poem The Inchcape Rock by Robert Southey

Robert Southey’s Inchcape Rock is a form of a ballad. Discuss

Whether you’re aiming to learn some new marketable skills or just want to explore a topic, online learning platforms are a great solution for learning on your own schedule. You can also complete courses quickly and save money choosing virtual classes over in-person ones. In fact, individuals learn 40% faster on digital platforms compared to in-person learning.

Some online learning platforms provide certifications, while others are designed to simply grow your skills in your personal and professional life. Including Masterclass and Coursera, here are our recommendations for the best online learning platforms you can sign up for today.

The 7 Best Online Learning Platforms of 2022

About the author

38 comments

  1. This site is really good for students and even i would suggest other website to the students looking for help with poems , prose and drama. MYEDUZ.COM is also a good site…..so all the best to all of you sitting on this site and studyng for exams………………….but remember just study don’t play………..

  2. Thank you !!! This website is just so good , amazing and helpful too . This website really helped me in my studies in many ways , it had been my main reference source for my English project too. I recommended this website to many of my friends. Thank you once again .

  3. it is so helpful site that i can write explanations , summary of any poem

  4. it is very useful web site which is helpful and interesting…….thanks…..:(:).

  5. Thank you , the summary was good revision for me all your summaries have helped me and i am thankful to you for it.

  6. Actually i dont like literature …….but i had to complete my project so …u know i just had to search it and im really really satisfied with this ….thank u .

  7. The website is so helpful to understand the poems which usually aren’t very easy to get a knack of. Thank you helping me with my son’s homework

  8. i made my whole project using beamingnotes it helped me a lot
    thanks to beamingnotes !

    the only problem is that their are no spaces between some paras . the 2 paras seems to be united
    please make it correct so that it may be helpful in reading

    thanks,

  9. Really a very good site….helps me a lot for my projects and assignments.
    Thank you Beaming Notes!!

Comments are closed.

Other related Posts

You may also like