Fidelity

Summary
In Fidelity, William Wordsworth sensitively immortalizes this inexpressible affection of a pet
dog. Foxie, the pet dog, remains by the side of Charles Gough, an aspiring artist, who
accidentally falls off a rocky mountainous ridge and dies. Charles Gough, who was 21 years
old, had gone to the very scenic Lake District for some inspiration. During the Romantic era
in England, many young and idealistic artists and poets visited the beautiful Lake District
region in Northwestern England. When he was going through a treacherous mountainous
region, he fell to his death. His faithful and affectionate little dog Foxie remained by his side
for 3 long months until a shepherd spotted them. William Wordsworth was deeply moved by
this incident and pays tribute to the love and devotion of the pet dog.
A shepherd is astonished to see a little dog which is barking in a very unusual manner among
rocks and fern in the mountainous region. He wonders how the strange little dog could be
there all alone in the deserted cave-like rocky mountainous region far from any human
habitation. The only other sign of liveliness that the shepherd could spot in the isolated region
was that of a fish jumping out of a pool of water and a raven cawing. It seems as if the sun’s
rays and the howling wind are trying to rush past the region and seem trapped there. The
shepherd has a faint suspicion of foreboding and hurriedly follows the dog across the rocky
terrain and is shocked to see a human skeleton lying on the ground. The shepherd then
realizes that it was the skeleton of Charles Gough and even remembers the day the tragic
accident occurred. The dog had stayed by the side of Charles Gough for 3 months in the
difficult terrain. The incident depicts the enduring affection that dogs display which surpasses
that of human beings.
Analysis
Stanza 1: A shepherd heard the sound of a dog barking at a distance. At first, he couldn’t
quite understand if it was the sound of a dog or a fox. He waited for a while. His eyes
scanned the area. He looked through the scattered rocks in the mountains. Then he noticed a
movement in a bushy area. Instantly, a dog appeared from beneath a thicket.
Stanza 2: The shepherd could see that the dog was not of that local area. It did not look like
the other dogs in that mountainous terrain. The movements of the animal were wild but
hesitant. Its cry was also rather unusual. Nor could the shepherd see anybody near the dog.
Nobody could be heard whistling at the dog. The shepherd wondered what the creature was
doing there.
Stanza 3: The area was a small sheltered bay. The snow falling in that area in the winter
season continued to fall until the middle of summer. In front of him, the shepherd could see a
cliff. He also saw a tarn or a lake somewhere below him, but definitely much high up in the
mountains, in the bosom of the Helvellyn plateau. This was a remote area in the mountains.
There was no human being nearby. No farm or private dwelling could also be seen here.
Stanza 4: Sometimes a fish jumped out of the waters in the tarn. The sight was lovely. The
croaks of ravens hovering around could be heard. Even the crags made some sound to
contribute to the natural music in that area. The shepherd could see a rainbow. He could also
see clouds and mists. Occasionally, he could also see the soft rays of the sun. But the
mountain was so tall that nothing could cross over its walls.
Stanza 5: The shepherd felt gloomy as he walked towards the dog. He walked quickly and
crossed the rocks and stones. He had not covered that far a distance, when he came upon a
human skeleton on the ground. The shepherd was shocked. He wasn’t prepared for something
like this. He looks around to see if he could figure out how it all happened.
Stanza 6: He could now understand that the owner of this dog had fallen from the dangerous
rocks all around him. It was quite a fearful place indeed. All of a sudden, the whole story
became clear to the shepherd. He remembered the name of the man who had travelled along
these terrains in the past, and had vanished. The shepherd knew the man. He also knew why
he had visited that area.
Stanza 7: The poet says that there was a special reason why he was narrating this sad story to
his readers now. He wanted to pay his respect to the loyal dog which had not moved from the
place for the preceding three months, ever since the time when its master had fallen and died.
The dog had faced savage weather conditions. The dog had always hovered close to the
corpse, crying out mournfully, hoping that a passer-by would listen to its calls.
Stanza 8: There was clear proof that the dog had stood by the side of its master’s dead body,
ever since the man had lost his life. The dog had been guarding the body. The dog was loyal
to its master because the master had loved him and had taken care of him. The dog had also
loved its master. The feelings that this animal had for its dead owner is testimony of the
sublime nature of affection that an animal could feel for its master.
Conclusion: The idea behind this poem is related to the sudden death of a promising artist
who had visited the Lake District area of England. The name of the artist was Charles Gough.
He was twenty-one when he died after falling from a mountain. His dog Foxie stayed with
the corpse of its master for many months until the body was found by a local shepherd. The
poet Wordsworth reflects upon this story in this poem.