Good Friday

Key points expressed in Rossetti's poem 'Good Friday.'

• Religion
• Links to Jesus' death

Crucified on the cross/ Nailed to the cross/ Died next to thieves

• Betrayal (Between Peter and Jesus)
• Darkness
• Death

Within Rossetti's poem 'Good Friday' there is a lack of  human emotion:
'Am I a stone and not a sheep' - 'Am I' highlights the fact the speaker is questioning who they are and where they fit into society. The speaker believes they don't fit in with the crowd. The word 'stone' acts as a metaphor for the speaker's lack of feeling, this is shown as a stone is a bleak, unimportant object. The word 'sheep' acts as a metaphor for masses or society.
'Not so those women loved' 'Not so the thief was moved;' - The speaker isn't defined by love the same way 'those women' are which hints she's challenging women status which links with Rossetti's other poems 'No, Thank you, John' and 'Maude Clare.' The speaker feels guilty they cant feel grief or pain when Jesus died as a women and criminals can.
'Yet give not o'er.' 'true Shepherd.' - The word 'Yet' illuminates that the speaker still believes there's hope left in society and in God/Jesus. The speaker won't give up, there's a change in emotion within stanza four which contrasts the poem.