Imagery in The Moon

This line paints an intriguing image of the moon. The idea is that the moon is an eye rolling in its socket, forever scanning the earth for some “object worth its constancy.” The metaphor is original in the way it harnesses the moon’s ever-rotating nature to create an eerie poetic effect.

By invoking the image of a “dying lady,” Shelley alludes to gothic literature, a genre of writing that combines fiction, horror, death, and romance. This sets a dark tone for the poem and creates an ominous, almost supernatural resonance behind all of the images.