Fidelity is a moving poem by William Wordsworth which expresses the undying love of a pet
dog. Do you have a pet dog? What are the qualities of your pet dog that you admire the
most? Any human being who has had or has a pet dog would have experienced the
affection and faithfulness of their beloved pet. 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.
Fidelity Short Summary
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.
Read and reflect on the following last lines of the poem which beautifully describes the love
and devotion of the pet dog and sums up the entire poem Fidelity.
“He knows, who gave that love sublime;
And gave that strength of feeling great
Above all human estimate
dog. Do you have a pet dog? What are the qualities of your pet dog that you admire the
most? Any human being who has had or has a pet dog would have experienced the
affection and faithfulness of their beloved pet. 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.
Fidelity Short Summary
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.
Read and reflect on the following last lines of the poem which beautifully describes the love
and devotion of the pet dog and sums up the entire poem Fidelity.
“He knows, who gave that love sublime;
And gave that strength of feeling great
Above all human estimate
