Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral · Character

Britannia

An imagined Britain whose distant shore pulls the speaker across the sea, even as her soul grieves and her charms tempt the wandering heart.

supporting

Also known as thy, Thy

First appearance: to the king s most excellent majesty 1768

As a supporting figure in Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, Britannia is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Britannia is mentioned as the nation that glories in Captain H⸺d's virtues.

In the storyTo Captain H⸺d, of the 65th RegimentOpen this moment free

Britannia is the personified island the poet sails toward, a motherland whose fame and beauty are invoked with longing and reverence. Yet the same voice warns against her 'fatal train' of temptation, asking heaven to shield the soul from her 'enchanting strain.' That double pull — devotion and danger — shapes the poems of departure and return, where leaving New-England's fields for her shore becomes both a joy and a spiritual test.

See Britannia in To Captain H⸺d, of the 65th Regiment Book page

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Character Web

3 connections

A slice of how Britannia sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Social
Friendship

Character groups

Mythological and Classical Figures
Protagonist

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This poem serves as the narrative climax because it presents the emotional and psychological peak where the sp…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

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Relationships

Unknown Narrator
social · ambivalent
Britannia is a personification of Britain, addressed by the narrator with patriotic or… How this plays out →
Sol
social · positive
Susanna
friendship · positive

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Britannia in to the king s most excellent majesty 1768

In the story

Britannia appears across 9 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

To Captain H⸺d, of the 65th Regiment
Britannia is mentioned as the nation that glories in Captain H⸺d's virtues.
Ode to Neptune
The welcoming land to which Susanna travels.
III
Addressed as the welcoming figure with serene climes and unnumber'd charms.
A Farewel to America. To Mrs. S. W.
The distant shore for which the speaker leaves New England.
VII
Britannia is referenced as the distant shore toward which the voyage is directed.
XI
The speaker addresses Britannia directly, resigning New England's fields for her.
A Rebus, by I. B.
Referenced in the final line as 'old Britannia’s fame', the poem's patriotic subject.
III
Britannia's fame is enhanced by the vanquished town's glory.
An Answer to the Rebus, by the Author of These Poems
Britain's royal standard bears the unicorn, and Quebec must pay tribute to Britain of immortal fame.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Britannia unlock in the free preview.

See Britannia in to the king s most excellent majesty 1768

See Britannia in To Captain H⸺d, of the 65th Regiment