In "My Love is Like to Ice," the speaker compares their love to ice, which at first seems to be a metaphor for the coldness and detachment that can often accompany love. However, as the poem progresses, it becomes clear that the speaker's love is not actually cold or detached, but rather is intense and passionate, much like the destructive power of ice.
The first line of the poem establishes the metaphor of love as ice, as the speaker says "My love is like to ice, and I to fire." Fire and ice are often seen as opposing elements, with fire representing passion and heat, and ice representing coldness and detachment. The speaker's love is like ice, implying that it is cold and distant.
However, as the poem continues, it becomes clear that the speaker's love is not actually cold or distant. In fact, it is quite the opposite. The speaker says that "however I do change, I cannot die, nor can my love for thee." This suggests that the speaker's love is enduring and unchanging, despite any changes the speaker may go through.
Furthermore, the speaker says that their love "consumes more than doth thy fire." This line suggests that the speaker's love is intense and all-consuming, much like a fire that consumes everything in its path. In contrast, the other person's love is described as a fire, implying that it is less intense and less all-consuming.
The final lines of the poem bring the metaphor full circle, as the speaker compares their love to ice that is "more hot than is the fire." This suggests that the speaker's love is not cold and distant as it was initially described, but rather is incredibly hot and passionate. The speaker's love is like ice in that it is destructive and all-consuming, much like the way that ice can shatter and break through barriers.
Overall, "My Love is Like to Ice" is a poem that uses the metaphor of love as ice to explore the intense and passionate nature of love. The speaker's love is not cold and distant as it is initially described, but rather is enduring and all-consuming, much like the destructive power of ice.