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Though commonly considered to be a monody, ‘ Lycidas ’ in fact features two distinct voices, the first of which belongs to the uncouth swain ( or shepherd ).

The work opens with the swain, who finds himself grieving for the death of his friend, Lycidas, in an idyllic pastoral world.

In his article entitled " Belief and Disbelief in Lycidas ," Lawrence W. Hyman states that the swain is experiencing a “ loss of faith in a world order that allows death to strike a young man ”.< ref > Lawrence W. Hyman.

“ Believe and Disbelief in Lycidas .” College English, Vol.

33, No. 5 ( Feb., 1972 ), pp. 532-542 Published by: National Council of Teachers of English < http :// www. jstor. org / stable / 375413 >, 532 </ ref > Similarly, Lauren Shohet asserts that the swain is projecting his grief upon the classical images of the pastoral setting at this point in the elegy .< ref > Shohet, Lauren.

“ Subjects and Objects in Lycidas .” Texas Studies in Literature and Language, Volume 47, Number 2, Summer 2005, pp. 101-119.

< http :// muse. jhu. edu / journals / texas_studies_in_literature_and_language / v047 / 47. 2shohet. html >, 103 </ ref >