Themes in The Windhover

There are two interwoven themes, therefore, in the sonnet:

• The beauty, variety and uniqueness of nature as depicted in the octave
• Christ's beauty in the sestet.

Both are discussed more fully in the Themes and significant ideas section.

• There is also an implied theme, Serving God, emerging at the end of the sonnet.

The interpretation of the poem revolves round how these three themes fit together, or whether they are put in opposition to each other.