my heart was poisoned with remorse
This may seem a strange usage, but it accords with the primary meaning of
"remorse" in Mary Shelley's day.
Johnson's Dictionary (1755) lists the following two
definitions:
- Pain of guilt
- Tenderness; pity; sympathetick sorrow
In both cases, but particularly in the first, remorse involves a
passionate suffering that could be likened to the action of poison.
