Tennyson's The Lady Of Shalott
Tennyson's poem, The Lady of Shalott was written in the 1800's. It is about an imprisoned girl living in a cursed tower. She broke the curse for her love for Sir Lancelot and died soon after. This poem, in my opinion, was extremely well written. It has a steady rhythm and it is recognisable from over poems through its unique rhyming pattern. Each verse consists of a syllable sequence of 88888887. This gives the poem an extra sense of stability and structure. This poem increases its appeal to readers through its very own and different rhyming scheme of AAAABCCCB (this means that the first four lines rhyme, the fifth and ninth line rhyme and the sixth, seventh and eighth line rhyme.) This choice brings the poem to life and sets the scene brilliantly. Tennyson, although The Lady of Shalott is a fantastic poem, must have encountered many difficulties in writing his poem according to his strict rhyming and syllable pattern. There are a few hiccups in the poem where this is noticeable e.g.; part 1 By the margin, willow-veil'd Slide the heavy barges trail'd By slow horses; and unhail'd ------------This only has seven syllables instead of eight The Shallop flitteth silken-sail'd This is a good example of how Tennyson tries to cover up his mistakes. The faulty line just does not roll off the tongue like all of the other lines. This is a type of poem which tells a story within a
Tennysons women are more engaging then his men. To what extent do you agree with this statement?
Tennyson’s women are more engaging then his men. To what extent do you agree with this statement? Whether Tennyson’s women are more engaging than his men relies on personal preference. The stories and background behind each female or male character differs in each poem. As the female and male characters vary throughout Tennyson’s collection of poems, it is difficult to justify whether women as a collection are more engaging since different characters contribute different levels of interest. To some extent I agree that Tennyson’s women are more engaging then his men. The female character of Marianna is particularly captivating and Tennyson uses different devices to entice the reader into the poem. The psychological landscape mirrors Marianna’s psychological decay as she awaits her lover. This is shown through images of deterioration of the physical environment, however as time progresses Marianna is stuck inside this separate sphere where her psychological state is immobile but her physical wellbeing is ageing. ‘…Weeded and worn the ancient thatch upon the lonely moated grange.’ This makes the reader feel inquisitive about Marianna and her dreaminess state. The use of imagery heightens the effect of the language and enthralls the reader to such an extent that they must continue reading the poem. In comparison to Sir Lancelot in the Lady of Shalott, his
Crossing the Bar contains the most powerful presentation of death in the anthology. To what extent do you agree? Discuss with reference to two other poems in the collection Tennyson question
Transfer-Encoding: chunked ‘Crossing the Bar’ contains the most powerful presentation of death in the anthology. To what extent do you agree? Discuss with reference to two other poems in the collection – Tennyson question Tennyson presents death in different ways in ‘Crossing the Bar’, ‘Break break break’ and ‘Morte D’Arthur’. Each presentation is powerful however; it is difficult to decide whether ‘Crossing the Bar’ contains the most powerful presentation because it depends on what type of death the reader finds the most significant. If it is the death of one’s own life, then ‘Crossing the Bar’ might seem more powerful because it is a representation of Tennyson’s complacency with his own death. But, if the death of a friend relates more to the reader’s personal experience, death in ‘Morte D’Arthur’ could be more meaningful and powerful. To some extent I do not agree that ‘Crossing the Bar’ contains the most powerful presentation of death in the anthology. Both ‘Crossing the Bar’ and ‘Break break break’ use imagery of the sea to convey different meanings. In ‘Crossing the Bar’, the sea represents the world the speaker will transgress into after death. ‘And may there be no moaning of the bar, when I put out to sea’. Tennyson uses the metaphor of the sandbar to describe the barrier between life and death. One
Summary of Mariana in the Moated Grange
Mariana Complete Text 'Mariana in the moated grange.'--Measure for Measure. With blackest moss the flower-plots Were thickly crusted, one and all: The rusted nails fell from the knots That held the pear to the gable-wall. The broken sheds look'd sad and strange: Unlifted was the clinking latch; Weeded and worn the ancient thatch Upon the lonely moated grange. She only said, 'My life is dreary, He cometh not,' she said; She said, 'I am aweary, aweary, I would that I were dead!' Her tears fell with the dews at even; Her tears fell ere the dews were dried; She could not look on the sweet heaven, Either at morn or eventide. After the flitting of the bats, When thickest dark did trance the sky, She drew her casement-curtain by, And glanced athwart the glooming flats. She only said, 'The night is dreary, He cometh not,' she said; She said, 'I am aweary, aweary, I would that I were dead!' Upon the middle of the night, Waking she heard the night-fowl crow: The cock sung out an hour ere light: From the dark fen the oxen's low Came to her: without hope of change, In sleep she seem'd to walk forlorn, Till cold winds woke the gray-eyed morn About the lonely moated grange. She only said, 'The day is dreary, He cometh not,' she said; She said, 'I am aweary, aweary, I would that I were dead!' About a stone-cast from
The Lady of Shallot - Our task was to choose a poem from an anthology we were given and to perform it in groups. We could use drama or music to go with it, or we could use both, we could also use props if we thought it would suit it.
The Lady of Shallot Our task was to choose a poem from an anthology we were given and to perform it in groups. We could use drama or music to go with it, or we could use both, we could also use props if we thought it would suit it. In our group there were three of us and we chose to do a poem called The Lady of Shallot by Lord Tennyson. The Lady of Shallot has five parts but in my group we decided to perform only one part as it would take too long to perform it all. The first part which we choose to do sets the scene. The poem then goes on to talk about the lady of shallot and how there is a curse is upon her but she doesn't know what it is, so she carries on life as normal until a mirror cracks. She then knows the curse is upon her, she goes down to the river and finds an abandoned boat under a willow tree. She lies down in it and floats down to Camelot where the people there hear her sing her last mournful song and then she dies. It was a sad poem so we choose to wear dark colours, one of the members of our group dressed up as the Lady of Shallot, she wore a black dress and black hat. We chose some music that sounded like a river flowing along to play in the background. I liked the poem we chose to do and I thought we performed it quite well. We had all learnt our lines and none of us forgot them. The poem was written by Alfred Lord Tennyson. Lord Tennyson was born in
How does Tenyson describe the eagle?
How does Tenyson describe the eagle? In verse 1, line 1 he describes the eagle as being harsh, violent and rough by using alliteration in the words 'clasps', 'crag', and 'crooked'. He uses onomatopoeia also in these words to get over the violentness of the bird and also its rough environment. When using the phrase 'crooked hands' Tenyson is describing how the shape of the claws are crooked but when he used the word 'hands' instead of claws this is implying the eagle has god like qualities. The phrase 'close to the sun' has connotations of the bird being god-like (because some religions worship the sun like a god). The sun also has connotations of energy and strength implying the bird has these qualities. The phrase could also be saying that the bird flies high up, above everyone else, furthering the idea of the bird being god like. The remainder of line 2 'in lonely lands' gives the reader a feeling that the bird is a solitary creature, the only one, with no one above him in status. In line 3 the author describes the 'azure' (blue) world that surrounds the eagle. This is the big blue sky and the vast mass of sea that is around the eagle. 'Ring'd with the azure world, he stands.' When the author says 'he stands' at the end of the line he is putting the idea across that the Eagle is much more than just a bird, he is standing tall in the centre of his world as if her is in
'The Lotus Eaters' by Tennyson
Compare the first ("'Courage!' he said, and pointed towards the land") and last line ("Oh rest ye, brother mariners, we will not wander more.") and decide which attitude typified imperial England in 1833. Is the poem forward or backward looking? The first line of the poem "'Courage!' he said, and pointed towards the land," is indeed typical of imperial England and looks forward in many respects. It looks forward as if going into battle. Soldiers of imperial England would have been proud to go into battle. Yet courage can also lead to pride which is a theme running through much of Tennyson's work predicting the fall of the British Empire. In contrast the last line of the poem "Oh rest ye, brother mariners, we will not wander more," is contradictory to the statement of typical imperial England. In 1833 the British Empire was at its height with new discoveries everyday. Metaphorically though, this last line of the poem represents an end to exploration. This line is saying the growth of England is stunted and will not move forward. However, it could be conceived as forward looking but in a negative light because it could be seen as a prediction of the fall of the British Empire. The whole poem is a metaphor for the British Empire. Throughout there are tired words and phrases such as "languid," "weary dream" and "slumberous." These slow words demonstrate a state of paralysis,
Look again at Ulysses and write about Tennysons narrative techniques
A: Look again at "Ulysses" and write about Tennyson's narrative techniques In "Ulysses", Tennyson presents the characteristics and attitudes of the eponymous central character through the dynamic form of the dramatic monologue. Through an adroit blending of literary techniques including those of structure, form and language, he seeks to clarify much of the mystique behind the mythological background of Ulysses, and reveal his persona of desire and heroism, alongside his undesirable traits of contemptuousness and hubristic pride. Throughout the poem, its form and structure allow Tennyson to reveal the character of Ulysses as he wishes him to be portrayed. "Ulysses" takes the form of the dramatic monologue, with Tennyson adapting the persona of his mythical character and using this form to reveal Ulysses' character through his own words. This choice of form, combined with the structural use of unrhymed iambic pentameter, or blank verse, allows the poem to adopt a rhythm that is one of the closest imitators of human speech in verse. This makes the words that Tennyson, writes and Ulysses "speaks" take on a much more personal tone and a deeper meaning, fully disclosing his character and attitude in a way that a more artificial and structured form, for example the Spenserian, simply could not achieve. This effect is added to the by the extensive and contrasted uses of enjambment
Lord Alfred Tennyson.
Lord Alfred Tennyson He was born on the 5th august, 1809 at Somersby in Lincolnshire. He was the fourth of the twelve children in his family. His father was George Clayton Tennyson, a clergyman and rector, suffering from depression and was notoriously inattentive. His mother, Elizabeth, had a genious merely for moral excellence and for religon, and it is presumed that Tennyson's genius derived from her. Alfred begins write poetry at an early age, in the style of Lord Byron. After four unhappy years in school, he was taught by his father. While he was only 12 years old, he composed a 6000line epic poem, and he wrote many more great poems throught his teens. He then attends Trinity College at Cambridge, where he joined the literary club "The Apostles" and met Arthur Hallam, who became his closest friend. He published "Poems by two brothers" with his brother, Frederik, in the same year. He wins Chancellor's Prize Medal with his poem "Timbuctoo" in 1829 (20 years old), and publishes "Poems, Chiefly Lyrical" the following year. However, his next book, "Poems" in 1833 receives unfavourable reviews and he refrained from publishing another book for nearly ten years. Hallam dies that year so suddenly in Vienna and Tennyson began to write "In Memoriam" as an elegy for his lost friend, and this took seventeen years to complete. "The Lady of Shalott", "The Lotus-eaters" "Morte
"What are the poetic skills Tennyson uses in his narrative poems?"
"What are the poetic skills Tennyson uses in his narrative poems?" To finally come to a conclusion on this question we will be referring to 3 narrative poems which are, 'The Lady of Shalott', 'The Charge of the Light Brigade' and 'Mariana.' A narrative poem is a poem that tells a story such as 'Mariana' which tells us a story of a girl who is waiting for her lover who would not return to her. The poetic skills that can be used in such poems are techniques such as description, use of mood and atmosphere, use of words, structure (stanzas, rhythm, rhyme scheme) and style (repetition, imagery, personification, alliteration, onomatopoeia, metaphor, contrast, simile), also narrative skills, e.g. suspense and tension (created within the story). In 'The Lady of Shalott', Tennyson divides the poem into 4 parts. The first part (part 1) sets the scene and consists of 4 stanzas. The second part (part 2) also consists of 4 stanzas. In this part we are inside the tower and we meet the lady, we also learn the she has a curse on her and that she must not look out of the window. In part 3 there are 5 stanzas. Here Sir Lancelot is introduced riding and singing on his way to Camelot. The lady can not resist and goes to look at him. The curse is broken and it is upon her, "'The curse is come upon me,' cried The lady of Shalott" (part 3 stanza 5 lines 8-9) Part 4 is the climax to the story
