Tennyson as a Victorian Poet
Alfred, Lord Tennyson as a Victorian poet was the representative poet of his age and was the most widely read of all the English poets.
The Victorian era was marked by numerous innovations and discoveries. The tension between religion and science significantly motivated people to pursue new knowledge. The era was characterized by an insatiable thirst for understanding, a desire to explore the unknown, and to witness the unseen. Odysseus in “The Lotos-Eaters” symbolizes the typical Victorian enthusiasm for achieving the impossible and the infinite. He is not inclined to remain in a state of inactivity with his soldiers.
The period is renowned for its intellectual enrichment, imperial expansion, and economic growth. This era was imbued with a dynamic spirit and a zest for activity. Tennyson’s famous poem “Ulysses” reflects the relentless spirit of the Victorian society. In the poem, Ulysses reflects on his twenty years of battles and adventures, acknowledging that despite his vast experiences, his quest for knowledge remains unfulfilled. He remarks on the dullness of inactivity and the need to remain purposeful, expressing his Victorian drive with the words:
“How dull it is to pause, to make an end,
“To rust unfurnished, not to shine in use!”
His Victorian essence is evident when he declares his ongoing ambition even in old age:
“To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.”
However, the Victorian period was also tinged with pessimism and frustration. People of the age felt worn out by their never ending race against time and longed for a life of settled order, stability and peace. This sentiment is evident in Tennyson’s “The Lotos-Eaters” where sailors, upon reaching the serene lotus island, decide to abandon their journey and live in perpetual tranquility. They voice their weariness with their previous laborious life:
“Hateful is the dark-blue sky,
Vaulted o’er the dark-blue sea,
Death is the end of life; ah, why
Should life all labour be?”
The Victorian era faced numerous unresolved conflicts and issues. People preferred a peaceful approach, often opting for compromise to maintain a sense of equanimity and calm. Tennyson, as the representative poet of the era, captured this spirit of compromise more than his peers. Politically, Tennyson held moderate views, balancing between democracy and aristocracy, advocating for gradual progress rather than revolution. He articulated the necessity of change in “Morte d’Arthur”:
“The old order changeth, yielding place to new
And God fulfils Himself in many ways
Lest one good custom should corrupt the world.”
Regarding sexuality, Victorians sought a balance between previous ages’ excesses and a complete denial of natural functions. They allowed sexual expression within the confines conjugal felicity and happy married life. Tennyson reflected this in his love poems, highlighting true love within marriage. In “The Lady of Shalott,” the presence of ‘two young lovers’ walking together in the moonlight is immediately followed by the reassurance that they were recently married.
Despite scientific advancements during the Victorian age, faith in religion, God, and the soul remained strong. Victorians tried to reconcile science with religion, a theme Tennyson explored. In “The Higher Pantheism,” he accepts scientific conclusions but rejects the materialistic views of later 19th-century science:
“God in law, say the wise; O Soul, and let us rejoice,
For if He thunder by law the thunder is yet his voice
Law is God, say some; no God at all, say the fool:
For all we have power to see is a straight staff bent in a pool.”
In “In Memoriam,” Tennyson stresses maintaining faith despite scientific discoveries:
“Strong Son of God, immortal Love
Whom we, that have not seen thy face,
By faith, and faith alone, embrace
Believing where we cannot prove.”
Tennyson also addressed social and political issues of his time. The Victorians considered women inferior to men, a belief reflected in Tennyson’s “Locksley Hall”:
“Woman is the lesser man and all the passions, match’d with mine
Are as moonlight unto sunlight, and as water unto wine-”
In “Locksley Hall,” Tennyson critiques societal vanity, materialism, and artificiality. The speaker’s frustration with social norms is evident when his love for his cousin Amy is thwarted by her parents due to his lack of wealth and status. He condemns this social snobbery:
“Cursed be the social wants that sin against the strength of youth!
Cursed be the social lies that warp us from the living truth!
Cursed be the sickly form that errs from honest Nature’s rule!
Cursed be the gold that gilds the straitened forehead of the fool!”
In “The Charge of the Light Brigade,” Tennyson supports a controversial military decision during the Crimean War, showing his engagement with contemporary issues and his commitment to societal reform.
Tennyson is seen not merely as an individual poet but as a representative of the Victorian era, reflecting its diverse elements harmoniously. His poetry serves as a mirror to the Victorian generation, similar to how Spenser represented the Elizabethan court, Milton the Protectorate, and Pope the reign of Queen Anne.
Conclusion
These core aspects of Victorian thought, including elements like militant patriotism and colonialism, justify Tennyson’s status as a representative Victorian. His significance as a poet lies in his embodiment of the era’s intellectual and political tendencies, making him an essential figure for future historians studying the Victorian period.
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