INTRODUCTION:
Alfred Lord Tennyson and Robert
Browning are the two most outstanding poets of the Victorian English
literature. Tennyson, the poet laureate is also hailed as the representative
poet of the 19th century England. 'Morted' De Arthur', 'Ulysses',
‘The Princess’ and ‘In Memoriam’ are some of the major poetical works of
Tennyson.
ABOUT THE POEM ‘IN MEMORIAM’:
The full title of the poem is ‘IN MEMORIAM A. H. H. OBIIT MDCCCXXXIII’. (An Obituary
in the Memory of Arthur Henry Hallam 1833) It is a long poem written by
Tennyson in memory of his dear friend Arthur Henry Hallam, who died suddenly at
a young age of 22. The poem is comprised of 133 cantos, prologue and an
epilogue. The poem was written over a period of 17 years, from 1833 to 1850 and
was published in 1850. It is written in elegiac stanzas of four lines with the
rhyming scheme of ABBA.
THEMES OF ‘IN MEMORIAM’:
The poem explores a wide range of
themes, including grief and mourning, love and friendship, faith and doubt, and
the nature of mortality.
1.
Grief And Mourning:
One of the central themes of the poem
is grief and mourning. Tennyson expresses his profound sense of loss and
sadness over Hallam's death, which occurred when he was just 22 years old.
Throughout the poem, Tennyson deals with the pain of this loss and his own
feelings of emptiness and despair. He describes the experience of grief as a
kind of darkness, a sense of being lost and alone in a world that has been
forever changed by Hallam's absence. Mark these lines of Tennyson which express
his sense of loss of a true friend.
“But I remain'd, whose
hopes were dim,
Whose life, whose thoughts were little worth,
To wander on a darken'd earth,
Where all things round me breathed of him.”
2.
Love And Friendship:
Another important theme of the poem
is love and friendship. Tennyson's relationship with Hallam was a deeply
significant one, and their friendship is a central focus of the poem. Tennyson echoes
on the joys and challenges of their relationship, the memories they shared, and
the depth of feeling he had for his friend. He also explores the ways in which
their friendship was tested and challenged over time, and how he struggled to
come to terms with Hallam's death. Tennyson remembers and misses his friend at
every now and then. He writes:
“So word by word, and line by line,
The dead man touch'd me from the past,
And all at once it seem'd at last
The living soul was flash'd on mine”
3.
Faith and Doubt:
The poem also explores themes of
faith and doubt. Tennyson was deeply religious, and his faith was an important
part of his life. However, Hallam's death challenged his beliefs and caused him
to question the nature of God and the afterlife. The poet considers nature or
God as a cruel agent and writes, “Nature, red in tooth
and claw.” Throughout the poem, Tennyson raises these questions and
considers the possibility of a world without meaning or purpose.
Finally, ‘In Memoriam A.H.H.’
explores the theme of mortality. Tennyson confronts the inevitability of death
and the impermanence of life, recognizing that all things must come to an end.
He considers the fleeting nature of human existence and the ways in which we
must all face our own mortality. However, he also finds hope and comfort in the
idea that life continues in some form beyond death, and that love and
friendship can endure even in the face of loss.
“My own dim life should teach me this,
That life shall live for evermore,
Else earth is darkness at the core,
And dust and ashes all that is”
CONCLUSION:
Overall, ‘In Memoriam A.H.H.’ is a powerful and moving
exploration of some of the most profound themes in human experience. Tennyson's
elegy is a testament to the enduring power of love and friendship, the
complexities of faith and doubt, and the inescapable reality of mortality.
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