Professor: Frances Torres
Class: INGL3222
University: University of Puerto Rico, Ponce Campus
Famous and loved all
around the world, his presence in literature renewed the knight legends and the
Christian morals to all society at the time of its remerging; King Arthur is
indeed the greatest ruler ever created by the human mind. So it is said he
existed, other say he did not, although most of those scholars believe the
tales were inspired by some certain event or a certain warrior, later to be
glorified as a perfect human who would bring peace, pride and glory to his
kingdom and all England. The Arthurian times were said to be the purest state
the people of Camelot had. Arthur had created a kingdom where the Christian god
had blessed by their extraordinary behavior, their control of lust and other
sins, and their kindness and unity. It is only when adultery is committed by
Guinevere-Arthur’s wife- and Lancelot-Arthur’s most trusted knight and friend-
that the kingdom faces many obstacles and complications. Slowly throughout the
stories, Camelot starts losing everything it stand for. Arthur faces many
losses, from his knights leaving or disappearing from the Round Table to his
nephew (and possible child from an incest relationship with his half-sister),
Mordred trying to take over the throne and leading into a battle where Arthur
becomes severely injured and was probably, his cause of death.
Alfred Tennyson, English
writer, had found inspiration to renew the King Arthur legend after
experiencing severe critics from his early jobs, a constant family worry situation
and the loss of his best friend, Arthur Hallam. Tennyson emerges from the ashes
and becomes one of the greatest writers in literature, finding inspiration in
his problems but also in his perseverance to triumph over his worries and
obstacles. It is then when Arthur, the Round Table and beloved Camelot, burst
out all over again in the late 1800s after their fame in the 1100s. The people
become euphoric with their returns and Tennyson’s Arthur becomes a role model
for his and future generations.
Sir
Alfred Tennyson
He was born on August 6th,
1809 in Somersby, Lincolnshire, England. Tennyson was the fourth child out of
twelve from a mentally and economically unstable family. Several men from his
bloodline were famous for suffering of epilepsy; his father, who was a rector,
didn’t make it better with the alcoholism and violent behavior and his older
brother, Edward, was institutionalized in a mental asylum, where he died.
Tennyson himself would suffer from depression later on in his life.
In 1827, he reaches his
prime education at Trinity College following two of his older brothers and
becoming well-known for their poetry. They gained popularity quickly and a year
later, Tennyson wins the Chancellor's Gold Medal. By his third year in college,
he joins The Apostles poetry club, a fine group of minds set to make a
difference and to be remembered throughout history. Some of Tennyson’s
companions were Arthur Henry Hallam, James Spedding, Edward Lushington and
Richard Monckton Milnes. They will eventually be placed in the Dictionary of National Biography. At the tender age of 20, he
wrote “Mariana”, a tale of a loveless woman who doesn’t feel the push to keep
on living without the man who left her, she later on commits suicide. This poem
placed Tennyson in a high place, receiving huge praises.
His friendship with
Arthur Hallam was one of his most important sources of inspiration. Since they
met in college, they created strong bonds with each other since then and
eventually they became inseparable. Hallam became engaged to Emily Tennyson, Alfred’s
sister, and the two men were looking forward to a long and productive
companionship. It was at the age of 22 that Hallam made an early departure from
the living when he died of cerebral hemorrhage while being away from Tennyson,
who was 23 by this time. His grief to this lost friend was extremely tragic for
the young poet, and with the harsh and negative critics of his newly publicized
work at the time- “Poems”1832- Tennyson couldn’t handle so much pain and didn’t
published and disappeared from poetry for almost a whole decade. Little did he
knew, his best friend’s passing was one of the most tragic moments for Tennyson,
but it also became one of his primary
reasons to write some of his best works.
His mental health
started declining as well as his economy. He was forced to end his engagement
with Emily Sellwood, who ended marrying her later on and having two children:
Hallam(who he named after his deceased friend) and Lionel. He pushes himself to
go back to the poetry and its publishing and bring to the public another volume
of “Poems” in 1842, this time receiving the positive reviews and the fame he most
wanted. It is in this period of time where his work is at its finest and
Hallam’s memory is what pushed the ideas for such works as “Locksley Hall”,
“Tithonus”, and “Ulysses”. In 850, he publishes “In Memoriam A.H.H.” where
Tennyson talks about the loss of his friend and dedicates the poem to Hallam
himself. It is one of the most memorable works of Tennyson. That same year, he
was appointed Poet Laureate, a huge honor for any poet, which he held for the
rest of his life. Tennyson became the most popular poet of the Victorian Era.
At 1853, Prince Albert,
Queen Victoria’s husband, arrived at the Tennyson’s house unannounced one day
and helped him solidify his position as national poet. He dedicated “The Idylls
of the King” to his memory later on. He wrote “The charge of the Light Brigade”
in 1855, it was inspired by the charge of British cavalry who held the same
name and raged against the Russians during the Battle of Balaclava in the
Crimean War. One of his greatest works and kept rising up the chart. The famous
“Idylls of the King” are a compilation of poems dedicated to revive King Arthur
and his legend and were written from 1833 to 1874. These were inspired, besides
the goal of resuscitating the Christian values on society, in Hallam’s figure
as well. In 1884, Queen Victoria, also a huge fan of Tennyson’s work, summoned
him to court and entitled him as “Lord” after the poet refused the name several
times and the royal highness was insisting for him to take. Since then, he is
known as Lord Tennyson or 1st Baron Tennyson. He continued to write
until his death at the age of 83 on October 6th 1892 and it is still
an acclaimed artist whose grief and depression led him to the greatest victory
a human can have, immortality.
Tennyson’s “Idylls of the King”: The
coming of Arthur
The story opens with
King Leodogran, ruler of Cameliard explaining he only has one daughter,
Guinevere. She’s the most beautiful of all women and he loves her dearly. It is
later explained that England was divided into different clans of people and
each had their royalty and leaders. They would constantly fight each other a
lot, which led Leodogran to wish for the Romans to still have control on the
lands, for there was order. King Aurelius and Uther from Camelot had tried to
unify the lands with no avail before passing away. Later came Arthur and
reunited the English kingdom and he was going to rule the lands with the help
of his Round Table, a group of trustworthy and skilled knights, who lived pure
under the laws of God.
It is told that after
these events, Arthur is pronounced King despite the many protests against him
for he was not considered royalty nor proved his origins. It is then when Leodogran seeks for his help,
for his kingdom is a wasteland constantly attacked by other British kings. Arthur
arrives at Chameliard to start his aid when he sees Guinevere and falls in love
with her. He plans to ask her hand in marriage. Arthur and his troops defeat
the enemy kingdoms of Chameliard and celebrate the victory. He and Lancelot,
his most trusted and loving knight, swear loyalty to each other and create a
stronger bond between them. Afterwards, he asks for Guinevere’s hand in
marriage; but King Leodogran has doubts of his royalty, so he asks Arthur’s
messengers to clear him out of doubt.
It is revealed to him
that Arthur is the secret heir of Uther, who he never met because he died before
Ygerne gave birth. He was sent to be taken care by Merlin, to protect him from
rivals to the throne. He was raised by Sir Anton, who acted as if Arthur was
his own. This is what started the doubts and rumors in the kingdom, but in the
end, thanks to Merlin, he was accepted as king. Leodogran still has doubts
about Arthur’s origins, so he asks Bellicent of Orkney -daughter of Ygerne and
her first husband, Gorlois- and her sons, Gawain and Modred. She cannot confirm
the story because she doesn’t have much knowledge about it. Leodogran still
doesn’t know if to grant permission, until he has a dream that convinces him to
agree.
Lancelot and some other
knights are sent to escort Guinevere. She and Arthur get married and a huge
celebration it is made. The knights feast in honor of their king and his
happiness. Later on, he fights the Romans after denying paying envoys; he wins
the battle and continues to work on his kingdom.
Tennyson’s
“Idylls of the King”: Lancelot and Elaine
The story opens with Elaine, the
lily maid of Astolat, sitting in her chamber where she watches over the shield
of Sir Lancelot from rust or other harm; she even made a silk cover for it. She
daydreams of the story the shield has and how amusing she finds this knight and
wishes for him to return safe and become something more to him. It is a mystery
to how the shield ended in the hands of this lady who didn’t know his name. It
is then when we are told that some time ago the shield was left in her care
when Lancelot left to take part in a tournament at which the king was to give a
valuable diamond to the winner. These jewel belonged to a set of nine that
Arthur possessed and gave away one every year he held the tournament. Lancelot
had collected eight of them from his wins of every tournament and was planning
on collecting all nine and give them to the woman he loved, Guinevere, Arthur’s
wife, as a gift.
The court was moving from London
to Camelot for the great event and Guinevere wasn’t going to assist the
tournament due to her recovering from a severe illness and asked to stay
behind. When Lancelot noticed she was going to be absent, claims to Arthur that
one of his old wounds was bothering him, the king approves his excuse and he is
left in London as well. When they were able to meet, Guinevere began to
complain at Lancelot for putting at risk their reputations with his suspicious
leave to stay at London. He was annoyed at her reaction, both from disappointment
and resentment from lying in vain. She then suggests to Lancelot to compete in
the tournament to avoid suspicion. Lancelot had to find a good excuse to
returning to the event after lying to stay over at London, so he agrees to
Guinevere’s plan, enter disguised. That way he could win the last gem and save
his knightly reputation.
Lancelot rides off and makes a
stop at the castle of Astolat. He never identified himself, but was well
received by the lord and his sons Sir Torre and Sir Lavaine, and his daughter,
Elaine. The look of royal warrior was enough to convince the lord and his
children that Lancelot was a trustworthy person. It is then when the innocent
young Elaine became attracted to the knight, he never responded back but he was
kind to her, which was enough to give her hope, misunderstanding his approach
and his interest in telling her the account of battle and the scars of his
shield.
The next morning, Lancelot
borrowed an old shield and left his own in Elaine's, she then proceeded to ask
him to wear her favor on his helmet, Lancelot had never honored any woman this
way before, but he agreed when she convinced him that it would help with his
disguise. He left the castle of Astolat in the company of Elaine’s brother and
revealed his identity to them, Elaine, however, stayed with this curiosity. At
the tournament, no one recognized Lancelot, but he climbed to the top
surprising the crowd and knights with his mysterious identity and skills. He
later angered his own friends for they thought that he was a stranger trying to
surpass their dear Lancelot and his reputation, in the end, they outraged and
attacked him, leaving Lancelot wounded and in a bad shape. Despite his wound,
he won the tournament, but left abruptly without taking his prize, for he was
too wounded and needed help. He leaves with Lavaine to a shack where they treat
the wounds.
Meanwhile, Arthur assigned Sir
Gawain to find the unknown knight in order to award him the diamond. The queen
was told about the events and she tells Arthur the knight was Lancelot. She
learns about the lady's favor in his Lancelot’s helmet and becomes jealous and
suspicious. Gawain stops at Astolat, and after conversing with Elaine, he
identifies the shield as Lancelot’s and gives her the jewel for her to keep and
give to him when he comes back for his shield. Gawain becomes the gossip engine
spreading tales about a romance between Elaine and Lancelot, hurting Guinevere
even more. Elaine and her older brother
set out to find Lancelot and their sibling after knowing of his wound, they
find them a little while afterwards with the knight’s wound infected and his
life close to end.
Elaine is able to nurse Lancelot
back to health with dreams and hopes of a responded love from him. But after
recovering and returning to get his shield and jewel, he admits his feelings
are only those of a friend or a sister towards her, even with his kindness to
her, she gets heartbroken and ill with no hopes for a happy living. Some days
later, Lancelot is able to talk to Guinevere and presents her with the jewels
as gift; she accuses him of cheating on her and throws the diamonds to the
river. While looking at the place where the gems fell and notices a floating
body, he and others appear at the scene to find it was Elaine’s body with a
suicide note saying how much her love was for him and she couldn’t stand living
without him anymore. Everyone is touched by the letter and Arthur, after
knowing the whole story, helps with the burial.
Later, Arthur asks Lancelot why
he didn’t accept her loving company, since he is always alone, and even though
Lancelot is unhappy, he cannot answer to Arthur’s curiosity. Guinevere forgives
Lancelot but he never feels satisfy, he then proceeds to wander around and
think about his life and his infidelity to Arthur.
Tennyson’s
writing style and meaning
Tennyson has a précised
rhythm in his poems; the Idylls are not the exception to his rule. We can find
the alliteration and assonance that also describe his writing style and became
his signature. In the Idylls, we see the glorification of England, it is more
than noticeable the pride Tennyson had for being English and the legend of
Arthur was going to bring back the pride of the glorious moments the country
had in it Medieval Era. King Arthur was a great role model for every knight,
conqueror and ruler holding to the expectations of purity and high skills to be
in the same level of a character people still debate whether if it was real or
not. It is obvious that Arthur Hallam’s memory attacks the writer again when
Tennyson decides he should revive the legend of a man who is so loved by the
culture. Adding to this that King Arthur’s name is the same as Hallam’s,
Tennyson glorifies his friend’s name in the highest state he could. The Idyll
called “The Passing of Arthur” was also dedicated to Hallam. Tennyson’s Arthur
tend to give the scholars the impression that the King resembles the tale of
Jesus, the Christian savior who sacrifices himself for those he loved, humanity,
and it is said he came back to life and will take his throne upon the mortals
when the time is right. And so it happens to Arthur after his fight with
Mordred. He becomes deadly wounded, after defeating and killing his enemy and
he was helped out with no answer to whether he died or kept on living. Some say
he survived and is just waiting in the shadows to take his rightful throne
again when the time is right. Camelot and its people were who forbid the
promiscuous lust and held high the morals of the bible, when the kingdom was
stroke with sin- Guinevere’s and Lancelot’s adultery- the whole kingdom started
to crumble down, for the pure state of the human and its obedience to God’s
rules were the things that kept Camelot and its glory undefeatable. Therefore,
the purity disappeared and chaos took over, vanishing from the kingdom its most
fierce-some warrior who did not deserve such response. The weak and imprisoned
women are a strong symbol presented in Tennyson’s jobs.
In this case, Guinevere
was the woman committing adultery and, therefore, the cause of the kingdom’s
doom. Elaine is another example of Tennyson’s symbol, she couldn’t keep on
living without the love of Lancelot, a man she only knew a few days and only
his name and tales were considered valid for her feelings. This concept was
presented in earlier works like “Mariana” with almost the same story. The women
are the sensitivity of humans.
The glory of Arthur
lives on and will always be considered a role model to those in our past,
present and future. Alfred Tennyson reinforced the legends to be loved for
generations to come.
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