English Notes: Tennyson Summaries

Here are my 'summaries' for the 6 Tennyson poems that we get in the exam. I actually quite like Tennyson's stuff, and I think the summaries are decently interesting to write, but whatever. Oh, and by 'summary' I mean just the 'intro' paragraph where you're meant to give a brief overview and then purpose or insight or whatever. As usual, disclaimer; I'm just a kid so all of these could be totally wrong, and most of them are pretty clumsily written - you can probably do a far better job than I've done. Anyway, people ask me for these a lot of the time, and they were all over the shop in my folder, so this is a much easier way to structure them.

- Tithonus:
Tennyson explores ideas of envy and insubstantiality that result from being exempt from natural cycles, through the story of Tithonus, plagued by regret and pathetic powerlessness, after receiving immortality but not eternal youth. Perhaps delivering the message to 'be careful what you wish for'? 

- Mariana:
Tennyson's 'Mariana' examines the story of a woman, a victim of circumstance, forsaken by her lover and doomed to remain in a timeless cycle of longing and despair while the world continues to move on without her. Through this Tennyson explores the unrelenting grip of depression and helplessness, while also alluding to the role personal inaction and dependency plays in a 'victim's' psychological entrapment.

- Godiva:
In the poem 'Godiva', Tennyson tells the story of a town, Coventry, that is buckling under the strict rule of a 'grim Earl' and his taxes - only to be saved when his wife, the eponymous Godiva, trades her modesty for the townsfolk's salvation. In an ultimate selfless act she rides naked through the town, and through this poem Tennyson explores ideas of female independence, pride, and status, while perhaps also offering a criticism of modern day sanctimony, hypocrisy, and inaction.

- The Lady of Shalott
In 'The Lady of Shalott' Tennyson examines the story of a woman, tragically cursed to remain insubstantial and isolated, who attempts to seek freedom at the expense of her life. Through this Tennyson explores the familiarity, and even comfort, of oppression, and the dangers that independence and a quest for identity can bring.

- Ulysses
In 'Ulysses', Tennyson tells the story of the king of Ithaca, who returns after twenty years of fighting and journeying home, only to find his new self and old island are not compatible. Tennyson explores ideas of the monotony and insipid languor of a life spent existing rather than living, and the pursuit of adventure and excitement by discarding social responsibilities.

- The Lotos-eaters and Choric song
In 'The Lotos-eaters and Choric song' Tennyson explores ideas of the futility and endless toil of life, through the longing of Ulysses' mariners to forsake their strife-filled adventures and remain in permanent rest on the magical lotus-eaters' isle. Tennyson examines both the appeal of escapism, and its potential as a poisoned chalice; seemingly both glorifying and criticising those who long for the 'safety' of nonchalance and relief from reality.