Analysis and Significance of Lord Tennyson’s "Morte D' Arthur"

Lord Tennyson's "Morte d'Arthur" narrates a medieval story, but it also has significant psychological and allegorical meaning. It tells us that obedience and discipline are necessary to maintain the social fabric, and that war and disorder result from faithlessness, treachery, or disobedience. However, such social change should not cause despair, as change is the law of nature. The "old order" always gives way to the new.

The setting of the story is medieval , and the medieval atmosphere has been created with great art and skill Reference to the knights of the Round Tables and to tournaments in which Arthur fought lance in hand , bring out the chivalry and heroism of the middle ages . The super-naturalism and mystery of these remote ages , their belief in magic and witchcraft , is seen is the magic sword of King Arthur , and the mystic hand which rises out of the lake at his death to take it away . As J.B Steane points out in the poem we have , “ all the medieval wardrobe and scenery ; the armed heels , the ‘ white samite , mysilie , wonderful , ‘ the brand Excalibur , etc".

But all this medieval paraphernalia only constitutes the background; the drama that is enacted against this background is essentially Victorian and modern. The modern element in the poem is seen in the mental conflict that goes on within the mind of Sir Bedivere. He is torn between his loyalty to his king and his desire to keep back the magnificent and precious sword. It is only after a prolonged struggle that he is able to overcome the temptation.

The poem contains a modern element, which is reflected in the symbolic and allegorical meaning attributed to the story. One critic suggests that King Arthur represents "the son at war with the senses," symbolizing the struggle of man towards a higher, more ideal way of living. He represents the aspiration of the human spirit towards perfection in modern life. The mystic Lady of the Lake is seen as a representation of the church or religion, while Excalibur represents the spiritual aspect of the human being. The poem expresses the conflict between the physical and the spiritual, the temporal and the eternal, and the struggle for human perfection:

          "The old order changeth , yielding place to new

          And God fulfib Himself is may ways .

          Last one good custom should compt the world “

          More things are wronght by prayer ,

         Than the world dream of ."

Lord Tennyson

The poem illustrates the truth that change is the law of nature, for without it even good customs can become outdated. Change is necessary for progress and orderly evolution. The purity of the family is also essential for human growth and progress. When there is sin and correction in the family, discord shakes the social fabric, and destruction is the result. Thus, the illicit love of Guinevere and Lancelot and the betrayal of Mordred result in the dissolution of the society of the Knights of the Round Table and the death of Arthur.

According to W. Bagehot, "Morte d'Arthur" presents a contrast and conflict between two types of character: the sensuous and the ascetic. This conflict is universal and is as much modern and Victorian as it is medieval. The poem portrays two kinds of goodness that have long been contrasted in the world: the ascetic and the sensuous. The sensuous character is tempted by every stimulus and exposed to every passion, while the ascetic character is repelled from the ordinary pleasure of the world and feels a warning instinct against them. The fate of the ascetic character is to be absorbed in a somewhat chill ideal, while the sensuous character purchases a fascinating richness of earthly experience by a number of grave errors. The character of Arthur, absorbed in the ideal conception of a chivalrous monarchy, is the very type of the highest abstract or ascetic character, while Lancelot, the great knight of many exploits and full-lipped enjoyment, is the type of the sensuous and sensitive.

What We Have Learned ?

• Based on the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
• Divided into twelve parts
• Explores themes of loyalty, honor, and death
• Arthur's final battle with Mordred is central to the poem
• Ends with Arthur being taken to Avalon by the Lady of the Lake.

 

#Short Questions on Geoffrey Chaucer and Sir Thomas Malory

        Ardhendu De

Ref: 

1.Tennyson, Evans Brothers (London), 1966, Arco (New York, NY), 1969.

2. History of English Literature- Albert, 

3. The Concise Cambridge History of English Literature

4. Microsoft Students’ Encarta