The Lotos-eaters by Alfred Lord Tennyson

Table of Contents

Introduction

The Lotos-eaters by Alfred Lord Tennyson is a famous poem of the Victorian period. It was first released in his poetry collection in 1832. It was inspired by a trip he took to Spain with his good friend Arthur Hallam where they saw the Pyrenees mountains. The Victorian crisis is aptly presented in the poem.

It is also said that the poet found inspiration from Homer’s Odyssey and wrote this poem.

About Author Alfred Lord Tennyson

The author of this poem Alfred Tennyson is one of the greatest Victorian poets in English Literature. He is called the representative of the Victorian age because he shows all the Victorian trends in his poetry. Lack of passion and emotion, ideological Conflict, technological advancement, religious controversies, materialism, industrialism, and an unquenchable thirst for knowledge are the main trends of the period.

Tennyson also wrote a lot of literary works such as “Break, Break, Break”, “The Charge of the Light Brigade”, and “Crossing the Bar”. Much of his verse was based on classical mythological themes, such as “Ulysses”. “In Memoriam A.H.H.” was written to commemorate his friend Arthur Hallam, a fellow poet and student at Trinity College, Cambridge, after he died of a stroke at the age of 22.

Structure of the Poem

The poem is divided into two parts. The poem’s first and second half are structured differently. The first half of the poem is broken into five nine-line stanzas. Spenserian stanzas are nine-line

stanzas named after Spenser’s usage of them in Faerie Queen. The rhyme scheme is continuous throughout, following the ABABBCBCC pattern. Moreover, with the exception of the last line of each stanza, each line follows the same meter pattern. The first eight lines are written in iambic pentameter, while The ninth is made up of six iambic feet, which is known as an “alexandrine.”

The poem’s structure in the second half is much more spontaneous. There is no rhyming scheme. Each portion has its own topic and rhyming system, just as each section has its own theme.

Summary & Analysis of the Poem

The first part of the poem

After a long trip, Ulysses and his crew ended up in the strange land of the Lotos-Eaters. It was an island where sad people who ate Lotos lived. The land always looked like it was afternoon, and everything looked the same. Around the coast, a dreamy aura was always present. Innumerable streams descended on the valley like wreaths of smoke, under an unenergetic moon. Slowly but surely, the sun appeared to be lowering toward the west.

“Courage!” he said, and pointed toward the land, “This mounting wave will roll us shoreward soon.”

The Lotos-eaters gathered around the ship of Ulysses as the light faded. To commemorate them, they held branches in their hands that were filled with fruits and flowers from the mystical lotteries. They were so charming and nice that they tempted the sailors. Some of them, like the sailors who had tried the Lotos, became lazy and dreamy, and they fell asleep.

They disembarked from their ships and took a seat on the seashore’s yellow sand. The moon was rising at the moment, while the sun was setting in front of them. In their ears, the soothing murmur of the streams was like music. It gave them much delight to think of their homes, their children, and their wives, but to get up again and to labour in their ships seemed to be an unwelcome task.

“And all at once, they sang, “Our island home is far beyond the wave; we will no longer roam.”

The second part of the poem

They sang of the sweet music, falling in rhythm softer than the crackle of the falling rose petals, or the night dew in silent streams. They started thinking that death is the inevitable end of life so all

labor is meaningless. Fighting evil nonstop does not guarantee happiness. So, why should they be victims of hard work and bitter sorrow, where all the things in nature enjoy rest? Leaves flowers, and fruits everything grows and decays in peace.

“There is no joy but calm!”

There is no excitement, no hurry up, and all are moving toward death peacefully. Man alone is toiling. They ask themselves why men’s lives should be full of labour and they should not spend it peacefully and enjoy rest. So the Ulysses crew members debated.

“The Lotos blooms below the barren peak: The Lotos blows by every winding creek:”

Therefore, they wanted to stay on the island of Lotos-eaters. They would reflect peacefully on their deceased companions and earlier experiences. Though they loved their family very much now it was useless to return to their family. They have been out of the home for an extended period. They must have been taken for dead and their children must have taken over responsibilities at home. So they thought it best to be left alone.

Conclusion

Thus the poem, The Lotos-eaters looks at the human condition and its interest centres on the conflict between the sense of responsibility and the desire to take pleasure. It deals with the themes of death and time. This poem focuses more on the men who ingested the Lotus flower and how it affects them. The Lotos cause them to become very depressed, mainly about how they will never see their families again even though they want to.

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