In the wake of his closest friend, Arthur Hallam\u2019s passing and even prior to it, Alfred, Lord Tennyson created many literary works that either centered on a theme of loss and grief or that held hints of it subtly beneath their surfaces. From this textual focal point, Tennyson demonstrated not just a struggle to accept the human question surrounding loss, but also a need to grapple with it, to fight and wrestle the concept. By examining his work before and after the death of Hallam, it is evident that his perspective on the exploration, exposition, and resolution of the question of loss changed, and even matured over time. Two poems that exhibit this concept are \u201cMariana\u201d which he published in 1830, three years before Hallam\u2019s death, and \u201cTears, Idle Tears,\u201d which he published seventeen years later in 1847. In both poems, Tennyson presents an individual who has suffered loss and attempts to explore, expose, and resolve the questions that the situations arouse. By comparing the reactions of the protagonists in both texts, a profound understanding of hope emerges, either through a distorted means of denying the loss and waiting for its impossible return, or through a distant means of accepting the loss and reminiscing in the beauty of time past. Through the comparison, it appears that Tennyson elevates the idea of hope through acceptance as a means to resolve loss and grief, a conclusion that only could have arisen through his own personal experience of its affect over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the early part of his poetic career, Tennyson was drawn to a state of what his contemporaries called \u201cmelancholic isolation,\u201d in which he frequently lingered, getting in touch with the most intimate feelings of loneliness and sorrow, the emotions that inevitably arise when deeply considering complex questions of humanity (Greenblatt 144). From this mindset, Tennyson penned \u201cMariana,\u201d a poem based on a scene from Shakespeare\u2019s Measure for Measure, <\/em>in which a lonely maiden awaits the uncertain return of her lover. Through several aspects of the poem, it is evident that Tennyson aims to present an image of distorted hope within it\u2014the denial of loss through the anticipation of its implausible return. Clear evidence for this is the content of the poem, which outlines the despair of the maiden\u2019s state of waiting for an event that will likely never happen\u2014for the restoration of what she lost. The only dialogue within the piece is Mariana speaking either to herself or to an outside observer. After each stanza her statement is almost entirely the same, \u201cMy life is dreary, \/ he cometh not \/ [\u2026] I am aweary, aweary, \/ I would that I were dead!\u201d (Tennyson 9-12). The only change that occurs throughout the seven stanzas containing these nearly identical lines is the word which she describes as \u201cdreary.\u201d There is a steady decline in these changing words as she continues to hold on to her loss, representing the decay of the security that comes from distorted hope. First it is her \u201clife,\u201d then the \u201cnight,\u201d and then the \u201cday\u201d that cause her grief through their dreariness, but she finishes by exclaiming that she herself is dreary; \u201cI<\/em> am very dreary \/ [\u2026] Oh God that I were dead!\u201d (81-84). This decay within the language depicts the outcome of distorted hope, leading to the steady decline of joy, vibrancy, and ultimately of life itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another way in which Tennyson presents this concept of denial is through the perspective of the poem. The speaker appears to be an outside observer, someone intrigued by the maiden and her story, recounting the tale for others to hear and ponder. The poem itself is in past tense, which slightly distances it from the reader, allowing a perspective of observation, a transparent barrier between the reader and the bitter, sorrowful experience. The audience\u2019s connection to such emotion is inevitable, as all humans (in one form or another) have their own experience with loss and grief. However, the distanced perspective that Tennyson captures enables the audience to remove itself from the harsh reality of the pain, and to look upon it objectively. This emphasizes the call to ponder the manner in which Mariana handles her loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Along with perspective, the form of the poem adds supporting insight into Mariana\u2019s hope. The rhyme scheme\u2014ABAB CDDC EFEF\u2014follows a rise and fall pattern. The climax is in the middle with the consecutive, matching rhyme (DD), and matching alternating rhymes appear on both sides of it, like a pyramid if it were laid out in staggered escalation. This choice in form alludes to the same idea of hoping for the restoration of a loss by denying that it is genuinely gone, ultimately creating a scenario in which Mariana continually falls short of her desires. As her attempts to find restoration are rooted in a relentless longing for that which cannot return, she falls over and over again into despair. This then leads to her own despondency and decay, the result for any individual choosing to pursue this path to recovery. Overall, \u201cMariana\u201d reflects Tennyson\u2019s minimal experience with loss and grief at the time when he penned it. The poem ends without resolve\u2014Mariana does not come to any conclusion about what to do, but merely continues in the dejected state of denial and false hope. As the writer in a state of \u201cmelancholic isolation,\u201d Tennyson appears to offer a similar conclusion, ultimately revealing a lack of certainty in knowing how to approach the concept of loss. Through Tennyson\u2019s personal and intimate experience with the pains of grief, however, an entirely different image of hope arises within his later work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Following his friend\u2019s passing in 1833, the majority of Tennyson\u2019s work demonstrated consistent consideration and deep tension regarding the question of death, grief, and loss. During this time in Tennyson\u2019s life, the formerly comfortable state of \u201cmelancholic isolation\u201d not only expanded for him, but was reshaped through his personal experience of grappling with the pain (Greenblatt 172). Fourteen years after the death of Hallam, Tennyson composed a long poem titled, \u201cThe Princess,\u201d in which he presented a song titled, \u201cTears, Idle Tears.\u201d Similar to \u201cMariana,\u201d the subject content of this song centers on an individual who has suffered a significant loss, left again to explore, expose, and resolve the deep question of the grief that it created. The central difference between this piece and the former (\u201cMariana\u201d) is the manner in which this speaker approaches the situation. While Mariana held tightly to her loss, grounding her hope on impossible restoration, and ultimately falling into despair, the speaker in \u201cTears, Idle Tears\u201d appears to release the grief through acceptance. By accepting the loss, the speaker is free to appreciate and remember the former beauty of what once was, enabling them to move toward personal restoration and hope through the distant memory of past beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Evidence for this hope is first visible in the content of the song\u2014the speaker\u2019s message and language. Contrary to the first poem, this piece is replete with light, uplifting diction that carries tones of subtle contentment. Words like \u201crise,\u201d \u201chappy,\u201d \u201cglittering,\u201d \u201csummer,\u201d \u201cbirds,\u201d and \u201ckisses\u201d permeate the lines of this song as the speaker remembers their loved one, creating a contrast between the seemingly elevated mood and the contextual understanding of the speaker\u2019s grief (Tennyson 1-20). The mood does not contradict the grief, however, but merely draws attention to the surprising manner in which the speaker handles it. The last line of each of the four stanzas ends with the same statement, \u201cthe days that are no more\u201d (5-20). This statement, along with the song\u2019s context and mood, express that the process of achieving hope in a situation of loss comes from the acceptance of it, and the distant remembrance and appreciation of the beauty from the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While \u201cMariana\u201d permitted readers to witness the sorrow of the protagonist from an objective, observable point of view, \u201cTears, Idle Tears\u201d allows the reader access to the protagonist\u2019s very mind, and to join the speaker in their process of loss, grief, and recovery. The opening line of the song provides the first and only evidence for the identity and perspective of the speaker, as it is written in first-person present. \u201cTears, idle tears, I know not what they mean\u201d (1). This first-person view creates a personal sensation within the song, enabling the reader to feel the same intimate emotion as the speaker, ultimately influencing their own experiences with recovery from loss. The choice of present tense shows that the speaker\u2019s thoughts are revealed as they come to mind, concurrent with the reader\u2019s observation of them. The two happen at the same time, moving the audience even further into an intimate position to understand, relate, and genuinely feel the emotion of the recovery process. Furthermore, the song is written in prose, unlike \u201cMariana\u201d which is in verse, indicating a journey toward maturation and understanding. It took many years, and a significant amount of experience for the speaker to arrive at a place of acceptance and distant appreciation of loss. The bouncy and rhythmic aspects of the verse in \u201cMariana\u201d offers a youthful sensation, indicating inexperience and immaturity; while the composed and pensive lines of prose in \u201cTears, Idle Tears\u201d provide a sensation of maturity and wisdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This juxtaposition of poems can be closely compared to Tennyson\u2019s own life and the process that he endured of recovering from extreme loss. From the lines of these works\u2014written seventeen years apart\u2014it is clear that his understanding of grief matured as he personally walked through deep trenches of loss. His poem, \u201cMariana\u201d indicates that, before the death of his friend, he did not possess solid conclusions on the matter of recovery, except to linger in a state of continual longing for what was lost. After experiencing his own loss, and spending many years struggling in its wake, it is evident that he matured in this understanding. The song, \u201cTears, Idle Tears,\u201d depicts his experienced and conclusive knowledge of the matter as a whole: recovery comes from accepting loss, and finding hope in the distant memory of a beautiful past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n April 8, 2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n Works Cited:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tennyson, Lord Alfred. \u201cMariana\u201d and \u201cTears, Idle Tears.\u201d The Norton Anthology of<\/em> English Literature: The Victorian Age. 10th<\/sup> Ed.<\/em>, Vol. D<\/em>. Edited by Stephen Greenblatt. W.W. Norton and Company. New York, 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Greenblatt, Stephen. The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Victorian Age. 10th<\/sup><\/em> Ed.<\/em>, Vol. D<\/em>. W.W. Norton and Company. New York, 2018. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In the wake of his closest friend, Arthur Hallam\u2019s passing and even prior to it, Alfred, Lord Tennyson created many literary works that either centered on a theme of loss and grief or that held hints of it subtly beneath their surfaces. 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