Death Of A Friend: “In Memoriam”
Alfred, Lord Tennyson composed “In Memoriam”, an elegy lyric written in tribute to Arthur Henry Hallam. The reader will see the impact Hallam’s death had on Tennyson throughout the elegy. Tennyson felt doubtful about the human role in this world after Hallam’s passing. Tennyson was very concerned about this doubt. Like the rest, verse XLV was written in iambic Tetrameter. XLV consists in four quatrains and an envelope rhyme scheme called “ABBA”. Tennyson made the stylistic decision to use an “ABBA” rhyme scheme in XLV. This rhyme scheme serves to “envelope” the ideas within each quatrain. In the same way, the use iambic-tetrameter is a reminder of the larger “enveloping” ideas throughout the entire work. The structure of verses XLV and specific poetic devices (e.g. rhyme, alliteration, choice of vocabulary) all suggest that the purpose and goal of human life are to acquire knowledge and preserve that knowledge after one’s death.
Innocence is the first quatrain. The innocence associated the very short “time” (line 2), the “new” “baby” spent on this “earth/sky” (line 3). The alliteration using “time” & “tender” emphasises the relation between an individual’s innocence as well as how it is affected over time. The rhyme of “prest” in “against and lines 2 and 3 emphasizes the word ‘again’ in “against.” Tennyson is known for his strong interest in etymology. The word ‘again, which is related to the repetitiveness of humankind as well as its cyclical nature, is highlighted by the word circle’ (line 3). His choice of vocabulary is highlighted by the rhyme and alliteration of the words “palm”, “prest”, (line 2), and “against,” (line 3). Tennyson creates a very sensual tone with his choice of vocabulary. This juxtaposes Tennyson as a child who is merely a child, whose mother breastfeeds him. The second quatrain also states that the “baby”, in line 1, “grows and collects much” in line 5. The line 5 alliteration points out the ambiguity inherent in the word “much”, which leads to questions about how “babys’ use and require “grow.” (line 6). Furthermore, the line 7 and 8 quotations “What I See” and “Things That I Touch” express the baby’s sense development, which allows them to feel and absorb the knowledge around them. Tennyson is emphasizing the importance between language and feeling. He struggles with the question of whether his words will ever capture the pain he feels because Hallam died. The “baby”, at this stage of development, does begin to feel self-regard, but it’s not until the third Quatrain that the “baby”, becomes an individual.
The third quatrain is about the emergence and disappearance of an individual. The “circle of breasts” line 2 also has the word “round” in it. Because the one-dimensionality and meaning of “circle” in the context of a human being as a baby is symbolic of the limited knowledge that “babys” have, it is important to use the word “circle” again. Line 9 uses the word “round” to represent the knowledge gained throughout a person’s lifelong development. The third quadrant also describes the “separa[tion]] (line 9) and “isolation] (line 12, respectively) that the individual must endure in order “separate” their “much” (5 line 5) from the knowledge which “grows them” (12 line 12). The “frame he binds himself” (line 11), the body that “binds him”.
The “define[s]” line 12 describes the limitations of the person. Line 10 allows for clear thinking (line 10), which allows the individual the ability to identify his or herself.
The fourth quatrain identifies humankind’s “duty” (line 14), as the need to establish a sense and identity to spiritually prepare for after-death. If all knowledge a person acquired during his earthly lifetime was lost after death, then his “duty,” line 14 would have been empty. Tennyson uses Biblical terminology in his quatrain. The Biblical story of Adam’s and Eve’s disobedience in the Book of the Genesis is referenced by the use of the terms “fruitless” as well as “knowledge”. The poem’s opening theme, innocence, is contradicted by the story of “Original Sin”. The ambiguity in the term “the child” makes it clear that the baby refers to all children, as well as all humankind. The poem describes a process all humans go through. Furthermore, the metaphorical use of the words “circle” and “round” in line 3) and line 9) represents the cyclicality that is human experience.
