Merlin And Vivien Essay, Research Paper

Tennyson s Merlin and Vivien

The Manipulative Evil

Known as one of Victorian England s finest poets, Lord Alfred Tennyson

epitomized the torment and despondence of the debasement of one s character.

His chef-d’oeuvre, The Idylls of the King, explicates the expansive strategy of

corruptness of the Authurian age while at the same time paralleling Tennyson s ain

internal battles. A most challenging chapter of The Idylls, Merlin and Vivien

portrays the manipulative Vivien, identified as pure immorality and hatred, as her

perversive beauty leads to Merlin s suicide.

The Victorian epoch, from the enthronement of Queen Victoria in 1837 until

her decease in 1901, was an epoch of several unsettling societal developments that

forced authors more than of all time before to take places on the immediate issues

inspiring the remainder of society. Therefore, although romantic signifiers of look in

poesy and prose continued to rule English literature throughout much of

the century, the attending of many authors was directed, sometimes

passionately, to such issues as the growing of English democracy, the

instruction of the multitudes, the advancement of industrial endeavor and the

attendant rise of a mercenary doctrine, and the predicament of the freshly

industrialized worker. In add-on, the unsettling of spiritual belief by new

progresss in scientific discipline, peculiarly the theory of development and the historical

survey of the Bible, drew other authors off from the immemorial topics of

literature into considerations of jobs of religion and truth. Tennyson s composing

shows grounds of uncertainty and concern towards England s authorities, both

nowadays and yesteryear. His typical manner can be differentiated from many

Victorian poets by enunciation and sentence structure entirely. Besides, Tennyson can be identified

by his free-verse prose ( Ricks, 89 )

Tennyson s composing encompasses many poetic manners and includes some

of the finest idyllic poesy in the linguistic communication. Turning up in Lincolnshire,

Somersby, Tennyson faced a troubled childhood plagued by inadequacy and

disregard. The terrible physical and moral debasement of his male parent and brothers

left Tennyson a fed up temperament with the universe. These factors contributed

significantly to Tennyson s desolate attitude which was later displayed in his

plants. Subsequently in life, while go toing college, Tennyson experienced a great

tragedy- the decease of his best and beloved friend, Arthur Hallam. This farce

produced in Tennyson profound religious depression, and he vowed to forbear

from publishing any more of his poetry for a period of 10 old ages. During these 10s

old ages, he continued composing though without printing his plants. After his

depression, Tennyson returned to Authurian manner and wrote his maestro piece,

The Idylls of the King, which attacked the corruptness of Camelot ( Ricks 92 ) .

One of the most challenging chapter of the Idylls is Merlin and Vivien, a

narrative verse form with both allegorical and moral points ( Reed 48 ) .

Merlin and Vivien was written to show how amusing outlooks

are foiled by dry actuality ( Kincaid 177 ) . Merlin and Vivien is said by many

to be one of the most ill-tasted chapters of The Idylls. Jerome Buckley

remarks that Merlin s giving to the seductive trickeries of Vivien is & # 8230 ; the

grossest illustration of the low resignation of the mind to the flesh ( Hellstrom

117 ) . This is a really representative sentiment of Merlin and Vivien. Although

the actual reading of the verse form suggests it is a narrative refering the

inevitable day of reckoning of Camelot and the debasement of Authur, it centralizes on

Vivien and her manipulative ways. Until now, The Idylls has focused on the

effects of chitchat, but Merlin and Vivien, the defamer herself, now become the

cardinal characters ( Hain 148 ) . In Merlin and Vivien, Tennyson describes how

the failure of the head to do its first measure in the advancement of redemption, thereby

endangers the redemption of the psyche itself ( Reed 58 ) .

She [ Vivien ] is about the most basal and abhorrent individual of all time set Forth

in serious literature. Vivien causes complete devastation, wretchedness, and torment

wherever she goes. Bing the agent of decease itself- Born from decease was I/

Among the dead and seeded upon the air current ( ll. 44-45 ) , she malevolently

destroys hope and guiltless love. Similarly, she is viewed as the cause of

Merlin s devastation ( Kincaid 183 ) . Love if love be perfect/ dramatis personaes out fear./So

hatred, if hate be perfect/ dramatis personaes out fright ( ll. 140-41 ) Thus she is described as the

component of pure hatred and deceit and can be paralleled to Delilah and Eve

( Hellstrom 117 ) . Some critics, nevertheless, find it inexcusable of Tennyson to

portray a character with no self-respect of any sort ( Marshall, 140 ) . Many believe,

though, that the consequence of Vivien s character is meant to demo the character of

a thoroughly evil adult female in contrast to that of a good one ( Enid, of the

old idyll, being true, and Vivien being false ) ( Marshall 141 ) . In fact, the

idyll was originally titled as Enid and Nimue, interpreting as The True and the

False ( Marshall, 143 ) . Vivien is rather true to herself though- she wishes to be

manipulative and enjoys the grief of those

she hurts. She is portrayed as

petroleum and malicious towards affable things and in her relationship with Merlin,

celebrity as opposed to love is the footing of their relationship. To Vivien, love is

pure sexual passion. Yea! Love, though Love were of the grossest carves/ A

part from the solid nowadays ( Culler 232 ) . This is the object of her desires

and she will travel to any distance to obtain it. Before now, though, Vivien s work forces

were mere pawns in her game- they were of no value, merely bangle to busy

1s clip. However, Merlin has something that Vivien doesn t- his thaumaturgy

powers. As a great ace, he is envied and praised throughout Camelot and

Vivien truly believes that, like all other cases, she can utilize her manipulative

ways to lure and carry Merlin into confiding in her his secret, and it

plants ( Kincaid 183 ) . Sadly, nevertheless, she succeeds.

A wise adult male can be seduced by relentless sexual entreaty and, to

Merlin s deplorable devastation, Vivien victory in her seduction ( Marshall

140 ) . The head, nevertheless, unbuttressed by hope makes an unsteady ally, excessively

easy inclined to treason. The Merlin s melancholy, written through

Tennyson s ain desperation, allows Vivien to be falsely recognized as a approval

of hope and felicity ( Reed 58 ) . Merlin s prostration of will is the consequence of the

battle between religion, uncertainty, and the enticement to retire from conflict. This

struggle breeds a struggle between pride and humbleness is what jeopardizes

Merlin s stableness. A storm was coming, but the air currents were still/ And in the

wild forests of Broceliande/ Before and oak so hollow, immense and old/ It looked a

tower of ivy-covered masonwork/ At Merlin s pess the crafty Vivien ballad. ( ll. 1-5 )

Boding Merlin s autumn, Tennyson uses the immense oak, the national symbol

of stableness and endurance, now hollow and old, to qualify Merlin s nowadays

province. Tennyson s presentation of Vivien s words and trickeries is so intricately

broad that anyone would see beyond her frontage. This reinstates the point

that Merlin is ne’er genuinely fooled. Rather, he lets himself be taken- stirred this

frailty in you which ruined man/ Through adult female the finest hr ( ll.360-61 ) .

These allusions to the autumn of Adam and Eve every bit good as to Paradise Lost merely

high spot the malicious sarcasm. Merlin ne’er chooses love though- he simply

gives in without doing any pick. His values, ethical motives, and struggles of trueness

are non in inquiry of being broken because they are overthrown ( Kincaid

185 ) . Merlin s autumn is more accurately deduced as being caused by pettiness.

Merlin is taken by Vivien s beauty foremost and is subsequently entrapped in her seduction.

The subject beauty guesss corruptness is applied here where Merlin is

described as art with toxicant honey stole from France ( Culler 239 ) . In

such a universe, catastrophes are natural and, for the most portion, the Idylls agrees

with Vivien in that all of nature is on her side ( Kincaid 183 ) . Furthermore, in

Merlin, Tennyson creates the dream of one adult male coming into practical life and

ruined by one wickedness ( Reed 48 ) .

Merlin and Vivien can besides be paralleled to the Sirens of Homer s The

Odyssey. Vivien, like the Sirens, lures Merlin into certain day of reckoning. In the myth,

the Sirens were beautiful enchantresss that entrapped crewmans volitions with their

seducing vocal. Once the crewman heard the vocal, he would instantly maneuver

toward the island where he would crash to his decease. No crewman was said to

have of all time passed by the island without being trapped. This is besides true with

Vivien. Every knight that she has of all time enticed has fallen to her enticements

and Merlin is no different. Vivien attracted him with her caprice and audaciousness and

her beauty and seductiveness. Merlin s autumn, which was by pick, is besides

similar to the myth of the Sirens. The crewmans were certain of day of reckoning when

nearing the island yet they pushed forth, desiring to see the

ill-famed enticement. Unlike Odysseus, though, Merlin does non last the

powers of the enchantress. Merlin falls to her power and this licking signals the

terminal of hope for Camelot.

Few poets have produced acknowledged chef-d’oeuvres in so many

different poetic genres as Tennyson ; he furnished possibly the most noteworthy

illustration in English letters of the Catholic manner. His consummately crafted poetry

expresses in readily comprehendible footings the Victorian feeling for order and

harmoniousness. His verse form Merlin and Vivien of The Idylls of the King shows

Merlin s self-chosen ruin in exchange for the enticements of Vivien, the

manipulative immorality. For Merlin, overtalked and overworn, / Had yielded, told her

all the appeal, and slept. ( ll.963-964 )

Culler, Dwight. The Poerty of Tennyson. London: Yale UP, 1997. 238-239.

Hain, Donald. Tennyson s Language. Toronto: Toronto UP, 1991. 144-148.

Hellstrom, Ward. On the Poems of Tennyson. Gainsville: University of Florida

Imperativeness, 1972. 117-118.

Kincaid, James. The Major Poems of Tennyson: The Comic and Ironic Patterns.

London: Yale UP, 1975. 177-182.

Marshall, George. A Tennyson Handbook. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1963.

140-141.

Reed, John. Perception and Design in Tennyson s Idylls of the King. Athinais:

Ohio UP, 1969. 48-58.