Idylls of the King by Tennyson: Summary, Poem Analysis & Characters | Study.com Idylls of the King by Tennyson: Summary, Poem Analysis & Characters Watch short & fun videos Start Your Free Trial Today Instructor: Sophie Starmack Sophia has taught college French and composition. She has master's degrees in French and in creative writing. Add to Add to Add to Want to watch this again later? Log in or sign up to add this lesson to a Custom Course. Custom Courses are courses that you create from Study.com lessons. Use them just like other courses to track progress, access quizzes and exams, and share content. Teachers Organize and share selected lessons with your class. Make planning easier by creating your own custom course. Students Create a new course from any lesson page or your dashboard. From any lesson page: Click "Add to" located below the video player and follow the prompts to name your course and save your lesson. From your dashboard: Click on the "Custom Courses" tab, then click "Create course". Next, go to any lesson page and begin adding lessons. Edit your Custom Course directly from your dashboard. Personalize: Name your Custom Course and add an optional description or learning objective.

Organize: Create chapters to group lesson within your course. Remove and reorder chapters and lessons at any time. Share your Custom Course or assign lessons and chapters. Teacher Edition: Share or assign lessons and chapters by clicking the "Teacher" tab on the lesson or chapter page you want to assign. Students' quiz scores and video views will be trackable in your "Teacher" tab. Premium Edition: You can share your Custom Course by copying and pasting the course URL. Only Study.com members will be able to access the entire course. In this lesson we'll discover Alfred, Lord Tennyson's collection of poems, 'The Idylls of the King.' We'll go over the plot summary, key themes, and symbolism. Overview Every country has its founding myths. In the United States, we tell tall tales about Davy Crockett, the 'king of the wild frontier,' or we like to remember how 'Honest Abe' Lincoln pulled himself up from his bootstraps to become President of the United States. Pretty much every group of people, from the ancient Greeks and Romans on, has told and retold stories about their most exciting ancestors.

Some of them are more true than others (we'll get to that later) but the basic urge to glorify the past seems to be a part of human nature. That's just what Alfred, Lord Tennyson, set out to do in 'The Idylls of the King,' a collection of poems that recounts the legends of some of Britain's founding heroes, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Tennyson was a hugely successful poet in his day, and when Queen Victoria named him Poet Laureate of England, he had the opportunity, even the obligation, to create something that would glorify the country and make the people feel proud. The Kingdom of Camelot The Arthurian Legends 'Idylls' was published in bits and pieces over a long period from 1842 to 1888. Delving into the epic past wasn't something new for Tennyson. He'd already investigated ancient stories in his poems 'The Lady of Shallott' and 'Ulysses.' But who are Arthur and these Round Table Knights that so captivated his attention? Well, no one really knows for sure, and even the experts have a hard time finding out anything about a real-life person by that name.

King Arthur starts showing up in English ballads and poems as early as the 8th century. In these songs and tales he falls in love, fights off bad guys, gets betrayed by his best friend, behaves with courage and nobility, and is an all-around epic hero. Two of the most famous Arthur works are the stories written by Chrétien de Troyes in 12th century France, and the 'Morte d'Arthur' written by Sir Thomas Malory in 15th century England. Tennyson drew on these and other authors in his own version of Arthur's life and deeds; however, he added his own twists and elaborations along the way. Poem Summary The book is divided into twelve long poems, many of which spotlight individual characters: The Coming of Arthur: We see how Arthur becomes the King of Cameliard (in other versions it's referred to as 'Camelot'). We find out how he marries the gorgeous Guinevere, and we meet Arthur's number one knight and best pal, Lancelot.

At his wedding, Arthur declares 'The old order changeth, yielding place to new.' By this he means that from now on, he'll be ruling with an iron hand, restoring stability and driving out the barbarian invaders who threaten the land. Gareth and Lynette: The young Gareth wants to become a knight of King Arthur's Court, but his mother Bellicent will only give her permission if he agrees to work as a kitchen servant for a year first. She eventually relents and he is knighted by Arthur. Gareth's first task is to help Lynette free her sister. Along the way Gareth has to fight off four knights: Morning Star, Noonday Sun, Evening Star, and Death. They represent the ages of man. The Marriage of Geraint: There's trouble in Camelot: rumors are flying about Lancelot and Guinevere, who are said to be carrying on a scandalous affair. The knight Geraint worries that his wife, Enid, may be following their example. He's so worried she's unfaithful that he completely neglects his duties and drives Enid to despair. Finally, he decides he must set out to prove his manhood and Enid must go with him.

Geraint and Enid: The miserable couple ride off into the wilderness, where Geraint devises a number of trials to test Enid's loyalty. She tries to protect him from bandits, but whatever she does, he criticizes her. Finally Geraint realizes that Enid is true, and he regains his reputation as a manly and honorable knight. Balin and Balan: This is a tale of two brothers. Balan is the all-around good guy, and Balin is the one with the terrible temper--so terrible, in fact, that he got both brothers banned from Camelot for three years. Now they're back, and in an effort to learn some manners, Balin puts Queen Guinevere's crown on his shield--it's a symbol that reminds him to behave courteously. It all goes wrong when he overhears some more nasty rumors about Lancelot and Guinevere (notice a theme running through these tales?). He's crushed that his idol might be a fallen woman. In a crazy mix-up, Balin and Balan mistake each other for demons and Balan is killed. As he dies, he assures his brother that the rumors are false and the queen is indeed true.

Merlin and Vivien: Vivien is one nasty lady. She comes to King Arthur's court under false pretenses, and proceeds to stir up all kinds of trouble. She spreads lies about Guinevere, she tries to seduce the king, and when that doesn't work, she moves onto Merlin, the court magician. She keeps after him until he finally gives in and surrenders his power to her. Boasting, she imprisons him in a tree. Elaine Lancelot and Elaine: Here's where we finally get some backstory on what's really going on with Lancelot and Guinevere. It's true, we find out--they really are in love. There's a big tournament coming up, and although Lancelot has won it every year, there are so many rumors flying around that he decides he'd better not show his face. He goes in disguise instead--that way he can still win, and give the prize to Guinevere, but he won't stir up trouble. He borrows armor from a nearby noble, but along the way he accidentally makes Elaine, the noble's daughter, fall in love with him.

When she realizes he'll never love her back, Elaine has herself set onto a boat and put in the river, where she dies. The poem ends badly for all, with Guinevere flying into a jealous rage and Lancelot questioning whether Guinevere still loves him, or if their passion has decayed. The Holy Grail: The Grail shows up in a lot of Arthurian legends, not just Tennyson's. Nobody's really sure if it's a cup or a plate or a stone, but everybody wants to get their hands on it because it's somehow connected to Jesus and to heaven. In this poem, we hear the story of Percivale. He and the other knights of the Round Table go out to find the grail, despite Arthur's warnings. A couple of them get close, but nobody manages to fulfill the task, and in the end, they all wander around wasting time, getting distracted, and falling into danger. This poem is important because it shows the knights of the Round Table going their separate ways, and the once-perfect land of Camelot beginning to fall apart.

Peleas and Ettare: More trouble in the once-happy land: Peleas, a young and naïve knight, is having some lady-trouble with Ettare, who's boastful and vain and makes fun of him all the time. Fellow-knight Gawain offers to help Peleas out, but actually sweeps Ettare off her feet, stealing her from himself. Disgusted, Peleas leaves the Round Table. He transforms into the dastardly Red Knight. The Last Tournament: Arthur is hosting a tournament when a miserable servant rushes into the hall, declaring that he's been beaten and maimed by the Red Knight. Arthur and his followers set off to avenge the crime, leaving Lancelot in charge of the tournament, which quickly becomes an immoral free-for-all. Tristam wins and takes the prize to his married lover, Queen Isolt. Her husband, Mark sneaks up on them and murders Tristam. Meanwhile, Arthur has beaten the Red Knight. It's a bittersweet victory, though, as he returns to Camelot only to find just how bad things have become in his once-perfect kingdom.

× Idylls of the King: And a Selection of Poems: Amazon.co.uk: Lord Alfred Tennyson: 9780451528759: Books Product Description About the Author Alfred, Lord Tennyson was born in 1809 at Somersby, Lincolnshire. Schooled at Louth and by his father, a rector, he began to write early, and at the age of twelve he composed an epic of 6,000 lines. In 1828 he matriculated at Cambridge but only after the elder Tennyson had approved his recitation by heart of the odes of Horace. Poems, Chiefly Lyrical, published in 1830, revealed Tennyson s swiftly maturing talent, a talent which was augmented by his friendship with Edward FitzGerald and A.H. Hallam. In 1830, the poet and Hallam volunteered in the army of a Spanish insurgent; and Poems (1833) derived largely from experience gained on the Continent.

Hallam s death in the same year gave rise to The Two Voices (1834) a black period in Tennyson s life. After a lengthy silence he published Poems (1842), earning the admiration of Carlyle and Dickens. The year 1850 witnessed his marriage to Emily Sarah Sellwood and his appointment as poet laureate, succeeding Wordsworth. The gravity with which he took his office was reflected in many poems on state occasions. His later years produced his acknowledged masterpieces: In Memoriam (1850), Maud (1855), Ballads and Other Poems (1880), Locksley Hall Sixty Years After (1886), and scattered sections of what would eventually become his epic, Idylls of the King (1859-1885). In 1892, reading his favorite Shakespeare, Tennyson died at Aldworth and received a public funeral in Westminster Abbey." What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?

Idylls of the King by Alfred Tennyson - AbeBooks Idylls of the King by Alfred Tennyson You Searched For: Results (1 - 30) of 1797 1 Tennyson, Alfred Tennyson French, Charles Wallace, Published by The Macmillan company, New York (1912) Used Published by no publisher, [London (1873) Used Signed Destination, Rates & Speeds Item Description: no publisher, [London, 1873. No binding. A single sheet folded to make four pages, Signed by Tennyson at the conclusion. Good, with tears from old folds expertly repaired with Japanese tissue, including a tear over the final letter in the author's signature, unfolded to prevent further wear. This poem was added as a dedicatory epilogue to the collected *Idylls of the King* in Strahan's library edition of Tennyson's works in 1872 (*Idyll* was published in various fragment and combinations between 1842 and 1888). *Wise* (1908) 1,; 224, no.

126, per *OCLC*. A fragile and rare publication, *OCLC* cites no libraries with this printing, and no copies have appeared at auction in the past quarter century. Bookseller Inventory # 314887 Published by BANTAM BOOKS (1965) Used Paperback Published by Strahan and Co., London (1869) Used Hardcover First Edition Signed Quantity Available: 1 Destination, Rates & Speeds Item Description: Strahan and Co., London, 1869. Small 8vo, original green embossed cloth Gilt on spine a little dull, bookplate neatly removed from front pastedown, neatly and imperceptibly re-cased, otherwise a fine copy, preserved in a green half-morocco slipcase First enlarged trade edition thus, in bibliographical order the Ninth Edition. Presentation copy, signed by Tennyson on the half-title page as part of an inscription that reads: "G. G. Bradley from A. Tennyson", the first part of which appears to be in another hand.

"In this edition the original titles of three of the Idylls, Enid, Vivien, and Elaine, were expanded into Geraint and Enid, Merlin and Vivien, and Lancelot and Elaine. These expanded titles of the three Idylls were actually first made public in the Miniature Edition of Tennyson's Works, which, though dated 1870, was published in December, 1869, a month previous to the publication of this Ninth Edition of the Idylls of the King. The four fresh Idylls from The Holy Grail volume [which, although dated 1870, was actually published in December 1869] were also added. Although the title-page of the Ninth Edition of the Idylls of the King is dated 1869, the book was not published until January, 1870" - Ashley Library VII, p. 121. Bookseller Inventory # 16647 Destination, Rates & Speeds Item Description: London: Edward Moxon & Co.,, 1868, 1868.

With A Double 'Erotic' Fore-Edge PaintingBound by Thomas Kerslake of Bristol[FORE-EDGE PAINTING]. TENNYSON, Alfred, Lord. Idylls of the King. A New Edition. London: Edward Moxon & Co., 1868. Small octavo (6 3/8 x 4 inches; 162 x 101 mm.). viii, 261, (1, blank) pp. Bound by T. Kerslake & Co. Bristol (stamp-signed on verso of front end-paper). Full dark blue hard-grain morocco, front cover double ruled in blind with small gilt corner-pieces, surrounding an elaborate central strapwork design in gilt with orange-red onlays. Rear cover double ruled in blind with small gilt corner-pieces, spine with five raised bands, decoratively ruled in gilt and blind, four compartments with small onlaid red morocco flowers outlined in gilt, the remaining panel lettered in gilt, gilt board-edges and decorative gilt turn-ins, marbled end-papers, all edges gilt.

With a later double fore-edge painting beneath the gilt showing two 'erotic' scenes.This edition of Idylls of the King, contains four of the narrative poems, Enid, Vivien, Elaine & Guinevere, by the English poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892; Poet Laureate from 1850). They retell the legend of King Arthur, his knights, his love for Guinevere and her tragic betrayal of him, and the rise and fall of Arthur's kingdom. The individual poems detail the deeds of various knights, including Lancelot, Geraint, and also Merlin and the Lady of the Lake. There is little transition between Idylls, but the central figure of Arthur links all the stories. The poems were dedicated to the late Albert, Prince Consort. The Idylls are written in blank verse. Tennyson's descriptions of nature are derived from observations of his own surroundings, collected over the course of many years. The dramatic narratives are not an epic either in structure or tone, but derive elegiac sadness in the style of the idylls of Theocritus.

Idylls of the King is often read as an allegory of the societal conflicts in Britain during the mid-Victorian era.Thomas Kerslake (1812-1891) was an English bookseller, bookbinder and antiquarian. In 1828 he moved from Exteter to Bristol, and soon afterwards commenced business in second-hand bookselling in Barton Alley, together with his brother-in-law, Samuel Cornish. In 1830 the partnership was dissolved, and Kerslake removed to a shop at the bottom of Park Street. A disastrous fire occurred here in 1860. Kerslake continued on the same site however, until 1870, when he removed to Queen's Road, and shortly afterwards retired. For over twenty years after his retirement he devoted himself to antiquarian controversy. Bookseller Inventory # 03975 Destination, Rates & Speeds Item Description: London: Edward Moxon, 1853-68, 1853. Four works, octavo.

Finely bound to match in contemporary purple morocco, spines gilt-tooled in compartments with raised bands and gilt titles direct, sides panelled in gilt with elaborate tooling, gilt-rolled turn-ins, pale yellow coated endpapers, al ledges gilt. Contemporary ink gift inscription and blind stamp to front free endpaper of Idylls of the King. One of the spines sunned, otherwise all in excellent condition. A lavishly bound collection of Tennyson poetical works, mixed editions, including a wonderful piece of Tennyson ephemera, the "In Memoriam, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Poet Laureate, &c" order of service for the memorial held at Westminster Abbey on Sunday 16th October 1892, after his death on the 6th October. Also laid in is a newspaper clipping printing some unpublished lines by Tennyson, opening "O who is he the simple fool / Who says that wars are over?" There is also a purple flower laid in at The Lotos Eaters.

Given the contemporary ephemera and the very lavish contemporary binding, it would not be unreasonable to wonder whether the original owner of this set had been an acquaintance of the poet laureate, or at least a devoted fan. Bookseller Inventory # 116104 Destination, Rates & Speeds Item Description: Edward Moxon, London, 1880. Mixed editions. Six volumes published by Moxon, two by Macmillen, one by Kiong, one by Strahan. Together ten volumes uniformly bound in green pebbled morocco, a.e.g. the spines with gilt titles, double gilt rules around the bands, gilt fleurons in the panels. the covers with double rule frames and title with fleuron. With a Wingfield bookplate and some with the bookseller's ticket: J.O. Sandford Booksellers Shrewsbury. A nicely printed and charming little set. Minor rubbing but nicely presentable and sound Mixed editions. Six volumes published by Moxon, two by Macmillen, one by Kiong, one by Strahan. Bookseller Inventory # 19188 Destination, Rates & Speeds Item Description: London Edward Moxon & Co.

1859, 1859. First edition, first issue, and with the ads in first state. 8vo, publisherï¿½s original olive green ribbed cloth, blindstamped on the covers and gilt-lettered on the spine. 8pp. ads, (8), 261. Internally a fine copy, the textblock uncommonly fresh and bright with little sign of use, the cloth also well preserved and attractive but for the rear hinge which is split but is easily repairable. SCARCE AND IMPORTANT FIRST EDITION IN THE ORIGINAL CLOTH. An expansion of Tennyson's "Morte d'Arthur," THE IDYLLS OF THE KING was well received, and helped to restore Tennyson's popularity after the critical failure of his previous volume of poems. Bookseller Inventory # 25919 Destination, Rates & Speeds Item Description: Strahan & Co, London, 1873. Hardcover. Book Condition: g+ to vg. First Imperial Library edition. Octavo (8 x 5 1/2"). Contemporary brown morocco, with gold lettering and tooling to spines. Raised bands. All edges gilt.

Dentelles. Binding signed by Holloway (London). Engraved frontispiece portrait of Tennyson in first volume. Publisher's device on each title page. Decorative head-, tailpieces and initials.This work, the Imperial Library Edition of Tennyson's Works in six volumes, was published by Strahan & Co. in 1872-1873, and contains important additions such as: "The Third of February, 1852," "Literary Squabbles," and "The Spiteful Letter." (See Thomas J. Wise's "A Bibliography of the Writings of Alfred, Lord Tennyson" (1908, reprinted in facsimile in 1967), page 194).Provenance: Frederick Burgess, Burgess Hall, Finchley (with armorial bookplate on inside of each front cover), and Wilfred Sheridan (with Ex-Libris on each front free endpaper).Some age-toning to spines, and discoloration / darkening along edges of bindings. Previous owner's name and address in ink on fly leaf of first volume (Wilfred Sheridan, 16 Grovesnor Square).

Bindings in overall good+, interior in very good condition. Bookseller Inventory # 41481 Destination, Rates & Speeds Item Description: Easton Press, Norwalk, CT. Full-Leather. Book Condition: Very Good. Gustave Dore (illustrator). Limited. Easton Press leatherbound collector's edition. Illustrated by Gustave Dore. Book features full-leather binding, 22-kt gold stampping on covers and spine, silk endpapers, a satin ribbin page marker, and all edges gilt. This hard-to-find book is from the out-of-print Easton Press series "Library of Famous Editions" and includes collevtor note sheet laid in. Book is in near fine condition (slight wear to gilt on bottom edge of pages, no writing or highlighting inside, no embossed seal, no attached bookplate, no creased pages). Bookseller Inventory # 008846 Destination, Rates & Speeds Item Description: Hoddder & Stoughton n.d. (1911), London & New York, 1911. Hardcover. Book Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Very good.

Illustrated by Eleanor Fortescue Brickdale. (illustrator). First Brickdale edition.. 8vo. viii,(2),216pp. Brown cloth blocked on the spine and upper boards with titles in gilt and designs in dark brown. Illustrated endpapers. Twelve full color full page plates by Brickdale. A fine, bright copy. The dustwrapper repeats the designs of the binding, but in dark brown only. It is lightly toned, shows some wear and chipping at the edges. The original price on the spine was at some time neatly excised, but left the "$" intact, indicating this was a copy intended for the American market.Contains "Enid," "Vivien," "Elaine" and "Guinevere" from Tennyson's Idylls. The designs on the upper board incorporate King Arthur's shield and crest, both forms of the expected dragon rampant.Neat gift inscription on the reverse of the frontispiece leaf. Scarce in this condition; rare in dustwrapper.Howey F-209. Bookseller Inventory # 19873 Destination, Rates & Speeds Item Description: Hodder & Stoughton, 1911. Hardback.

Book Condition: Used Very Good. No Jacket. Eleanor Fortescue Brickdale. (illustrator). A fine vellum-bound edition of Tennyson's work, a limited edition of which this is Number 88, signed by the artist Eleanor Fortescue Brickdale. Uncut and printed on high-quality paper. Gilt top edge. The 21 illustrations are in colour and are separated from the printed pages by glassines. Condition: Some soiling to the boards, which are in otherwise sound condition. Internally very occasional sunning, foxing or discolouration. In view of the cost and weight of this item extra insurance and shipping will be added. HD_100591920 F3 Size: 4to. Bookseller Inventory # 006578 Destination, Rates & Speeds Item Description: Edward Moxon and Co, London, 1868. Hardcover. Book Condition: Very Good. 1868.

Initial title page and frontispiece (this with tissue guard missing), Dedication viii, followed by Enid 107pp; Elaine 84pp; Vivien 49pp; Guinevere 41pp. Bound together, each with an individual title page and frontispiece engraving (tissue guards intact). *** Folio. Red leather, decorated in gilt. Four raised bands, decorated in compartments. All edges gilt. Gilt dentelles. Marbled endpapers. Boards scuffed, worn at extremities. Elegant gift inscription (January 20th 1874). Heavy boards loosening but intact, binding generally firm. Occasional marks but text and engravings generally clean and bright. Large (approx. 41x31x6cm), impressive volume. *** Very heavy, roughly 6-7kg once adequately packaged. Please note that shipping will increase to a multiple of the standard quoted (<1kg) rate. We will let you know the most competitive shipping rate before your card is charged. Discounts available for direct payment (PayPal or bank transfer). Please contact us with any questions.

Bookseller Inventory # DW1638 Destination, Rates & Speeds Item Description: London: Edward Moxon & Co, 1859. Hardcover. Book Condition: Good. No Jacket. 1st Edition. Small [4 5/8 X 7 inches], green blind stamped cloth, gilt title on spine, 4 pages [printed both sides of 4 pages] of book ads, yellow end paper, half title, title page, Contents, Enid., 261 pages, back yellow end paper. This is without imprint on the back of the title page. First English edition, first state. Spine faded, first few page corners broken 1/4 inch. Some damage to spine ends. Good. Enclosed in fine green slip case with leather spine, gilt titles and raised bands. Bookseller Inventory # 4943 Idylls of the King eBook by Alfred Lord Tennyson - 9781455304783 | Kobo Or, get it for 2400 Kobo Super Points! See if you have enough points for this eBook.

Sign in Synopsis According to Wikipedia: "Idylls of the King, published between 1859 and 1885, is a cycle of twelve narrative poems by the English poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson (18091892; Poet Laureate from 1850) which retells the legend of King Arthur, his knights, his love for Guinevere and her tragic betrayal of him, and the rise and fall of Arthur's kingdom. The whole work recounts Arthur's attempt and failure to lift up mankind and create a perfect kingdom, from his coming to power to his death at the hands of the traitor Mordred. Individual poems detail the deeds of various knights, including Lancelot, Geraint, Galahad, and Balin and Balan, and also Merlin and the Lady of the Lake.

There is little transition between Idylls, but the central figure of Arthur links all the stories." People who read this also enjoyed Cambridge Authors » Assessing the Arthurian in Tennyson’s ‘Idylls of the King’ Zadie Smith Assessing the Arthurian in Tennyson’s ‘Idylls of the King’ In this essay undergraduate Judith Jacob writes about the problems with the moral outlook of Tennyson's Arthurian poems The Idylls. At times they seem too clear in judging good and evil, and too committed to portraying Arthur as virtuous. Elsewhere, though, they offer interesting doubts and ambiguities. Introduction Let's take a look at the ways in which Tennyson uses Arthurian romance in his poetry. One of the best places to begin is with his long poem series, The Idylls.

Though Tennyson draws on several sources, including the poetry of Edmund Spenser, the sixteenth century Poet Laureate and author of The Faerie Queene, as well as the Mabinogion, a collection of eleven prose stories from medieval Welsh manuscripts, his main source for The Idylls is Thomas Malory's , and on the whole he keeps the backbone of Malory's narrative, embellishing and reshaping the text as he goes along. There is some truth in the generalisation that the Victorian age was an age beset by doubt and uncertainty. Other essays in this section discuss how this relates to rapid scientific advances, modes of thought such as rationalism, and the increasingly changeable landscape of modern life (see for example Claire Wilkinson's essay on 'Tennyson and Science' ). In this world of rapid change and uncertainty, it was not at all uncommon for Victorian poets to look to the past, whether through history or mythology, as an ideal and secure moral landscape.

At its weakest, the recreation of visions of the past in poetry seems nothing more than escapism, but at its best it is a vehicle through which poets like Tennyson were able to explore and come to terms with issues of their own day more fully and more objectively. Tennyson's Idylls are often criticised as being overtly moralising and poetically weak. The nineteenth century English writer and theologian Richard Holt Hutton describes Tennyson's writing somewhat aptly when he writes . The main characters in The Idylls sometimes lack credibility, appearing within his poetry as stereotypes or simple embodiments of good and evil. This is most apparent in Tennyson's idealised characterisation of King Arthur, which we will return to later. However, there are many powerful and interesting facets within Tennyson's interpretation of Arthurian romance, so although we will have a brief look at the weak points and problems within The Idylls, we will be focusing on the parts that are most successful. Arthur: Good Versus Evil At the beginning of The Idylls, in 'The Coming of Arthur', the first thing we notice is the explicit and perhaps somewhat simplistic struggle between good and evil.

Arthur and his knights are described as those 'that fight for our fair father Christ' (line 509) and the poem moves between war song and calm iambic pentameter. It finally comes to a close with a recapitulation of the following lines: And through the puissance of his Table Round, Drew all their petty princedoms under him. Their king and head, and made a realm, and reigned. (lines 17-9) The passage ends on an oddly peaceful cadence, the repetition of the early lines reflecting the sense of secure enclosure created by the king's creation and protection of the kingdom. And Arthur and his knighthood for a space Were all one will, and through that strength the King Drew in the petty princedoms under him, Fought, and in twelve great battles overcame The heathen hordes, and made a realm and reigned. (lines 514-8) The wars themselves are quickly passed over and resolved into the perfection of Arthur's reign.

Tennyson appears to explicitly avoid the messiness of Arthur's conception, an event which Malory clearly describes as the outcome of murder, deceit and rape: So after the deth of the duke, kynge Uther lay with Igrayne more than thre houres after his deth, and begat on her that nyghte Arthur... But whan the lady herd telle of the duke her husband, and by all record he was dede or ever kynge Uther came to her, thenne she merveilled who that myghte be that laye with her in lykenes of her lord. So she mourned pryvely and held hir pees. (These lines are quoted from the Norton Critical Edition of Malory's Le Morte Darthur, ed. Stephen H. A. Shepherd, 2004.) (This gives an idea of what Malory's text looks like. Although the spelling might seem offputting, modern readers can quickly get used to it.

This passage in a modern version would be: 'So after the death of the duke, King Uther lay with Igrayne more than three hours (i.e., for more than three hours) after his death, and begat on her (i.e., conceived) that night Arthur... But when the lady heard tell of the Duke her husband, and by all record (i.e., that all reports agreed) he was dead or ever King Uther came to her (i.e., before King Uther ever came to her), then she marvelled who that might be that lay with her in likeness of her lord. So she mourned privily (i.e. privately) and held her peace.') A strong point of Tennyson's poem, however, is that it attends to multiple theories of Arthur's birth. Some call him 'baseborn' (line 179), while others say he is either the son of his mother's first husband Gorlois or of his foster-father Anton, rather than a son of Uther Pendragon, the mightiest of English kings.

However, Tennyson's best addition to the story is his suggestion of a supernatural interpretation of Arthur's birth, which he describes dramatically: 'And down the wave and in the flame was borne / A naked babe' (lines 382-3). Thus the godly King is both borne by and born from the elements, in a supernatural act that brings unity to the kingdom. Although the character of Arthur begins well (albeit without the difficult morality created through the doubt and confusion surrounding Arthur's conception in Malory's narrative), the character that becomes less and less realistic as The Idylls progress. He is at his least realistic in 'Guinevere' whereas Richard Hutton Holt puts it, . Tennyson pushes the sinless saviour version of Arthur forward to such a degree that he is in no way realistic or human.

Arthur expresses his regret over the loss of the golden days, a time when he made his knights swear To reverence the King, as if he were Their conscience, and their conscience as their King, To break the heathen and uphold the Christ, To ride abroad redressing human wrongs, To speak no slander, no, nor listen to it, To honour his own word as if his God's, To lead sweet lives in purist chastity. (lines 465-71) It might be argued that Tennyson, in attempting to pander to contemporary ideals and morals, diverges from Malory's more human characters and upholds a vision of purity and chastity so icily good that it becomes unbearable. This fits with the moral outlook of many Victorians, so it is not hard to understand why Tennyson omits and simplifies parts of the Malory version, such as the incestuous union of Arthur and Lot's wife of Orkeney that leads to the birth of Mordred: Wherefore the kynge caste grete love unto hir and desired to ly by her. And so they were agreed, and he begate uppon hir Sir Mordred.

And she was syster on the modirs side, Igrayne, unto Arthure. (From the Norton edition of Malory, p. 30.) ('Wherefore the king cast great love unto her and desired to lie by her. And so they were agreed, and he begat upon her (i.e., they conceived) Sir Mordred. And she was sister on the mother's side, Igrayne, unto Arthur (i.e. they shared the same mother, Igrayne).') However, the pure chastity of Tennyson's reinvented characters is hard to identify with, and as readers we find ourselves repeatedly drawn towards the human element in the form of sinning and fallen characters such as Guinevere and Lancelot. Guinevere and 'Doubleness' In The Cambridge Companion to Victorian Poetry the critic Joseph Bristow explains the idea of 'doubleness' in the book Victorian Poetry: Poetry, Poetics and Politics by the British academic Isobel Armstrong. He writes that she sees 'doubleness' as 'the defining characteristic of Victorian poetry, where a single poem may be thought almost always to contain two different and contradictory poems' (p. 32).

Thus, on the one hand we can read the poem as a celebration of Arthur's goodness and an indictment of the frailty of women, but it is simultaneously very easy to sympathise with Guinevere and agree with her opinion of Arthur as emotionally inferior to Lancelot, for example when Tennyson beautifully writes: Her journey done, [she] glanced at him, thought him cold, High, self-contained, and passionless, not like him, 'Not like my Lancelot'. ('Guinevere' lines 402-4) In 'Guinevere' Arthur's speech and judgement of his wife feel artificial and prove difficult to read. When he tells her 'And all is past, the sin is sinned, and I, / Lo! I forgive thee, as Eternal God / Forgives...' (lines 540-2) it is hard to accept Arthur as a godlike figure, and his golden words can be seen to double up as arrogance.

It is even harder to accept Tennyson's gloss on the Arthur that Malory describes as having several relationships as well as one incestuous liaison, when he says to his wife in 'Guinevere', 'For I was ever virgin save for thee' (line 554). Through the overt characterisation of Arthur as a redeeming Christ-like patriarch and Lancelot as a damned sinner, Lancelot emerges as the hero who claims all the reader's sympathy. We cannot react with anything other than pity and approval when Lancelot and the Queen 'rode to the divided way, / There kissed, and parted weeping: for he past, / Love-loyal to the least wish of the Queen' (lines 123-5). 'Merlin and Vivien' The Idylls aren't all as overtly moralising as 'Guinevere', however, and Tennyson is at his best when he closely engages with complex issues, for example gender, power and rhetoric, which he explores in poems such as 'Merlin and Vivien'.

'Merlin and Vivien' is based on a very short paragraph in Malory's Le Morte D'arthur which describes Merlin's infatuation with, and failure to seduce, the lake damsel Nimue. The passage ends with Merlin's imprisonment at the hands of the maiden. Tennyson skilfully adapts this short passage into the long poem which is arguably one of the finest in The Idylls. The briefly sketched Nimue becomes the finely delineated Vivien, and the simple game of failed male seduction becomes an infinitely complex power struggle between two equally menacing characters. In the poem the melancholy Merlin sees 'the high purpose broken by the worm' (line 194). This suggests that wherever there is truth and goodness, there is simultaneously hidden corruption which creeps, wormlike, into even the highest point of human virtue. The idea of good and evil in Tennyson refuses to resolve simply into Victorian dichotomies: good and evil cannot easily be unpacked and unloaded onto separate characters. With Merlin and Vivien it is impossible to locate either character as either vice or virtue. Instead, the winding persuasions and seductions serve to show that good and evil are inextricably intertwined.

This is illustrated perfectly when Tennyson describes both Vivien's beauty and her evil intent when she speaks to Merlin: 'Great Master, do ye love me?' he was mute. And lissome Vivien, holding by his heel, Writhed toward him, slided up his knee and sat, Behind his ankle twined her hollow feet Together, curved an arm about his neck, Clung like a snake... (lines 235-40) This kind of idea reappears at different moments in The Idylls, for example in Lancelot's speech in 'The Holy Grail' when he says: . . . in me lived a sin So strange, of such a kind, that all of pure, Noble, and knightly in me twined and clung Round that one sin, until the wholesome flower And poisonous grew together, each as each. (lines 769-73). Instead of looking to the past for an idealised landscape of simple oppositions such as good/evil, Christian/heathen, male/female, Tennyson uses Arthurian romance as a means to explore the overarching complexity of human morality.

A Doubtful Ending Finally, rather than ending The Idylls with an easy refutation of contemporary religious doubt and a confirmation of the truth of Christianity, Tennyson allows his poem to close with a sense of mystery and uncertainty. Although Arthur kills Mordred, he is left 'all but slain himself' (line 169), while Lancelot disappears entirely from the narrative. There are no longer any good or evil leaders left to guide the people. At the very end of 'The Passing of Arthur' Tennyson describes Arthur's last moments in Camelot: a scene emerges not unlike the biblical as Bedivere betrays Arthur twice before carrying out his demand. Though the passage is full of biblical resonances nothing is simplified. There is no obvious answer to Arthur's role as saviour or guardian; perhaps Arthur here becomes a Christ-like saviour who must be sacrificed before he can 'come again / To rule once more' (lines 191-2). If so, the confusion and obscurity in this poem is partly Tennyson's recognition of Victorian uncertainty and doubt. However, he harnesses this doubt to reaffirm faith and morality by using it as in indication of something larger than we can see.

Tennyson draws together Christianity with other mythologies and ends the myth in the way he begins it, with the elements. Born of water and fire, Arthur boards a boat and 'Somewhere far off, [he is seen to] pass on and on, and go / From less to less and vanish into light' (lines 467-8). Though there is no certainty, the poems present a reassuring circularity. This is comforting because it suggests renewal and hope. Though Tennyson's words and the age of the knights errant both come to an end in The Idylls, we are left with a promise of new beginnings, new eras and hope that overcomes religious doubt. Tennyson crafts a beautiful sense of melancholy which is encapsulated perfectly by Bedivere when he says '... the days darken round me, and the years, / Among new men, strange faces, other minds' (lines 405-6). Through the medium of medieval literature Tennyson skilfully addresses the doubt and insecurity which is often described as typical of the Victorian age. He challenges, reassures, and simultaneously reaffirms the impossibility of knowing 'even as also I am known'.

Though we cannot know in full, we are shown that we can do and know in part. The poem ends with a celebration of human , and it promises new life and new prospects, by finishing with a beautiful new beginning: 'And the new sun rose bringing the new year' (line 469). Further Thinking Do you think King Arthur is, or could be, such an important story for us today as it was for Tennyson? How might it be used to address the big problems of today? Do you agree that when Tennyson's characters (or characters in general) are too good they become less engaging? Sir Thomas Malory's compilation and rewriting of the Arthurian legends (the title means 'The Death of Arthur'), was written between around 1450 and 1470, and was first printed by William Caxton in 1485. See 'The Genius of Tennyson', in A Victorian Spectator : Uncollected Writings of R.H. Hutton, ed. Robert H. Tener and Malcolm Woodfield, p. 259; and see the essay about Tennyson and Hutton in this website.

In 'The Genius of Tennyson' again, p. 257. The 'one who was more than man' means Jesus. All four Gospels in the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) tell this story. Jesus predicts that Peter will deny that he knows him three times that night; this duly happens, to Peter's great regret. One of the words used in the English New Testament to translate the Greek word agape, which means generous rather than erotic love. Its most famous appearance is in 1 Corinthians 13: in the King James version verse 13 reads 'And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 6th, 2009 at 11:27 pm and is filed under Tennyson . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. Idylls of the King (Dodo Press): Alfred Tennyson: 9781406570786: Books - Amazon.ca By K. Jump on Feb.

13 2004 Format: Paperback For Tennyson, the Arthurian legend was an evolving love affair that lasted throughout the poet's life, and the "Idylls of the King" is the ultimate offspring of that enchanted love. Composed of a dozen individual yet interlinked story-poems, the Idylls span the whole of Malory's opus from Arthur's glorious rise to power to his fog-shrouded and mysterious death, "lest one good custom should corrupt the world." But Tennyson humanizes Malory's stories and infuses the whole with an almost Shakespearean aura of tragedy, redefining many of the legendary tales with a new level of gravitas unmatched before or since. Read more › 3 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback... Thank you for your feedback. Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again. By bixodoido on April 15 2003 Format: Paperback This lengthy poem about King Arthur's court is written in grand epic style, in the spirit of the Iliad, the Odyssey, and Paradise Lost, and drawing on these and other great epics.

Tennyson follows many of the traditional epic conventions here--the epic similes, the epic quests, etc. But this work is not wholly an epic, it is rather more of a Romance. The book is divided into various sections, each dealing with a knight (or knights) of King Arthur's court. The adventures they encounter are various and only remotely connected, but there is a back story to each. Something is going on behind the scenes. The first part of the book deals with the rise of Arthur, and of the glory of his kingdom. The second part focuses on the gradual decline of his influence, and culminates with the King's discovery of Lancelot and Guinevere's affair. This is one of my favorite Arthurian romances. Tennyson's verse is beautiful and vivid, and his story is both compelling and easy to follow. No study of English Romanticism would be complete without Tennyson, and this is one of his finest works. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback... Thank you for your feedback. Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again.

By Ilana Teitelbaum on April 20 2001 Format: Paperback If Malory's "Le Morte D'Arthur" is the backbone of Arthurian literature, Tennyson's "Idylls" are its flesh and blood. In this extraordinary epic poem, Tennyson has transformed Malory's automatons to living and breathing characters, and infuses the legend of King Arthur with passionate intensity that had hitherto been absent. In addition to this, for the first time King Arthur's story, told in its immensity, becomes something more than a dry cataloguing of events or an excuse to have knights and derring-do: underlying "Idylls of the King" is a vision of tragedy and destiny only vaguely hinted at in Malory. Admittedly, this is not the easiest thing in the world to read, but simply reading major parts is worth it, without necessarily following the story of Tristram or other such details. Most interesting in this poem is the relationship between Guinevere and Lancelot, which is complicated and sometimes dark.

Tennyson's characters are complex beings, complete with inner shadows and desires which sometimes conflict with the ideals put forth by Arthur's "Table Round." Since it is after all Tennyson, the language is breathtaking, though one familiar with his other poetry might be slightly regretful, as I was, that it occasionally lacks the power of his other poems. Perhaps this is to be expected, given the length: and since it is Tennyson, less powerful than his other work is still marvelous. Some may be irritated by Tennyson's moralistic streak, which is hard to ignore, as well as the distinct parallels with Christianity which the poet introduces from time to time. The idea that women somehow embody all sin certainly makes an appearance here, as Guinevere is sometimes portrayed almost as evil incarnate. Read more › Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback... Thank you for your feedback. Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again. By Amazon Customer on Sept. 29 2003 Format: Paperback Alfred Lord Tennyson impresses the reader with his unique talent of writing poetry.

He writes a series of poems based on myths, legends, epics and so on to produce a work so skillfully written, one's eyes could be glued to the book in marvel at the fine imagery he creates to tell his story. Much of his poems are based upon King Arthur's period of time. His representaion of the era accentuates a period in time when he was named Poet Laruette. His skill and passion for writing captures the minds of those who seek love as well for those who strive for adventure. As this book has a wide selction of tales to tell, one of my all-time favorite poems for some reason is, Lady of Shallott. Tennyson's sharp use of words inspired many artists that turned is words of imagery into a painting. After reading this book, try browsing the web or search through art books to find what faomous paintings there are that were influenced by Tennyson. This book I would highly recommend to those who especially enjoy reading poetry, for Tennyson is one of the most well-known and most talented poets the world has yet to know. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback... Thank you for your feedback. Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again.

Tennyson, Alfred Lord | Robbins Library Digital Projects Read Less In the same year Alfred Tennyson wrote his first Arthurian poem "Morte d'Arthur" (1833), Samuel Taylor Coleridge claimed "as to Arthur, you could not by any means make a poem national to Englishmen. What have we to do with him?" (qtd. in Rosenberg "Tennyson"). This implication that Arthurian literature is escapist and irrelevant is a familiar criticism. In contrast and perhaps response, Tennyson called the Arthurian legend "the greatest of all poetical subjects," which partly explains why this tradition so heavily influenced his writing. With varying degrees of intensity, Tennyson drafted and revised his Arthurian epic -- Idylls of the King -- from his early twenties until a few months before his death, popularizing what became an avid Victorian interest in Arthuriana. Tennyson was born on the fifth of August in 1809 and grew up in a small village of Somersby, Lincolnshire. Throughout his childhood his father, George Clayton Tennyson, suffered from deteriorating mental health, epileptic fits, and alcoholism.

Tennyson's father went to Cambridge to study for the church, eventually becoming responsible for the Somersby Rectory. Alfred and his siblings were known to play in a brook at the bottom of the Rectory garden, and it was the scene of castle-building and mock-tournaments. Elizabeth Fytche Tennyson, Alfred's mother, loved poetry and often read aloud to her children James Beattie's Minstrel, James Thomson's The Seasons, or the work of Felicia Hemans. Alfred memorized much seventeenth- and eighteenth-century poetry, including the works of Milton, William Collins, and Thomson, from which he derived many of his early techniques in writing loco-descriptive poetry. Elizabeth encouraged Alfred to write, while George viewed creative writing as a needless diversion from reading the classics. Alfred had a knack for story-telling. His sister Cecilia recalls that friends and family would listen "open-eared and open-mouthed to legends of knights and heroes" (qtd. in Ormond 8). Before the age of fourteen, Alfred had composed a six thousand line epic in the style of Walter Scott's Marmion and at least one blank verse drama entitled The Devil and the Lady.

As early as the 1830s, he began to consider a serial Arthurian poem, and two different schemes developed: a twelve-book epic, for which he wrote a prose draft in 1833, and a muscial masque, for which he outlined a plot in five acts before 1840 (Eggers 5). Poems (1833), published when Tennyson was only twenty-three years old, includes two Arthurian references, a stanza in The Palace of Art describing Arthur in the Vale of Avalon, and "The Lady of Shalott." Four poems being developed as the early as the 1830s and published in 1842 -- "The Lady of Shalott" (a revised edition), "Sir Launcelot and Queen Guinevere," "Sir Galahad," and "Morte d'Arthur" -- typify varied approaches to the Arthurian tradition. "Morte d'Arthur" represents one of his attempts to achieve some fidelity to Thomas Malory. Malory's Arthur is "a great warrior, a noble leader of men, an exemplary monarch," but most importantly a very human ruler (Staines 3).

This poem is a careful expansion, and at times embellishment, of Malory's account of the conclusion of Arthur's life with the exception of a few references to Excalibur (17). During this time, Tennyson envisioned a series of allegorical poems with Arthur as religious faith, Merlin as science, Excalibur as war, Mordred as sceptical understanding, and the Round Table representing liberal institutions. He later claimed that he gave up this plan for an Arthurian epic because of hostile reviews of "Morte d'Arthur." (Ormond 142) Beyond the profound influence of King Arthur, Tennyson's childhood friend Arthur Henry Hallam to whom Tennyson dedicated In Memoriam (1833-1849; 1850) also played an important role. Late in 1833, after the shock of Hallam's death at twenty-two from a cerebral hemorrhage, Tennyson drafted the "Morte d'Arthur." At the time of his death, Hallam was engaged to marry Tennyson's sister Emily whom he had met during their four-year friendship.

As John Rosenberg notes, Hallam was "dead too young to have shaped a life in public" so he "lived posthumously as a prince of friends, a king of intellects." Interestingly, the draft of "Morte d'Arthur," which was later incorporated into "The Passing of Arthur," appears in the same notebook as In Memoriam. For Tennyson, Arthur had both personal and literary implications. ("Tennyson" 229) The other three poems from this early period -- " The Lady of Shalott, " " Sir Launcelot and Queen Guinevere, " and " Galahad " -- introduce readers to more Arthurian subject matter based in varying degrees on medieval sources and signify some themes that would become more fully realized in Idylls. "The Lady of Shalott" is based on a thirteenth-century Italian novelette entitled Donna di Scalotta. Whereas the Italian version focuses on the lady's death and her reception at Camelot, Tennyson emphasizes her isolation in the tower and her decision to participate in the living world, two subjects not even mentioned in Donna di Scalotta.

In "The Lady of Shalott," Arthuriana is "introduced as a valid setting for the study of the artist and the dangers of personal isolation" (Ormond 11). "Sir Launcelot and Queen Guinevere" represents "an attempt to create a highly visualized story involving central figures of the Arthurian world" (Ormond 14). Like Malory's knight, Tennyson's Galahad is pure, honest, devout and sincere, "yet his introspection, his self-analysis, his exuberant joy bordering on arrogance, his ceaseless desire for activity and movement, these qualities make him a distinctly Victorian portrait of a medieval figure and a precursor of the Galahad of the Pre-Raphaelites" (16). In a more general sense, it is fair to say that the pre-Raphaelite fascination with Arthuriana is traceable to Tennyson's work. Despite references to a variety of medieval sources, it is clear that Tennyson intended Idylls to reflect his contemporary times and concerns. And, indeed, Arthurian legends seem to have had particular appeal to the Victorians.

Matthew Arnold suggested with a hint of irony that "the peculiar charm" of Idylls is that it does not have the "aroma of the Middle Ages" (qtd. in Ricks 663). Tennyson's historical sources are diverse -- "Anglo-Saxon social customs, bardic ideals, classical myths, Welsh myths, Victorian ethics, renaissance imagery, and many Arthurian legends" (Eggers 7). Idylls is in part a hypothetical portrait of Victorian England with its high idealism, strict morality, and warring extremism. Hallam Tennyson wrote that his father hoped to combat "the cynical indifference, the intellectual selfishness, the sloth of will, the utilitarian materialism of a transition age" (qtd. in Eggers 20). Arthur's idealism reflects the need for a sustaining purpose in the Victorian era as well as the sometimes foolish utopian hopes associated with the time (Eggers 21). In many ways, Arthur can be read as representative of this tension as he embodies both admirably heroic qualities as well as impossible ideals.

Guinevere offers the most thorough critique of Arthur's virtue -- "he is all fault who hath no fault at all" (Hill 498: 131) -- suggesting that Arthur lacks humanity and that strict morality and perfectionism are flawed principles by which to live. How to read Guinevere, of course, varies according to one's sympathies. She is among the false in The True and the False series (1859); still, she occupies a strong, central role in Idylls. Though the depth of that criticism is relative, her perspective articulates important critiques of idealism that is removed from everyday life. In the 1850s, Tennyson's plans for a serial Arthurian poem were uncertain, but he already had an epic cycle in mind. Perhaps it was the success of his first long poem, The Princess (1847), that encouraged him to return to Arthurian subjects. In addition to reading Arthurian material extensively, he was at Glastonbury in August 1854, and in Wales for two months in 1856, visiting places associated with Arthur and his knights.

Despite these signs of preparation, in December 1858 Tennyson wrote to an American publisher, "I wish that you would disabuse your own minds and those of others, as far as you can, of the fancy that I am about an Epic of King Arthur. I should be crazed to attempt such a thing in the nineteenth century" (Letters 2.212). Seven months later Tennyson published the first four books as Idylls: "Enid" was written between April and August 1856, "Guinevere" followed in July 1857, and then came "Elaine," begun at Little Holland House in July 1858, and all of these poems including "Vivien" were completed in February 1859 (Ricks 660). "Enid" was eventually divided into "The Marriage of Geraint" and "Geraint and Enid." The first title he intended to publish these poems under was The True and the False. This strict moral dichotomy defines each of the stories. Enid unquestioningly follows and serves her husband, although he humiliates her based on his groundless belief that she is unfaithful.

Elaine, "the fair, Elaine the loveable," as she is referred to in the opening line, dies of grief because of her innocent but consuming love for Lancelot. In contrast, the snake-like Vivien seduces Merlin and the more ambiguous Guinevere betrays her husband and repents too late. Throughout the decade after the publication of the first volume of Idylls, Tennyson was personally encouraged by those as prestigious as Queen Victoria and Thomas Babington Macaulay to continue the series. Tennyson was apprehensive about interpreting the quest for the Holy Grail: "I doubt whether such a subject could be handled in these days without incurring a charge of irreverence. It would be too much like playing with sacred things. The old writers believed in the Sangraal" (Letters 2.244). Nevertheless, in 1869 he published another volume, adding to the collection: " The Holy Grail, " " The Coming of Arthur, " " Pelleas and Ettarre, " and " The Passing of Arthur.

" Over the next decade, he would publish individually The Last Tournament (1871 in the Contemporary), Gareth and Lynette, and Other Poems (1872, including "The Last Tournament"), To the Queen (1873), Balin and Balan (1885), and Geraint and Enid (1888). Departing from earlier attention to the dynamics of true and false love, these texts depict the rise and fall of a society, perhaps suggesting an expansive allegory about Victorian culture. The Idylls were generally well-received and proved extremely popular. Tennyson then published " Merlin and the Gleam " in 1889, which was the first Arthurian poem written separately from the Idylls since the 1842 volume. Not only were Tennyson's Arthurian tales extremely popular, they also inspired an enormous quantity of popular imagery, including illustrations by Gustave Doré, a series of photographs by Julia Margaret Cameron, and a set of Minton tiles designed by John Moyr Smith. Other Arthurian-inspired works from the Victorian period include plates, paintings, tapestries, and sculpture (Ormond 172).

Fortunately, Coleridge had not anticipated the national and cultural influence of Arthurian literature as Tennyson was able to revive this narrative to have relevance to the Victorians and later generations.

Question: Idylls of the King is a collection of Arthurian-based poems by which poet laureate?
Answer: Alfred, Lord Tennyson