Evaluate 'Break, Break, Break' as an elegy.

Evaluate ‘Break, Break, Break’ as an elegy.

Give a critical account of the poem ‘Break, Break, Break’.

Write a critical appreciation of the poem ‘Break, Break, Break.

Ans.

Introduction

The poem, Break, Break, Break is an elegy written by Tennyson. In 1833, the death of Arthur Hallam shocked Tennyson. Moreover, the poet was already highly dejected due to the adverse criticism on the publication of his Poems in 1831. His disgusting love-affair, with Rosa Baring, too increased his suffering. The poet is sad and dejected. His heart is rarely stricken with grief. It is a pathetic elegy. His grief did not stop or decrease after the composition of his elegy. We can find out the poet’s dejection in his later poem namely ‘In Memoriam‘ (1850). The poet presents therein his own Melancholy and despair in pathetic strain.

Development of Thought

The poet is found seated somewhere nearby the ocean and hill. He invokes the sea to upraise the waves to collide against the gray stones. He himself will try to utter his grief if he could. He finds the fisher boy playing with his sister. The son of the sailor too is very happy. He is busy in singing while sailing his boat. The ships are also moving towards the harbour under the hill in a grand manner. The poet finds everything meeting with its destination and wishes to have his lost friend. He is curious to listen the voice of his friend. The waves of the sea are colliding against the crags and stones but the poet finds no remedy to his grief. He will never have his friend back to life.

Deep Pathos in the Poem

The poem narrates a contrast between the normal course of Nature’s life and the sad aspect of the poet heart. Only the poet does not enjoy Nature’s life, because he cannot meet his friend. It seems that the Nature does not pay attention to the feelings of the poet. There is a note of deep pathos in the shortness of the style of the poem-

But for the touch of vanished hand,

And the sound of a voice that is still!”

The mood of Nature presents a mood of betrayal to the poet. The poet too presents his solemn sadness expressing his mood of intense, desire to have his friend alive. The music of the poem is suitable to the sound of the waves and expression of dirge.

To sum up, according to the trend of romantic poetry, the poet expresses the impersonal pleasure sin the reference of personal dissolution so that he may elevate the sense of sadness suitable to the subject of the poem.