Learn about "The Eagle" by Alfred Lord Tennyson. Read "The Eagle" poem, explore the summary, find the in-depth analysis, and discover the poetic techniques.
Updated: 11/21/2023
The Eagle by Alfred Lord Tennyson | Summary & Analysis
Table of Contents
- "The Eagle" by Alfred Lord Tennyson
- Summary of the "The Eagle" Poem
- "The Eagle" by Alfred Lord Tennyson Analysis
- Lesson Summary
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the meaning of "He clasps the crag with crooked hands?"
This line refers to the way in which the eagle grabs onto the mountain rock walls with his claws. Crag, in this context, refers to rock. "Crooked hands" refer to the eagle's claws, which have the ability to curl powerfully in order to attain a solid grip.
What is the theme of The Eagle poem?
The theme of Alfred Lord Tennyson's 'The Eagle' is strength and nobility in and of the natural world. This is most noticeable in the author's use of personification and imagery throughout the poem.
What is the meaning of the poem The Eagle?
The eagle serves as a metaphor for the grace and power of nature's force. The eagle is seen navigating its kingdom, both the sea and the sky, gracefully and with precision.
Table of Contents
- "The Eagle" by Alfred Lord Tennyson
- Summary of the "The Eagle" Poem
- "The Eagle" by Alfred Lord Tennyson Analysis
- Lesson Summary
This poem was first published in 1851 by author Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809-1982). Tennyson was greatly affected by writers of the Romantic period (1798-1837), and crafted works that could fit within the genre. This era of art emerged as a response to national conflicts, most notably the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783) and the French Revolutionary War (1792-1802). The philosophy of the era was to reimagine the human experience with a childlike and innocent attitude towards the world. It featured the new role of individual thought and personal feeling, emphasizing the subjective experience over the objective whole. This was often showcased in one's individual relationship with nature, beauty, and the supernatural realm. This left room for the artist to prioritize the imagination over objective reality. Artists of the Romantic era in general put emphasis on imagination over reality.
The foundational artists of this era include William Blake (1757-1827), William Wordsworth (1770-1850), Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834), George Gordon, Lord Byron (1788-1824), Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) and John Keats (1795-1821).
Alfred Lord Tennyson's work is largely categorized into works of the Romantic genre; however, it should be noted that he actually published mostly within and was celebrated in his own time during the Victorian period (1937-1901).
"The Eagle" Poem
He clasps the crag with crooked hands;
Close to the sun in lonely lands,
Ring'd with the azure world, he stands.
The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;
He watches from his mountain walls,
And like a thunderbolt he falls.
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- Stanza One, Line One: He (an eagle) grips a rock with his claws.
- Stanza One, Line Two: He is high from the ground in an area unpopulated by other creatures.
- Stanza One, Line Three: The eagle is surrounded by the sea and sky. Alone he stands on the mountainous rock wall.
- Stanza Two, Line One: The ocean is far below from where the eagle rests on the rockface.
- Stanza Two, Line Two: The eagle observes his surroundings from his position on the mountain wall.
- Stanza Two, Line Three: The eagle leaves his perch, diving down towards the ground or sea, presumably to hunt.
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This poem is a celebration of nature's majesty. In clear, unadorned language, the author provides the reader with a rich study of the nobility and strength of the eagle, both serving as the primary themes of the poem. Note the way Tennyson portrays the creature of the eagle as having dominance over his environment. He places him visually close to the sun, a place of prominence over "lonely lands." He exists here unrivaled by man, beast, earth, or water.
The sea is cast in an unusual part in this poem. The sea is usually portrayed as something grand, mysterious, and powerful. However, in this poem, it is something that "crawls" and has "wrinkles." This serves to heighten the eagle even more in his dominance and nobility. In contrast, the eagle is situated in mountain walls, unaffected by the powerful water. When he does move, he doesn't "crawl" like the sea but like a "thunderbolt," with strength and purpose.
"The Eagle" Poem Techniques
Tennyson employs several noteworthy techniques in the composition of this poem: alliteration, personification, hyperbole, imagery, metaphor, and simile.
- Alliteration: the repetition of the same sound at the start of a series of words in succession whose purpose is to provide an audible pulse that gives a piece of writing a lulling, lyrical, and emotive effect.
Note the strong "C" consonants in the first line of the first stanza in the words "clasp," "crag," and "crooked." The repetition and rhythm of the harsh "c" consonant sonically emphasizes the strength of the eagle portrayed in this line.
- Personification: a poetic device where animals, plants, or even inanimate objects, are given human qualities, resulting in a poem full of imagery and description.
The author chooses to use human pronouns and features when describing the eagle. Throughout the poem, he refers to the eagle as "he" rather than "it." Similarly, he describes the eagle grasping at the rock face with "hands" rather than "claws." This effectively gives the eagle a more prominent status in the mind of the reader. Without these instances of personification, the reader wouldn't be as affected by the phrase, "he stands." Because animals are capable of standing, this wouldn't necessarily be personification. However, because it is preceded by the consistent personification of the eagle, it is pictured in a humanlike, dominant stance by this phrase.
Another non-human entity that is personified is the sea. The author describes it as "wrinkled" and writes beneath the eagle it "crawls." While personification elevates the status of the eagle, it does the opposite for the sea. Wrinkles and crawling suggest a pitiful creature. What is interesting here is that the effect is not so much that we think of the sea as pitiful, but rather pitiful by comparison to the eagle. This even further elevates the strength and nobility of the creature.
- Hyperbole _:_a figure of speech that is an intentional exaggeration for emphasis or comic effect.
In the final line of the poem, the author ceases to personify the eagle. He writes "And like a thunderbolt he falls." In this way, the eagle transcends even his dominant, kingly status to that of a force of nature. In this way, it is understood that the eagle is not falling on accident or turning into a bolt of lightning; rather, he is demonstrating his power.
- Imagery: Elements of a poem that invoke any of the five senses to create a set of mental images.
There is hardly any word space allocated to anything other than imagery in this poem. In the first line of the first stanza, the words "clasp," "crag," and "crooked hands" center the reader around the eagle. The reader is thus situated close enough to the eagle to see him grip his claws around the hard rock of what will later be seen to be the mountain walls. "Crooked claws" here is also an example of personification, giving the eagle "hands" instead of claws.
Then, in the second line, "sun" and "lonely lands" are seen. These images provide the reader with a sense of the eagle's movement, his path over a vast space of blue sky and sunlight. The position of the eagle close to the sun emphasizes the kingly status the eagle has in this environment. The sun shining down on the eagle with the bright blue sky in the background makes the eagle seem more powerful than everything else.
The third line provides a powerful sense of placement and authority with the words "azure world," and "stands." It is clear that the lonely lands are referring to a space where there are rocks, sky, and sea.
The image of the sea being "wrinkled" and "crawling" beneath in the second stanza are also powerful images that personify the sea, creating a clear relationship between the humanlike sea and humanlike eagle. Through these images, we understand that the eagle has a greater status.
- Metaphor: The eagle itself serves as a metaphor for a powerful individual, such as a king. The surrounding area, therefore, represents this ruler's land, or kingdom. The eagle is perched in a manner that implies overseeing this kingdom, solitary in its rule.
The image of the eagle watching "from his mountain walls" further reinforces this idea, as this conjures the image of a castle's walls, stalwart against intrusion much like this craggy rock would be.
- Simile: The poem features an excellent simile seen in the line "Like a thunderbolt, he falls." This line implies the eagle dives fast like lightning and shakes the earth like thunder. The reader watches the eagle perched on his mountain wall before the eagle makes his precise, powerful dive down, described like a "thunderbolt."
The image of the "mountain walls" in the second line of the second stanza infer the final vantage point of the poem.
- Structure: The poem itself is structured into "tercets" and is just two short stanzas in length. A "tercet" is a poem wherein each stanza is three lines long. This style of poem has historically been associated with the subject of nature and the use of strong imagery. From just a glance at the tercet structure, it's likely that the poem will reflect on an aspect of the natural world.
While tercets do not necessitate a particular rhyme scheme, it is worth noting that the author elected to employ the AAA, BBB rhyme scheme, in which the last word at the end of each line rhymes. For example, the AAA rhyming words in the first stanza of "The Eagle" are "hands," "lands," and "stands."
Tennyson's strict adherence to iambic tetrameter (four iambic feet per line) cues the reader into the author's interest in structure. Each line consists of eight syllables divided into alternating stressed and unstressed accents. As the entire poem of "The Eagle" is written in iambic tetrameter, here is a visual example of the division of syllables. The stressed syllables are capitalized below:
"The WRIN-kled SEA be-NEATH him CRAWLS"
Given the themes of power and nobility in the poem's actual language, it's worth noting how this concise, intricate technique reflects the poem's interest in strength and precision.
Another interesting technique is the use of caesura, a stop or pause in a metrical line. In "The Eagle," this occurs in the third line of the first stanza. "Ring'd with the azure world, he stands." The phrase "he stands" is carefully separated from the prior in order to strengthen the snapshot of the eagle in our minds. When the stop or pause in a metrical line happens at the end of the line, it is called a "terminal caesurae." Again, the timing of the pause is used to heighten the drama of the eagle's image.
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Alfred Lord Tennyson's "The Eagle" details the author's roots in the Romantic period. This was a period when poets believed in imagination over reality. The themes of strength and nobility are prominent in this work through the author's use of alliteration, personification, hyperbole, imagery, metaphor, and simile. Alliteration is the repetition of the first sound in multiple words, as seen with "lonely" and "lands" in the poem. Personification is seen in the poem when the eagle is described as having "crooked hands," which draws the mind toward humans while the eagle itself possesses claws. Meanwhile, imagery, such as the bright blue sky backdrop and the sun beaming behind the eagle, makes the eagle seem more powerful than everything else. A simile is seen in the poem with the line "Like a thunderbolt, he falls" which implies the eagle dives fast like lightning and shakes the earth like thunder.
The structure of the poem is written in two stanzas of tercets (stanzas of three lines). This form of poetry has historically been associated with nature as the subject of the poem. The rhyme scheme follows an AAA, BBB pattern. The poem also strictly adheres to iambic tetrameter and employs a "terminal caesurae," a form of a caesura which occurs at the end of the poetic line.
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Video Transcript
Background
'The Eagle' is a poem written by the Englishman Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Tennyson lived during the Victorian Era, during the 1800s. In this era, a movement called Romanticism became extremely popular within the literary society. It was the reaction to the previous Age of Reason among the culture.
Romanticism focused on freedom instead of formalism, individualism instead of conformity, and imagination instead of reality. Romantic poets believed that nature was beautiful, and humans are the center of nature. They believed humans should get in touch with their inner soul by appreciating the beauty of nature. Tennyson's 'The Eagle' clearly shows an emphasis on appreciating nature.
Poem and Summary
Let's take a look at this poem:
'The Eagle'
by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
He clasps the crag with crooked hands;
Close to the sun in lonely lands,
Ringed with the azure world, he stands.
The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;
He watches from his mountain walls,
And like a thunderbolt he falls.
The poem has a very simple concept. It focuses on one eagle alone in the wild. In the first line, the eagle is atop a mountain, poised to strike. He is high up where no other animal or human can go. He is alone in his grandeur, with the sun and the bright blue sky forming the perfect background scenery.
The second stanza shows the only action of the eagle. The first and second line show that, as he watches from his high perch, the sea moves below him. Then, in the final line, the eagle makes a grand dive towards the sea. The poem ends here, with the reader not quite sure why the eagle dived off his mountain roost.
Analysis
'The Eagle' is one of Tennyson's shortest poems. It is composed of only two stanzas, with three lines each. However, it is full of figurative language and deeper meaning. Let's look at the figurative language in each line.
Reread the first line of the poem. You should be able to detect alliteration (a repetition of similar sounds in the beginning of words) in the words 'clasps,' 'crag' and 'crooked.' Each of those words begins with a hard 'c' sound. Tennyson uses this technique to make emphasis and create a specific melody. The reader cannot breeze through these sounds; each hard 'c' makes the reader pause and enunciate.
In this way, Tennyson is ensuring the reader pauses to consider the eagle, high up on his perch. In addition, these lines have personification, which gives human traits to inhuman objects. Do eagles have hands? Of course not. Describing the eagle as holding on with hands makes the comparison to humans, which in turn, makes the eagle seem much more important than a simple bird.
Move on to the second line. Again, there is alliteration in the phrase 'lonely lands.' There is also hyperbole, which is an extreme exaggeration, in the phrase 'close to the sun.' Is the eagle actually close to the sun? Not really, the sun is millions of miles away from the Earth. Again, Tennyson uses these devices to emphasize how this eagle is sitting on top of the world, where no other living being could possibly be, even man.
Reread the third line. It contains imagery, or words that appeal to the five senses, that are extremely visual. Tennyson uses the color word 'azure,' which literally means bright blue, and this blue sky is 'ringed' around the eagle. This creates a very majestic image. Picture looking up at this tall, rocky mountain. The eagle sits on top, above all other life, with the sun blazing behind him, and the bright blue sky accentuating his silhouette. It's a pretty impressive visual.
Now look at the second stanza. The first line has more personification; the sea is described as 'wrinkled' and it 'crawls,' both very human traits. In this case, the emphasis adds to the imagery of the poem as a whole. Is the eagle moving? Squirming in any way? Not in the slightest. He is perfectly still, while the sea, which should be a very powerful entity, wrinkles and crawls. Again, the eagle is made to be more powerful than any being, man or nature.
Reread the fifth line. This adds more to the image of the eagle resting, high and mighty, above all else. 'Mountain walls' is a metaphor (a comparison without using like or as) comparing the mountain to walls built to keep things out. The eagle watches from these walls, which are called 'his.' Again, implying the eagle's reign over all.
Finally, look at the last line. This line has a simile, which is a comparison using like or as. Tennyson compares the eagle to a thunderbolt. Why not, say, lightning? What does thunder imply? Tennyson uses this simile to once again show the power of the eagle. The eagle dives as fast as lightning, but shaking the earth like thunder.
Overall, every use of figurative language in this short poem centers on putting the eagle in a powerful and majestic picture. Analyzing the deeper meaning behind Tennyson's words, the reader can see the beauty in nature. In this way, Tennyson can show the power nature has over all mankind.
Lesson Summary
'The Eagle' is a poem written by the Englishman Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Tennyson lived during the Victorian Era during the 1800s. In this era, a movement called Romanticism became extremely popular within the literary society. Romanticism focused on freedom instead of formalism, individualism instead of conformity, and imagination instead of reality.
The poem uses many examples of figurative language, all with the purpose of creating a majestic and commanding representation of an eagle. In this way, Tennyson shows how man needs to connect to his human soul through the appreciation and admiration of nature. Some of this figurative language includes alliteration, personification, hyperbole, imagery, metaphor, and simile.
Notes on the Poem
 |
- 'The Eagle' is a poem written during the Romanticism movement in the Victorian Era.
- The poem is one of Lord Tennyson's shortest at two stanzas of three lines each.
- The poem uses figurative language, like personification, simile, and imagery, to make the eagle more than just a bird.
Learning Outcomes
Upon finishing this lesson on 'The Eagle,' you could be prepared to do the following:
- Provide an analysis of 'The Eagle' by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
- Recognize the literary devices used in the poem and understand their intended effect on the reader
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The Eagle by Alfred Lord Tennyson | Summary & Analysis
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