Excerpt

Excerpt from The Princess, by Baron Alfred Tennyson Tennyson

III

Morn in the wake of the morning star
Came furrowing all the orient into gold.
We rose, and each by other drest with care
Descended to the court that lay three parts
In shadow, but the Muses' heads were touched
Above the darkness from their native East.

    There while we stood beside the fount, and watched<br />

Or seemed to watch the dancing bubble, approached
Melissa, tinged with wan from lack of sleep,
Or grief, and glowing round her dewy eyes
The circled Iris of a night of tears;
'And fly,' she cried, 'O fly, while yet you may!
My mother knows:' and when I asked her 'how,'
'My fault' she wept 'my fault! and yet not mine;
Yet mine in part. O hear me, pardon me.
My mother, 'tis her wont from night to night
To rail at Lady Psyche and her side.
She says the Princess should have been the Head,
Herself and Lady Psyche the two arms;
And so it was agreed when first they came;
But Lady Psyche was the right hand now,
And the left, or not, or seldom used;
Hers more than half the students, all the love.
And so last night she fell to canvass you:
Her countrywomen! she did not envy her.
"Who ever saw such wild barbarians?
Girls?--more like men!" and at these words the snake,
My secret, seemed to stir within my breast;
And oh, Sirs, could I help it, but my cheek
Began to burn and burn, and her lynx eye
To fix and make me hotter, till she laughed:
"O marvellously modest maiden, you!
Men! girls, like men! why, if they had been men
You need not set your thoughts in rubric thus
For wholesale comment." Pardon, I am shamed
That I must needs repeat for my excuse
What looks so little graceful: "men" (for still
My mother went revolving on the word)
"And so they are,--very like men indeed--
And with that woman closeted for hours!"
Then came these dreadful words out one by one,
"Why--these--are--men:" I shuddered: "and you know it."
"O ask me nothing," I said: "And she knows too,
And she conceals it." So my mother clutched
The truth at once, but with no word from me;
And now thus early risen she goes to inform
The Princess: Lady Psyche will be crushed;
But you may yet be saved, and therefore fly;
But heal me with your pardon ere you go.'

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Explanation

Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from The Princess by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Context of The Princess

Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s The Princess (1847) is a long narrative poem that blends medieval romance, social satire, and feminist themes. Set in a fictional kingdom where women rule, the poem explores gender roles, education, and power through the story of Princess Ida, who founds a women-only university to reject traditional marriage. The excerpt comes from Book III, where a group of young men, disguised as women, infiltrate the university to win back their loves. The speaker here is one of these men (likely Florimell), recounting a conversation with Melissa, a student who has discovered their secret and warns them to flee before the Princess learns the truth.

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Themes in the Excerpt

1. Deception and Discovery

   • The men’s disguise as women is central to the plot, and Melissa’s revelation that their secret is exposed creates tension. The poem plays with appearance vs. reality, a common Victorian concern (e.g., gender performance, social masks).
   • Melissa’s guilt ("my fault! and yet not mine") suggests complicity—she may have inadvertently revealed the truth through her emotional reaction.

2. Gender and Power Dynamics

   • The university is a female-dominated space, but the men’s infiltration threatens its order. The Princess’s mother resents Lady Psyche (a rival educator) for gaining more influence, mirroring real-world struggles over female authority.
   • The line "Girls?—more like men!" critiques Victorian gender norms. The men’s masculinity is seen as "barbaric" in a feminine space, yet their presence also exposes the fragility of the women’s autonomy.

3. Betrayal and Loyalty

   • Melissa’s conflicted loyalty—warning the men while fearing for Lady Psyche—highlights the personal cost of political struggles. Her tears and shame ("I am shamed") show how individuals are caught in larger power games.
   • The mother’s accusation ("Why—these—are—men") is delivered with dramatic pauses, emphasizing the shock of the revelation.

4. Nature vs. Artifice

   • The opening lines describe a golden dawn, symbolizing natural beauty and order, but the court is "three parts in shadow," suggesting hidden truths. The Muses’ heads (symbols of art and intellect) are "touched" by light, hinting at enlightenment—but also surveillance.
   • The "dancing bubble" in the fountain contrasts with Melissa’s distress, juxtaposing transient beauty with human suffering.

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Literary Devices & Stylistic Analysis

1. Imagery

   • Light/Darkness: The dawn’s gold vs. the court’s shadows mirrors the tension between truth and secrecy. The Muses’ heads being "touched… from their native East" suggests knowledge (and judgment) coming from a higher power.
   • Color Symbolism:
     • Melissa is "tinged with wan" (paleness from grief/sleeplessness).
     • The "circled Iris of a night of tears" (a rainbow-like halo around her eyes) evokes both beauty and sorrow, linking her to Hera’s messenger Iris (a symbol of divine communication, but also suffering).
   • Animal Imagery:
     • The "snake" in Melissa’s breast represents guilt or hidden truth (biblical/Edenic overtones).
     • The mother’s "lynx eye" suggests predatory perception, reinforcing her role as an accuser.

2. Diction & Tone

   • Melissa’s Speech: Her lines are fragmented and emotional, with dashes ("—Her countrywomen!") and exclamations ("O fly!") conveying urgency and distress.
   • The Mother’s Voice: Her dialogue is mocking and rhythmic, with repetitive phrases ("men!—more like men!") that mimic gossip and accusation. The slow revelation ("Why—these—are—men") builds suspense.
   • Archaic Language: Words like "canvass" (to scrutinize), "rubric" (a heading or category, here meaning her thoughts are exposed), and "wont" (customary) lend a formal, almost medieval tone, fitting the poem’s fairy-tale setting.

3. Syntax & Structure

   • Enjambment: Lines flow into each other (e.g., "Descended to the court that lay three parts / In shadow"), creating a narrative urgency that mirrors the characters’ tension.
   • Parallelism: The mother’s complaint about Psyche’s dominance uses triadic structure ("the Head, / Herself and Lady Psyche the two arms"), emphasizing hierarchy and imbalance.
   • Dramatic Pauses: The mother’s accusation is staggered ("Why—these—are—men"), making it more chilling.

4. Allusions & Mythology

   • The Muses: Their heads being lit suggests inspiration and judgment—they "see" the truth even if the characters do not.
   • Iris: The rainbow goddess links Melissa’s tears to divine messages, but also to fleeting beauty (like the bubble in the fountain).
   • Edenic Snake: The "secret snake" in Melissa’s breast recalls original sin, implying her guilt is both personal and inevitable.

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Significance of the Passage

1. Feminist Undertones

   • The poem critiques Victorian gender roles by inverting power structures (women rule, men must disguise themselves). However, the men’s infiltration suggests that patriarchal norms are hard to escape—even in a female utopia.
   • The mother’s jealousy over Psyche’s influence reflects real-world rivalries among women in male-dominated societies, where success is often limited and contested.

2. Moral Ambiguity

   • Melissa is both victim and betrayer. Her warning to the men is an act of mercy, but her tears and shame show her complicity in the system she’s part of.
   • The men’s deception is sympathetic (they act for love), but their presence undermines the women’s autonomy, raising questions about justice vs. survival.

3. Tennyson’s Social Commentary

   • The poem satirizes educational reform (a hot topic in Victorian England, with debates over women’s access to universities like Oxford and Cambridge).
   • The disguise motif reflects Victorian anxieties about identity—how much of gender is performance? How easily can roles be subverted?

4. Dramatic Irony

   • The reader knows the men are disguised, but the women’s gradual realization creates tension. The mother’s accusation is both correct and hypocritical—she resents Psyche’s power but uses the men’s presence to attack her.

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Line-by-Line Breakdown of Key Moments

1. "Morn in the wake of the morning star / Came furrowing all the orient into gold."

   • The morning star (Venus) symbolizes both beauty and deception (in mythology, Venus is associated with love and trickery).
   • "Furrowing" suggests plowing, implying the dawn is actively shaping the day—just as the characters’ actions will shape their fates.

2. "the Muses' heads were touched / Above the darkness from their native East."

   • The Muses (goddesses of art and knowledge) see the truth, foreshadowing the exposure of the men’s disguise.
   • "Native East" may allude to enlightenment (the East as a source of wisdom) or biblical judgment (the East as the direction of Eden/paradise).

3. "the dancing bubble"

   • A symbol of transience—beauty that will burst, much like the men’s disguise or the women’s utopia.

4. "the circled Iris of a night of tears"

   • Iris was a messenger between gods and mortals; here, Melissa’s tears bridge the personal and the divine, suggesting her sorrow is both intimate and fateful.

5. "Why—these—are—men: I shuddered"

   • The dashes create a pause, making the revelation inescapable. Melissa’s shudder shows physical horror at the truth being spoken aloud.

6. "Lady Psyche will be crushed"

   • Psyche (whose name means "soul" in Greek) represents intellectual and emotional leadership. Her crushing symbolizes the fragility of female authority when confronted with male intrusion.

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Conclusion: Why This Passage Matters

This excerpt is a microcosm of The Princess’s central conflicts:

• Gender as performance (the men’s disguise, the women’s roles).
• Power struggles (the mother’s jealousy, Psyche’s authority).
• The cost of truth (Melissa’s shame, the men’s impending exposure).

Tennyson uses rich imagery, dramatic dialogue, and mythological depth to explore how identity, power, and morality intersect. The passage is both a thrilling narrative moment (will the men escape?) and a philosophical meditation on whether true equality—or true deception—is possible.

Ultimately, the scene challenges the reader to consider:

• Can a utopia exist when built on exclusion?
• Is Melissa’s warning an act of kindness or cowardice?
• Does the mother’s accusation reveal hypocrisy or justice?

These questions make the excerpt not just a plot device, but a profound reflection on human nature.