Tiresias

Alfred Lord Tennyson is the Victorian poet who is the author of “Tiresias.” This is a poem centered on the mythological character of Tiresias. Tennyson speaks through this character using a technique called prosopopoeia. In this poem Tennyson explores the ideas that are present in much of his poetry such as: justification of death, purpose for life, and his person struggle with his close friend Arthur Henry Hallam’s death. In this poem, Tiresias is …

…of Thebes. However, in “In Memoriam” the speaker is angry at nature for taking Hallam’s life at such a young age. The speaker is angry also because his death was abrupt. Perhaps both of these poems, with their similarities and differences, can be seen tying into another. Maybe “Tiresias” can be seen as an extension of the psychological maturity that Tennyson has experienced since the death of Hallam and the writing of “In Memoriam.”