Tennyson Case

Tennyson often writes about women who are imprisoned and unable to control their own destiny. The women of his poetry are often greatly contrasted – some are very spineless while others are extremely confident and strong. In "Mariana", a woman lives alone in a country house, waiting for her lover to return to her, years after he left. Written in 1832, "Kate" by Alfred Tennyson is one of the poems in which the woman is strong. Like many poets from the Victorian era, Tennyson uses women as symbols of the human race – a population that is not in control of its own destiny. After the death of his father in 1831, Tennyson was forced to move back in with his family and support them. His writings began to focus on the virtues of strong will, courage, and perseverance, motifs that are certainly prevalent in this poem.

"Kate" by Alfred Tennyson is one of the poems in which the woman is strong. The first three lines use great contrast and imagery to give the reader the impression of a woman who is in control. He contrasts the words "bright" and "black" to describe her hair and eyes, emphasizing greatly her strong and dark appearance. Tennyson furthers the image of a resilient woman when he describes her laughter as wild and shrill. Kate is the opposite of a Victorian woman – she is bold, loud, and independent. Her persona is solidified through the first stanza, and the stanza itself is much like Kate. Although most of the poem follows an iambic tetrameter, the form is sometimes broken. Although the lines do rhyme, there is no conventional pattern or common form. Like Kate, the stanza is scattered and does not follow any established traditions.

Tennyson uses cacophonic words throughout the stanza to further Kate's persona. Words such as ‘woodpecker', ‘unbridled', ‘twanging', and ‘scymetar' are very sharp words that create a sensation of disarray. The first stanza is riddled with piercing consonants (the ‘k', ‘t', and ‘r' sounds), and the indentation of certain lines furthers this sharp and rampant image of Kate. Through his clever use of indentation, cacophony, and contrast, Tennyson in fact uses Kate as