Portrayal of War in the Pre 1900 Poetry

Portrayal of War in the Pre 1900 Poetry

Before 1900, war was always seen as a glorious thing. People truly

believed in the words of the ancient writer Horace, "Dulce et decorum

est, pro patria mori." This phrase can be translated, as "It is a

lovely and honourable thing; to die for one's country". Pre 1900 war

poetry was strongly patriotic and glossed over the grim reality of

death, preferring instead to display the heroic aspects of fighting.

If death was mentioned, it was only in a noble and glorious context.

As there was no media coverage of war, the non-combatants did not know

the true story. Poets like Alfred Lord Tennyson, who never actually

participated in any war, did not portray a realistic outlook of

combat. However after 1900, as media coverage increased,

non-combatants finally began to learn of the true story of war.

Although there were still poets who wrote of the glories of fighting,

poets such as Wilfred Owen, who fought and in the end was killed

during the First World War, began to write realistically, showing war

in a true light, removing any romanticism. In the poems I am going to

look at, we can see a clear divide between the poetry of the pre

1900's and that of the post 1900's.

A good example of this pre 1900 approach to war is "Before Agincourt"

from William Shakespeare's play "King Henry the Fifth." This is a

speech written in blank verse, which is appropriate for such a

significant subject. This speech is an attempt by King Henry to raise

morale among his troops after having passed among his men while in

disguise and discovering total self-desolation caused by the knowledge

that the French outnumbered the...

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...rd Tennyson and William

Shakespeare never actually were present during any battle and wrote

simply in response to popular belief. After 1900, as the media started

to give more accurate accounts of the atrocities of war, less

non-combatants pedalled such a romanticised view of war. It was poets

such as Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon who wrote their views on

war. These views were realistic as such men actually participated in

the war itself. Siegfried Sassoon sums up what he feels war is all

about. "War is an undignified sacrifice of soldiers due to political

errors and insincerity." Such views are so different to pre 1900 poets

nut in my opinion these grim realistic accounts reveal what everybody

should know. No one should be tricked into thinking that "It is a

lovely and honourable thing; to die for one's country."