Tithonus and the Eternal Consequences of Decisions

Tithonus and the Eternal Consequences of Decisions

"Tithonus" was written by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. The poem's setting is the ancient story of Tithonus. Tithonus fell in love with Eos, goddess of the dawn, and asked her for immortality. Unfortunately for Tithonus he did not ask for eternal youth, only eternal life. He, therefore, grows old but never dies while Eos not only never dies but also never grows old. What makes Tithonus's situation worse is that "the gods themselves cannot recall their gifts" (49). This dramatic monologue is characteristic of Tennyson.

Tithonus is an excellent example of a dramatic monologue. There is a speaker, Tithonus, who is not the poet. There is an audience-the gods. Another characteristic of a dramatic monologue found in Tithonus is an exchange between the speaker and the audience: "I asked thee, 'Give me immortality?'" (15). A character study is when the speaker speaks from an extraordinary perspective: Tithonus is looking back on his decision, a decision which the reader will never be able to make but can only dream of making. His portrayal of his decision causes the common response to be rejected: most people would want eternal life, but Tithonus proves this short-sighted. Tithonus proves the wish for immortality vain by stating that:

Why should a man desire in any way

To vary from the kindly race of men,

Or pass beyond the goal of ordinance

Where all should pause, as is most meet for all? (29-31).

Another trait of the dramatic monologue is the dramatic, or critical, moment. In Tithonus this moment is when Tithonus decides that he does not want immortality: "take back thy gift" (27). "Tithonus" has all of the basic traits of a dramatic monologue: a speaker who is not the poet, an identifiable audience, an exchange between the two, a critical moment, and a character study of the speaker.

One other trait of a dramatic monologue is a dramatic tension. This tension is between harsh judgment and sympathy. This tension makes the audience see objectively rather than subjectively. The audience has sympathy for Tithonus, because he suffers: "strong hours indignant worked their wills, and beat me down and marred and wasted me" (50) His telling the story also bring sympathy from the audience. The audience must judge Tithonus negatively, because he has made an error. His error was his will "to vary from the kindly race of men" (29).