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Invictus: William Ernest Henley

William Ernest Henley wrote the poem "Invictus" in 1875 while hospitalized and in poor health. The poem expresses Henley's defiance in the face of adversity and belief that he controls his own fate. It contains four stanzas where he acknowledges the darkness and sufferings of life but asserts that his soul remains unconquered. Though the future may be uncertain, Henley declares that he will face it unafraid as the master of his fate and captain of his soul. The poem became famous for its message of perseverance in the face of hardship.

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41 views10 pages

Invictus: William Ernest Henley

William Ernest Henley wrote the poem "Invictus" in 1875 while hospitalized and in poor health. The poem expresses Henley's defiance in the face of adversity and belief that he controls his own fate. It contains four stanzas where he acknowledges the darkness and sufferings of life but asserts that his soul remains unconquered. Though the future may be uncertain, Henley declares that he will face it unafraid as the master of his fate and captain of his soul. The poem became famous for its message of perseverance in the face of hardship.

Uploaded by

zheen
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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INVICTUS

William Ernest Henley


INVICTUS

Nelson Mandela film, title inspired by this poem


 Born in Gloucester, England
 Educated at Crypt Grammar School and
University of St. Andrews
 A son of a struggling bookseller who
died during his teenage years (father)
 At 12, diagnosed with tubercular arthritis
that necessitated the amputation of one
of his legs.
 Later, he developed the same infection
to his other leg. Joseph Lister, saved his
second leg through radical surgery.
 Died at 53.
 He was in the hospital during his darkest hours when he
wrote the Invictus.
 He finally recovered after 20 months.
 Reason to like Ernest - a poet whose themes engage in
inner strengths and perseverance.
 Numerous collections include A Book of Verses (1888),
London Voluntaries (1893), and Hawthorne and
Lavender (1899).
 He edited the Scots Observer, later called National
Observer
 A close friend of Robert Louis Stevenson who based the
character of Long John Silver of Treasure Island in part
of Henley.
 Latin for unconquered, invincible, undefeated
 A lyric poem in four-quatrain (four-lined stanzas), 16 lines
 Written in 1875; published in 1892 in a collection Life and
Death (Echoes).
 Originally had no title until editor Arthur Quiller-Couch
included the poem in The Oxford Book of English Verse.
 A poem that shows how passionate and unconquered he is.
Stanza 1
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole, Abode of evils;
I thank whatever gods may be Pole to pole – everywhere
For my unconquerable soul.

Instead of succumbing to despair, Henley was able to be thankful


that, though his body was beaten, his soul wasn’t.

Night is a metaphor for suffering of any kind. The speaker


compares the darkness of his suffering to the blackness of a
hellish pit stretching from the north pole to the south pole. In
line 4, unconquerable establishes the theme and a link with
the title (Latin for unconquerable).
Stanza 2
In the fell clutch of circumstance Deadly grip
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Draw back, as with fear or pain
Under the bludgeonings of chance
Overcome (a stick/ armor)
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Even in the midst of horrible circumstances, Henley refused to let
life defeat him, but instead he rose up and fought back
Believes that simply fate happened to him and he was still in control of his
own destiny
He has high spirits, regardless of what happened; His body may have
blood stains, but he is not ashamed.
ALLITERATION: clutch, circumstance, cried; not and nor; bludgeoning,
bloody, but and unbowed.
Stanza 3
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
Death
And yet the menace of the years
Source of danger
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
Henley’s belief of afterlife

Even though he may not know what is to come, he is unafraid


and ready for life.
Stanza 4
It matters not how strait the gate,
Narrow/Restricted
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Despite of the narrow gate, the fell clutch of circumstance and


bludgeoning of chance, Henley, with the punishments allotted to
him, will still pass the gate.

Though his future has been established with a disease, he will


continue on and control his own fate and soul.
“I am the master of my FATE:
I am the captain of my
SOUL.”
Fat e may delegat e us t o somet hing unchangable/
reflection uncont r ollable but af t er all, we ar e t he ones in
cont r ol of our own dest iny and soul.
You cont r ol your own f at e t han anyone else ever
will.
theme I n t his wor ld t hat br ings us dest r uct ion, we can
st ill be vict or ious t hr ough our own lif e
awar eness and management .

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