Podcast
Questions and Answers
What initial instruction does Odysseus give to his mariners upon approaching the land of the Lotos-eaters?
What initial instruction does Odysseus give to his mariners upon approaching the land of the Lotos-eaters?
- To be wary of the land, as it appears dangerous.
- To prepare for battle, as the inhabitants are hostile.
- To have courage, suggesting they will soon reach their home. (correct)
- To celebrate their long journey, as they have reached a safe haven.
How does the land of the Lotos-eaters initially appear to Odysseus's mariners?
How does the land of the Lotos-eaters initially appear to Odysseus's mariners?
- As a barren wasteland, devoid of life and hope.
- As a dangerous territory, filled with ominous signs.
- As a bustling port city, teeming with activity.
- As a place of eternal afternoon, marked by peace and languor. (correct)
What specific geographical features do the mariners notice upon sighting the land of the Lotos-eaters?
What specific geographical features do the mariners notice upon sighting the land of the Lotos-eaters?
- A sandy desert, a dry riverbed, and thorny bushes.
- Snow-capped mountains, a gleaming river, and a shadowy pine in a vale. (correct)
- Volcanic mountains, a sulfurous river, and scorched plains.
- Icy glaciers, a frozen lake, and barren, windswept peaks.
How are the Lotos-eaters described in terms of their demeanor and appearance upon greeting Odysseus's mariners?
How are the Lotos-eaters described in terms of their demeanor and appearance upon greeting Odysseus's mariners?
What offering do the Lotos-eaters present to Odysseus's mariners?
What offering do the Lotos-eaters present to Odysseus's mariners?
What is the immediate effect of consuming the lotos on Odysseus's mariners?
What is the immediate effect of consuming the lotos on Odysseus's mariners?
How do the mariners who have eaten the lotos react to the suggestion of returning home to Ithaca?
How do the mariners who have eaten the lotos react to the suggestion of returning home to Ithaca?
What is the primary theme explored in the choric song of the mariners?
What is the primary theme explored in the choric song of the mariners?
To what do the mariners compare the soporific music of the land of the Lotos-eaters in the first stanza of their song?
To what do the mariners compare the soporific music of the land of the Lotos-eaters in the first stanza of their song?
In the second stanza, what contrast do the mariners draw between the lives of men and other creatures in nature?
In the second stanza, what contrast do the mariners draw between the lives of men and other creatures in nature?
What examples of dying living things do the mariners cite in the third stanza to illustrate the ephemeral nature of life?
What examples of dying living things do the mariners cite in the third stanza to illustrate the ephemeral nature of life?
In the fourth stanza, what question do the mariners pose regarding the purpose of a life of labor?
In the fourth stanza, what question do the mariners pose regarding the purpose of a life of labor?
What alternative to a life of endless labor do the mariners express a desire for in the fourth stanza?
What alternative to a life of endless labor do the mariners express a desire for in the fourth stanza?
What vision of life do the mariners paint in the fifth stanza, as they declare how sweet it is to live a life of continuous dreaming?
What vision of life do the mariners paint in the fifth stanza, as they declare how sweet it is to live a life of continuous dreaming?
What memories does this idyllic existence enable the mariners to peacefully recall?
What memories does this idyllic existence enable the mariners to peacefully recall?
According to the mariners in the sixth stanza, what has likely happened to their families and homes in Ithaca during their long absence?
According to the mariners in the sixth stanza, what has likely happened to their families and homes in Ithaca during their long absence?
What reasoning do the mariners use to justify their decision to remain in the land of the Lotos-eaters, despite their memories of their wives and sons?
What reasoning do the mariners use to justify their decision to remain in the land of the Lotos-eaters, despite their memories of their wives and sons?
What aspect of their past lives do the mariners claim has worn out their hearts, leading them to prefer the relaxing existence of the Lotos Land?
What aspect of their past lives do the mariners claim has worn out their hearts, leading them to prefer the relaxing existence of the Lotos Land?
In the seventh stanza, what sensory pleasures do the mariners imagine enjoying as they lie in the Lotos Land?
In the seventh stanza, what sensory pleasures do the mariners imagine enjoying as they lie in the Lotos Land?
To what do the mariners compare the carefree existence they will enjoy in the Lotos Land as the poem concludes?
To what do the mariners compare the carefree existence they will enjoy in the Lotos Land as the poem concludes?
What contrast do the mariners draw between the gods and human beings in the final stanza?
What contrast do the mariners draw between the gods and human beings in the final stanza?
Based on the mariners' concluding resolution, which do they deem sweeter: slumber or toil?
Based on the mariners' concluding resolution, which do they deem sweeter: slumber or toil?
What is the rhyme scheme of the Spenserian stanza used in the first part of Tennyson's "The Lotos-Eaters"?
What is the rhyme scheme of the Spenserian stanza used in the first part of Tennyson's "The Lotos-Eaters"?
What is an Alexandrine in the context of the Spenserian stanza?
What is an Alexandrine in the context of the Spenserian stanza?
According to scroll IX of Homer's Odyssey, what causes Odysseus' mariners to arrive in the land of the Lotos-eaters?
According to scroll IX of Homer's Odyssey, what causes Odysseus' mariners to arrive in the land of the Lotos-eaters?
In Tennyson's poem, what does the act of partaking of the lotos represent?
In Tennyson's poem, what does the act of partaking of the lotos represent?
What biblical story does Tennyson invert or subvert through the image of fruit (the lotos) providing release from the life of labor?
What biblical story does Tennyson invert or subvert through the image of fruit (the lotos) providing release from the life of labor?
What other poetic works are referenced as sharing similar imagery of pleasure to Tennyson's description of the Lotos Land?
What other poetic works are referenced as sharing similar imagery of pleasure to Tennyson's description of the Lotos Land?
In what way can the second stanza of the mariners' song be interpreted in relation to Coleridge's "Work without Hope"?
In what way can the second stanza of the mariners' song be interpreted in relation to Coleridge's "Work without Hope"?
What effect does the recurrence of the word "seems" throughout the poem have on the portrayal of the Lotos Land?
What effect does the recurrence of the word "seems" throughout the poem have on the portrayal of the Lotos Land?
What does the description of the Lotos Land as a "hollow" land with "hollow" caves suggest about the mariners' vision?
What does the description of the Lotos Land as a "hollow" land with "hollow" caves suggest about the mariners' vision?
How does Odysseus's initial injunction to have "courage" affect the reader's perception of the mariners' decision to stay in the Lotos Land?
How does Odysseus's initial injunction to have "courage" affect the reader's perception of the mariners' decision to stay in the Lotos Land?
What does the poem suggest the mariners are abandoning by choosing to remain in the Lotos Land?
What does the poem suggest the mariners are abandoning by choosing to remain in the Lotos Land?
What central question does Tennyson encourage the reader to consider through the mariners' experience in the Lotos Land?
What central question does Tennyson encourage the reader to consider through the mariners' experience in the Lotos Land?
What is the symbolic significance of the mariners' complaint that it is unpleasant "to war with evil"?
What is the symbolic significance of the mariners' complaint that it is unpleasant "to war with evil"?
How does Tennyson emphasize the tension between the allure of escapism and the value of perseverance in "The Lotos-Eaters"?
How does Tennyson emphasize the tension between the allure of escapism and the value of perseverance in "The Lotos-Eaters"?
How does the structure of the poem—specifically the shift from Spenserian stanzas to a choric song—contribute to its overall meaning?
How does the structure of the poem—specifically the shift from Spenserian stanzas to a choric song—contribute to its overall meaning?
Flashcards
Land of the Lotos-eaters
Land of the Lotos-eaters
A land of peaceful atmosphere where it always seems afternoon.
The Lotos
The Lotos
The flower and fruit offered by the Lotos-eaters that induce a deep sleep and weariness of wandering.
Mariners' Resolution
Mariners' Resolution
The mariners express their desire to stay in the land of the Lotos-eaters forever.
Music of Lotos Land
Music of Lotos Land
Signup and view all the flashcards
Man's Toil vs. Nature's Rest
Man's Toil vs. Nature's Rest
Signup and view all the flashcards
Nature's Lifespan
Nature's Lifespan
Signup and view all the flashcards
Futility of Labor
Futility of Labor
Signup and view all the flashcards
Long Rest or Death
Long Rest or Death
Signup and view all the flashcards
Poem Structure
Poem Structure
Signup and view all the flashcards
Spenserian Stanza
Spenserian Stanza
Signup and view all the flashcards
Source Material
Source Material
Signup and view all the flashcards
Biblical Allusion
Biblical Allusion
Signup and view all the flashcards
Abandoning Reality
Abandoning Reality
Signup and view all the flashcards
Reasons to Stay
Reasons to Stay
Signup and view all the flashcards
The Sweetest Thing
The Sweetest Thing
Signup and view all the flashcards
Choric Song
Choric Song
Signup and view all the flashcards
Lassitude
Lassitude
Signup and view all the flashcards
Study Notes
Synopsis
- Odysseus encourages his sailors to be brave, promising their imminent return home.
- They arrive at a peaceful land where "it seemed always afternoon".
- The mariners see a "land of streams" with a gleaming river, snow-capped mountains, and shadowy pines.
- They are greeted by the "mild-eyed melancholy Lotos-eaters" who offer them the lotos flower and fruit.
- Eating the lotos induces a dreamlike state, making them weary of wandering and longing to stay.
- One sailor declares he will "return no more," and the others sing about remaining in the land of the Lotos-eaters.
- The poem continues with the mariners' choric song, expressing their desire to stay forever.
- They praise the music of the Lotos-eaters, comparing it to petals, dew, granite, and tired eyelids.
- The mariners question why man is the only creature who must toil, while nature rests.
- They believe tranquility offers the only joy, yet man is fated to toil and wander.
- Everything in nature has a lifespan to bloom and fade, like a leaf, apple, or flower.
- They question the purpose of labor, as nothing is cumulative and accomplishments lead nowhere.
- The mariners express their desire for "long rest or death" to escape endless labor.
- They describe the sweetness of a life of continuous dreaming, sleeping, eating lotos, and watching the waves.
- This existence allows them to peacefully remember those who are buried or cremated.
- The mariners reason that their families have forgotten them, and their homes may have fallen apart.
- They prefer the relaxing death-like existence of the Lotos Land to the confusion of returning home.
- They imagine lying on beds of flowers, watching the river, and listening to echoes in caves.
- They vow to spend their lives relaxing in the "hollow Lotos land," like the carefree Gods.
- The Gods are indifferent to human suffering, while humans toil until they die.
- Concluding that "slumber is more sweet than toil," they resolve to settle in the land of the Lotos-eaters.
Form
- The poem has two parts: a descriptive narrative (lines 1–45) and a song of eight numbered stanzas (lines 46–173).
- The narrative is written in nine-line Spenserian stanzas with a rhyme scheme of ABABBCBCC.
- The first eight lines are in iambic pentameter, and the final line is an Alexandrine.
- The choric song has a looser structure with varying line lengths and rhyme schemes.
Commentary
- The poem is based on Odysseus's encounter with the Lotos-eaters in Homer's Odyssey.
- Tennyson evokes the mariners' desire for peace, rest, and death.
- The poem also draws on the biblical Garden of Eden, where a "life of toil" is Adam's punishment.
- In Tennyson's poem, the lotos provides a release from labor, an inversion of the biblical story.
- Tennyson's vision of the Lotos Land rivals images of pleasure in Milton's "L’Allegro" and Marvell’s "The Garden".
- The poem presents arguments to justify the mariners' decision to remain in the Lotos Land.
- The mariners express the irony that man, the apex of creation, is the only creature made to toil.
- Partaking of the lotos involves abandoning external reality for a world of appearances.
- The word "seems" recurs, indicating that the Lotos Land is a "land of seems" rather than reality.
- The Lotos Land is described as "hollow," suggesting the sailors' vision is empty.
- The reader is left with mixed feelings about the mariners' argument for lassitude.
- Odysseus disapproves of the mariners succumbing to the Lotos Land.
- The sailors' case is undermined by their complaint about warring with evil.
- By choosing the Lotos Land, the mariners abandon meaning and heroic accomplishment.
- Tennyson forces consideration of the appeal of a life without toil and the need for challenges.
Studying That Suits You
Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.
