THE HYPERBOLIC EXPRESSIONS IN TENNYSON'S "THE BEGGAR MAID"

A PROJECT ON

THE HYPERBOLIC

EXPRESSIONS IN TENNYSON'S "THE

BEGGAR MAID"

INTRODUCTION

This is a project on hyperbolic expressions in "The Beggar maid" of Alfred Tennyson. This project is doing as a part of B.Ed curriculum. Through this project the investigator aims to explore in to the hyperbolic writing style of Lord Tennyson. He depicted the very beauty of beggar maid in an exaggerated way. In the poem "The beggar maid" Tennyson depicts, the maid is coming before the king and court. All of them admire her beauty in an exaggerated way.

OBJECTIVES

î To find out the instances of hyperbolic expression in 'The Beggar maid'.

î To identify the extend of Tennyson's exaggeration on the beauty of beggar maid.

î To identify how much Tennyson depicted the love of Cophetua and beggar maid.

î To state 'The beggar maid' is a hyperbolic poem.

METHODOLOGY AND DATA COLLECTION

POEM

THE BEGGAR MAID

Her arms across her breast she laid

She was more fair than words can say

Barefooted came the beggar maid

Before the king Cophetua

In robe and crown the king stept down

To meet and greet her on her way

"t's no wonder" said the lords,

She is more beautiful than day

As shines the moon in clouded skies

She in her poor attire was seen

One praised her ankles, one her eyes

One her dark hair and lovesome mien

So sweet a face, such angel grace

In all that land had never been

Cophetua sware a royal oath

This beggar maid shall be my queen.

About the poet

The beggar maid is a famous poem written by Lord Alfred Tennyson. He was born at Somersby in Lincolnshire, England. He was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge. In 1827 he joined his brother Charles in publishing poem by Two Brothers. His first major work was 'In memoriam'. Which he wrote after the death of his dear friend Arthur Hallam in 1833. In 1850 Tennyson became poet laureate. He has continued to write for 65 years .he was one of the major poets of the Victorian era (the nineteenth century). He is the poet who most embodies the period's spirit and values. It was the age of industrial expansion and easy money. The rift between the rich and the poor remained very deep. This was the energy of Tennyson in his career. He wants social reformation. The beggar maid shows and fulfils his ambition .This is the poem against the class conflict.

story in the poem

This is the poem in which a king named Cophetua meets a beautiful beggar maid and is carried away by her charm.

She was very beautiful girl from the view of king Cophetua. Though her dresses are very poor, it is very beautiful to king. At last the king marries her.

theme of the poem

Here there is more than one theme. Firstly, the eradication of class conflict. Here the king, a high class person marries the beggarmaid, a low class one. The king never looks into the class but only concentrate in beauty. Tennyson was a Victorian poet. The period was an age of industrial expansion and easy money there is no seat to value and spirit. While Tennyson concentrated in value and spirit. This we can see in the poem. The rift between the rich and the poor remained very deep in that era. Through this poem Tennyson shows his disapproval.

The impact of love is another theme in this poem. Here even the king bends his knees before the love.

Figure of speech

Mainly there are four figures can see in the poem.

1. End rhyme

Last word of the first line rhymes with the last word of the third line.

Eg:- laid-maid

2. Vowel rhyme (assonance)

Assonance is the repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds.

Eg:- greet-meet

3. Simile

In a simile a comparison between two distinctly different things is indicated by the words 'like' or 'as'.

Eg:- As shines the moon in clouded skies

4. Hyperbole

Hyperbole is a bold over statement or an extravagant exaggeration of fact used for emphasis.

Eg:- She was more fair than words can say

Hyperbolism in the poem

In "A Glossary of Literary Terms" MH. Abrams contributed that "the figure of speech called hyperbole is bold over statement or the extravagant exaggeration of fact or possibility. It may be used either for serious or ironic or comic effect".

'To his coy mistress' is a best example for Ironic Hyperboles. In it Andrew Marvell attests how slow his "vegetable love should grow" (Line-11).

Another expression from the same poem "but world enough and time….." (Line-1). These are very hyperbolic expressions.

In such a way Tennyson used these kinds of figure of speech in the poem "The beggar maid".

In this poem the poet depicts the physical conditions of beggar maid. The king comes near her and fells in love with her, seeing her beauty. Here the depiction is very hyperbolic.

The love between Cophetua and Beggar maid also depicted by another one.

Burne-Jones' "King Cophetua and the Beggar maid" depicts the story of a king who chooses to marry a poor, yet beautiful young woman. The maid wears thin, simple clothes, bare feet dress less shoulders. These elements impressed very much to the king. He saw the very beauty through this dress.

But on the opinion of Tennyson "She is more beautiful than words can say" and "more beautiful than day" (Line-2, 8).

So Tennyson depicted more exaggerated way than Burne Jones. Lot of poet and play wright used this technique for the beauty of the work, especially Shakespeare and Andrew Marvell.

The investigator depended course book, source book, Glossary of literary terms, some criticism texts, Tennyson's other works for the reference. Some details from internet also are obtained.

Analysis

Alfred lord Tennyson's "The Beggar maid" is a hyperbolic poem. He used lot of hyperbolic expressions in it.

Here a king marries a beggar maid. It is an extraordinary thing. So hyperbolic expression is inevitable in this poem.

In any country there will not be this kind of marriage. A beggar loves a king and loved by him. Here Tennyson very beautifully depicted this event.

Where as Burne Jones finds the reason of love. In his opinion the maid wears thin, simple clothes which shows the impression of her naval.

Tennyson says on her beauty, "she is more beautiful than day". It is very exaggerated saying. Like wise "she was more fair than words can say" (line-8, 2).

When we consider these two lines, one is more hyperbolic. "She is more beautiful than day" (line-8), here there is a comparison between day and night. Which is more beautiful? Of course, day. Because day is white, and night is black. Black is not beautiful. At the same time white is consider as beautiful. So day is beautiful. In open day light we see all things; but in night we can see nothing. Here Tennyson compared the beggar maid with day. This comparison is highly hyperbolic.

The third and fourth stanzas fully dipped in hyperbolic. It is just like Andrew Marvell's "To his coy mistress".

In both of the poem people adorn beauty of maid.

The comparison of beggar maid with moon is extravagant exaggeration. Here each of the organs of beggar maid, praised and adorned by several persons. They adorn even her dress. Tennyson says, 'her face is like an angel'. Such a beauty has to her. From these descriptions clearly we can identify that this is a hyperbolic poem.

Conclusion

This project is to find out the instances of hyperbolic expression in the poem "The beggar maid" of Alfred lord Tennyson. Through this study the investigator finds out how much Tennyson exaggerated the beauty of beggar maid.

Concludingly, Tennyson's The beggar maid is a hyperbolic poem.

Bibliography

1. English course book, std, ix (2008), Govt of Kerala, department of education

2. English source book, std, ix (2008), Govt of Kerala, department of education

3. Hornby, AS (2000), oxford advanced learner's dictionary of current English-sixth edition, oxford university press.

4. Ambika Sen Gupta (2006), Selected college poems, orient Longman private limited, Chennai

5. Prof. Mohammed, M (2004), An anthology of English poems, university books publishers, Calicut.

6. Abram, MH (1993), A Glossary of Literary Terms- Sixth edition, Prism books private limited, Bangalore, India.

URL's

1. www.wikipedia.org.