Death in Life in the Poetry of Alfred Lord Tennyson Alfred Lord Tennyson, a Victorian poet, used characters from history and mythology in his poetry. Much of his poetry touches on the theme of death and loneliness. For example, the Lady of Shallot dies when she looks beyond her inner world, Mariana lives in constant sadness for her deceased lover, and Tithonus forever lives in agony worse than death. With a backdrop of melancholy, isolation, or anguish, Tennyson conveys the themes of half-life and death in life through the use of imagery, symbolism, and figures of speech. In the dramatic monologue "Tithonus", Tennyson instructs the reader that immortality is not necessarily a desirable thing as Tithonus tries to convince Aurora to make him mortal again. In the poem, Tithonus asks Aurora to grant him immortality, which she does. Although in royal mythology Zeus grants immortality, it is immortality and not eternal youth that Tithonus receives. Therefore, he now “slowly withers” with a fate worse than death as many of the jealous ones “have beaten me, ruined me, and wasted me.” Tithonus presents the natural cycle of life followed by death by describing how first “man comes,” then “works the fields,” and finally “lies beneath.” However, his “cruel immortality” prevents him from following the same pattern. The rhetorical question: “Why should any man desire in any way/to differentiate himself from the gentle human race…as is best suited to all?” indicates his realization of the absurdity of asking for immortal life. His desire to be immortal like the gods can be interpreted as an allusion to Adam and Eve's desire to know God. However, like “soft air that pierces the clouds” (personification), Tithonus sees the “world dark” to which it belongs... in the center of the sheet... document 1). Mariana lives in her own world, still believing that her lover will arrive, believing that "old faces glimmer through the doors", and confused by the "slow ticking of the clock, and the sound / That in the wooing wind on the sidelines / The made of poplar .”As evident in these three poems, “Tithonus,” “Lady of Shallot,” and “Mariana in the Moated Grange,” Tennyson often portrays the world as a sad place. Many times, as in “Tithonus” and “Lady of Shallot.” ”, there is a conflict between wishes and desires. Furthermore, Tennyson often uses the external environment to intensify the emotions experienced by the characters. Tennyson is able to convey his themes of half-life and death into life through the. use of imagery, symbolism and figures of speech. Bibliography:1. http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/tennyson2. http://landow.stg.brown.edu/victorian/tennyson/losillus1.html