Invictus: Full Poem Explanation, Summary, Theme, Poetic Devices and Related Questions:-
Overview and Background:
Henley publishes many poems in different collections, including "In Hospital," written between 1878 and 1875, and "A book of verses," published in 1891.
When the Poem was written:
At the age of 16, Henry's left leg had to be amputated due to complications from tuberculosis. Then, a few years ago, he decided that he would need a treatment procedure like this one, which had the same problem on his other leg. So a British surgeon asked Henry's leg after applying multiple surgical interventions to his leg. So, an English surgeon saved Henley's leg after applying multiple surgical interventions on foot.
Explanation:
Out of the night that covers me
Black as the pit from pole to pole
Poet starts the poem by taking a metaphorical night and trying to connect it with his pain. He said the night is very dark; there is darkness all around, symbolizing the magnitude of darkness by a deep trench. He spent all of the time in his life, yet he has only seen the darkness of wounds, pain, gloom, and sadness from one step to another.
I thanks whatever god may be,
For my unconquerable soul
In the lines, the poet says that he doesn't know who and how God are, but he wants to show his appreciation towards them and wants to give thanks to him for giving an unconquerable soul to the poet who is ready to face any problems of life and never let him down. He wants to thank God for making him strong.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody but unbowed
In these lines poet says that many the chance dropped him in worse situations, many accidents meet him, and again he is in a very adverse condition, the problems back to back struck him without giving him much time to react. But although his head is bloody and he is in pain, his head is unbowed against these circumstances and problems and these problems; he hasn't surrendered yet against these worse situations; besides these problems, he is ready for anything.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the horror of the shade
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid
In these lines, the poet says that this place is full of misery and sorrow, life is every time shaded under the shade of horror, looking forward to the future, the poet says that sadness and sorrow are the ultimate truth of life, no one can escape from it. He says even if he could survive, his life would still not be happy; the sorrow and the miseries would still be there, but the death which had to come later is now hovering over his head. He says, if he didn't feel afraid of the sorrow and grief from birth to this age, he also doesn't have to worry; the poet says these problems and mishaps were years, and now he knows how to conquer them. These problems are not much stronger to break the poet's courage, so he says that these all problems would always find him unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll
I am the master of my fate
I am the captain of my soul.
In these lines, he says that he will not terrify any problems. It doesn't matter for him how the situations are, and he is ready to face them. In the next lines, he says that he doesn't know how much the punishments are left in his fate, the poet doesn't know how much the punishments yet he has to face, but yet he is the controller, master of his fate, he is the master of his will. The problems can't take over him. He is his controller, and it doesn't matter whatever may his destiny and fate have done with him; he is the master of his soul.
Poetic Devices used in the poem:-
Simile
Enjambment
Comparison
Repetition
Allusion
Epigram
Metonym
Irony
Personification
Tone and Mood of the Poem:
The overall poem is written in a very optimistic, inspiring, coherent, and has a sharp tone. The mood of the poem is dark and fearless. It seems as if the poet is writing a poem from the perspective of a man who fought with life's adversity and courage in the dark agitation phase. Also. As you get closer to the end of the poem, the tone of the poem changes. The speaker's expression creates a serious yet uplifting atmosphere in the text. Initially, the tone of the poem is ironic, firm. The speaker's tone becomes harder in the next two series. The tone is anxious in some respects, but the courage of the speaker dominates it. In the last section, his voice contains a tone of refusal, which makes him even more authoritative.
Theme:
The theme and central idea of the poem revolve around bravery, self-reliance, and courage. If one has faith in his soul and has the courage to face problems, then he can survive any hard time; being brave is the only way to face a hard time. The poem depicts the fighting spirit of a body, which is very optimistic to face all the crises.
Summary:
The poem begins by comparing his life to the darkness of the night. From the very beginning and till the age of 13, his life was very easy; there have always been pain, gloom, and wound. The poet compared his pain with hell. From one side of his to the other, there is nothing else than pain. At every step of his life, he saw pain and wound. Besides the tragic circumstances of his life, he never grumbled his fate, and he never criticized God. Instead, he is thankful to him for giving him such an unconquerable soul which is capable of facing any problem. He says that whatever the circumstances occurred to him, he never cried, he never expressed his grief, the life has strung him again and again, but he never cried. At present, the head is again bloody, but he never succumbed to his life, he never gets down, he always ready to face any problem with his courage. He says that his life always challenges him; he knows that death is roaming on his head and anytime he might die, but he would always be unafraid of these problems. In the last, the poet says that after death, the gate that leads the people to heaven is very narrow and hard to cross, and very few people enjoy the fortune to cross it and enjoy the joy of heaven. So, the poet says that his list of punishments is endless, he knows that even the death, he might have to face a fresh set of penalties and punishments in hell, but the poet is sure that these tortures could never break his spirit, he had full control over his thoughts. It doesn't matter what fate has done to him, and he is ready to face all the pain; he is the master of his soul.
Some Commonly Asked Questions:
Ans: The Title of the poem "Invictus" completely justifies its meaning for the poem. The word "Invictus" is a Latin word meaning "unconquerable". As in the poem, the poet himself says that these problems of life cannot dominate him, his soul is unconquerable and he has full control over his thoughts.
Q.2- What does "Beyond this place of wrath and tears, Looms but the Horror of the Shade" lines mean?
Ans: The lines signify that this place means 'hospital' where he is in, is full of misery and sadness; after discharging from this place (i.e., hospital), the future would also be dark, the misery and sadness are the ultimate reality the world. The death is every time hovering over his head like a shade of horror.
Q.3- What does the phrase "how strait the gate" signifies in the poem?
Ans: Here, the poet used the biblical allusion of the thirteen verses of the seventh chapter (Matthew 7:13-14) to express how difficult it is to control thoughts and souls. Here, the poet compares his difficulty to control his emotions and thoughts with the strait/narrow gate that leads people to heaven; this road is very narrow, and very few are capable of crossing it and enjoy heaven. So, the poet used the "how strait the gate" phrase to express that it is very difficult to conquer the emotions of an individual, and the gate that leads the mind to win over his thoughts is very narrow; that's why most people don't have control over their thoughts.
Q.4- What the poem speaks about fate and free will?
Ans: The poet has much trust in his free will; according to him, it is his free will only which made him strong enough still to face any problem. Unfortunately, his fate often dashed him into the most worse conditions. He was often in situations where he could die any time, but the poet never complained about his fate; rather, he chose his free will to take action. He knows that he can't control his fate, but he knows how not to let fate control his thoughts. According to the poet, one can almost control and manipulate the adverse circumstances created by fate to handy one by proper use of free will.
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