Idylls of the King - Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Idylls of the King is the tale of Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, and the court of Camelot, written by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. It is an epic poem, and when you read it, you cannot help but notice where Tolkien may have drawn inspiration for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. The ‘Company of the Ring,’ those who set out to protect Frodo, mirror in some ways the ‘Knights of the Round Table’, and there are clear similarities between ‘Merlin’ and ‘Gandalf’. Although not direct copies, there is a similar atmosphere and sense of mythic fellowship.
Tennyson, of course, is not the sole custodian of the Arthurian tale, as stories of Arthur have been told by many authors over time, each version slightly changing and evolving.
One thing that stood out to me while reading this work is the frequent reference to Christianity. Many times, Arthur refers to God and Christ, and Guinevere does too. The stories of King Arthur are legendary rather than historically verified; however, they are thought to be set around the sixth century. This is, of course, speculative, and I would love to know more. I had assumed that Christianity was not yet widespread in Britain at that time. Pope Gregory sent St. Augustine to England in 597 AD to convert the Saxons, mainly in Kent, but even then Christian influence was not uniform across the land, with pagan worship still prevalent.
Nevertheless, I believe these Christian elements are more reflective of the author’s own cultural context. Tennyson, writing in the 19th century, naturally incorporated Christianity because of his upbringing and the deeply Christian fabric of Victorian society.
A quote that struck me from Tennyson’s epic ties into this observation about Christian influence and the beautiful power of prayer:
“More things are wrought by prayer
Than this world dreams of. Wherefore, let thy voice
Rise like a fountain for me night and day.
For what are men better than sheep or goats
That nourish a blind life within the brain,
If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer
Both for themselves and those who call them friend?
For so the whole round earth is every way
Bound by gold chains about the feet of God.”
Funnily enough, as I went to bed last night, I opened my book of Gospels at random and found Luke XI, where Jesus speaks of the power of prayer and teaches the disciples The Lord’s Prayer. Here I include it below:
11. One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
He said to them, “When you pray, say:
‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation.’Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.
So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”