Locksley Hall Analysis

“Locksley Hall” is a dramatic monologue in which the youthful speaker, revisiting the site of an earlier love affair, comes to terms with his rejection by the woman he once loved. Through the course of the poem he seeks consolation first in imagining his beloved’s future misery with her new husband; next in foreseeing a brighter future for humankind, based on his own childhood visions of the future; and finally in dreaming of escape from the restrictive society that played a role in ending the lovers’ relationship.

The poem begins with the speaker’s arrival at Locksley Hall, the stately home of his wealthy uncle, where, after his own father’s death, he came to nourish “a youth sublime” with “the fairy tales of science” and nights of gazing at the stars. He then recalls the youthful romance that blossomed between himself and his cousin, Amy. Unfortunately, however, their relationship ended unhappily, for the speaker cries, “Oh my cousin, shallow-hearted! O my Amy, mine no more!” His cousin, “Puppet to a father’s threat,” has married another, presumably wealthier, suitor.

The poem then turns to an exploration of the jilted speaker’s mingled feelings of jealousy, resentment, and lingering affection toward his former lover. He asks “Is it well to wish thee happy?” in spite of his lover’s decision to settle on “a range of lower feelings and a narrower heart than mine!” He continues to wrestle with this...

“Locksley Hall” takes the form of a dramatic monologue, in which a fictional character assumes the speaking role, rather than the poet himself, as in the case of a lyric poem. The thoughts expressed by this character cannot, therefore, be directly attributed to Tennyson himself, but must be understood as those of a fictional persona who may or may not reflect the poet’s own attitudes. Tennyson said of the poem that it “represents young life, its good side, its deficiencies, and its yearnings.”

Nevertheless, it is clear that the poem does largely reflect Tennyson’s attitudes about the inhibiting social and economic restrictions imposed upon his generation, as well as his earnest hopes for the possibilities of scientific, as well as social, progress.

The occasion upon which this dramatic monologue takes place is the speaker’s return to Locksley Hall after a prolonged absence. This event acts as a frame for the retelling of his sad tale, as well as for his bitter reflections about the past and his hopes for the future. The frame also serves as a transition from one section of the poem to another, as when the speaker emerges from his reverie to hear his “merry comradessounding on the bugle-horn.”

The poem consists of 194 lines, arranged into ninety-seven rhymed couplets. The simplicity of the rhyme scheme is offset, however, by the complex meter—trochaic octameter—as well as the unusual length of the lines, which...

An unnamed narrator has just returned to his childhood home of Locksley Hall. He asks a group of friends there to leave him in solitude so he may reflect on his past. He recalls his life in the large country house, which included leisurely contemplation and an education in the classics and science. The estate belongs to the narrator’s uncle, who took him in after the death of his parents.

The narrator is now despondent because Amy, the woman he loves, has broken their engagement and plans to marry another man. She apparently made the decision at her parents’ insistence on the grounds that the other man has more desirable prospects. After recalling in detail idyllic walks on the beach with Amy, the narrator denounces her bitterly and predicts that her husband will mistreat and neglect her. Unable to forget Amy, he questions the nature and endurance of love. Amy may find comfort from her husband’s predicted aloofness in the love of a child, but the narrator imagines her hypocritically warning her own daughter of the dangers of yielding to one’s emotions.

In order to forget Amy, the narrator resolves to turn to further adventures. Economic forces in his society deny him access to military glory or commercial success. He recalls the dreams of his younger years, when he saw infinite possibilities for both himself and others, including technological advances and the advent of an international government that would eliminate war. The future...