Victor Hugo Poetry Analysis - Essay

Victor Hugo’s poetry took many forms, from the lyric to the epic to the elegiac. Along with this variety of form, the range of the poet’s ideas expanded during his long career. From poems with political overtones, Hugo’s poetry grew to exhibit the tenets of Romanticism. He wrote of more personal and intimate subjects, such as family and love. He also wrote about humankind’s relationship with nature and with the Creator. As Hugo matured, his themes became more philosophical and humanitarian, and his self-appointed role became that of a poet-seer attempting to understand the mysteries of life and creation.

Hugo’s shift toward Romanticism and away from political themes first became apparent in Odes et...