Questions tagged [idylls-of-the-king]

Questions about the work "Idylls of the King" (1859–1885) by Alfred Tennyson, a cycle of twelve poems telling the legend of King Arthur. Questions about this work should be tagged with [alfred-tennyson].

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4 votes
1 answer
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What does Tennyson mean by "by the bird's song ye may learn the nest"?

In Tennyson's The Marriage of Geraint, the protagonist, Geraint, has just heard the song of Enid, the daughter of his host, Yniol. When Enid's song concludes, Yniol says the following to Geraint: '...
Doubt's user avatar
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6 votes
2 answers
144 views

What does Tennyson mean by "the rustic cackle ... [is] the murmur of the world"?

I am finding the following lines from Tennyson's Idylls of the King quite perplexing: A thousand pips eat up your sparrow-hawk! Tits, wrens, and all wing'd nothings peck him dead! Ye think the rustic ...
Doubt's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
187 views

Does Vivien sleep with Merlin in Tennyson's "Idylls of the King"?

I am re-reading Tennyson's Idylls of the King after many years. His idyll "Merlin and Vivien" is a rather in-depth look at how Vivien learns Merlin's magic through some impressive feats of ...
Robert Columbia's user avatar
9 votes
2 answers
994 views

What does "It is not meet" mean in "Idylls of the King"?

From Idylls of the King: The Passing of Arthur by Alfred Tennyson: To him replied the bold Sir Bedivere: 'It is not meet, Sir King, to leave thee thus, Aidless, alone, and smitten through the helm— A ...
girraiffe's user avatar
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