The Princess by Lord Alfred Tennyson: Summary, Meaning & Analysis
*The Princess* (1847) is a lengthy narrative poem that follows a prince and his friends as they dress up as women to sneak into a university established by Princess Ida, who has rejected men in favor of promoting female education and independence.
*The Princess* (1847) is a lengthy narrative poem that follows a prince and his friends as they dress up as women to sneak into a university established by Princess Ida, who has rejected men in favor of promoting female education and independence. The plot unfolds through a mix of adventure, romance, and debate, culminating in the prince winning Ida's affection and both sides arriving at a shaky agreement regarding the roles of men and women. Tennyson cleverly weaves significant issues of gender and equality into this fairy-tale adventure, making it both enjoyable and genuinely thought-provoking.
Tone & mood
The tone shifts frequently, which is intentional in the poem's design. The framing narrative feels light and friendly. The main story oscillates between comic moments (the disguise scenes), heroic elements (the battle), and deeply tender scenes (the nursing moments and the inserted songs). Lyrics like 'Tears, Idle Tears' draw the entire poem toward themes of elegy and yearning. The overall impression is of a poem that struggles to choose between being playful or serious — and this uncertainty feels genuine, reflecting Tennyson's own inner conflict regarding the questions he was exploring.
Symbols & metaphors
- The women's university — Ida's college embodies the concept of female intellectual independence and challenges the notion that women's minds should be cultivated differently than men's. It's an idealistic and delicate establishment—founded on exclusion rather than inclusion—which explains why the plot has the power to tear it down.
- The Prince's disguise — Cross-dressing shows that gender roles are more like performances than absolute truths. This disguise also leaves the Prince feeling vulnerable in a way he wouldn't experience as his true self, setting him up emotionally for the poem's final vision of mutual dependence.
- The wound — The Prince's near-fatal injury marks a pivotal moment in the poem. Instead of arguments, it's his physical vulnerability that shifts Ida's feelings. This wound indicates that true connection involves taking risks and being open, rather than merely engaging in intellectual debate.
- The interpolated songs — Songs like 'Tears, Idle Tears' and 'Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal' capture the emotions that the main narrative struggles to keep hidden. They express the poem's true feelings — grief, longing, and the passage of time — in a way that the plot fails to convey.
- The river — Water imagery flows throughout the poem, symbolizing time and change. Rivers are always in motion, just like the fixed stances that Ida and the Prince start with. The movement of water reflects the poem's journey toward compromise and transformation.
Historical context
Tennyson published *The Princess* in 1847, just a year before the first organized women's rights convention at Seneca Falls and amid growing debates about female education in Britain. This poem came out between the first and second Reform Acts, during a time when discussions about who should have access to knowledge and public life were still very much in flux. Tennyson was directly addressing the campaigns for women's higher education, which ultimately led to the founding of Girton and Newnham Colleges at Cambridge. He also wrote under the weight of personal loss, as his close friend Arthur Hallam had passed away in 1833, and he was still working on *In Memoriam*. This grief adds an elegiac quality to the interpolated songs within the poem. Over time, Tennyson revised the work multiple times, including the addition of the songs in later editions, which significantly enriched its emotional depth.
FAQ
It’s a narrative poem about a prince who dresses as a woman to attend a university established by Princess Ida, who has renounced men and committed the college to educating women. The tale culminates in a battle, a romance, and a discussion on whether men and women can truly be equal partners. You could say it’s a Victorian fairy tale laced with a political message.
He feels torn, and the poem captures that struggle. He presents Ida with genuine intelligence and strong arguments. However, the plot gradually shifts her from separatism to forming a partnership with the Prince. Today, most readers perceive Tennyson as supportive of women's education in theory, but they still feel uneasy about the notion of women fully existing outside of male society.
'Tears, Idle Tears' and 'Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal' are the two most well-known poems. They were included in later editions and are frequently anthologized separately. 'Tears, Idle Tears' stands out as one of Tennyson's finest lyrics—a reflection on memory and loss that feels almost disconnected from the surrounding narrative.
Tennyson himself chose that word to describe it. The poem blends heroic narrative, comedy, lyricism, and philosophical debate. It shifts tone and style throughout. Tennyson was trying out a form that could encompass all these elements simultaneously, and while not everyone felt it succeeded, the songs themselves make the attempt worthwhile.
Not exactly. She cares for the injured Prince and falls in love with him, but the Prince's final speech envisions a future where men and women are truly equal, not one where men reign supreme. Ida doesn’t give up on her belief in women’s education; she manages to hold onto it while also embracing love. Whether this feels satisfying to you hinges on how much faith you have in the Prince’s vision.
On the surface, it’s funny—three men awkwardly navigating life in women’s clothing. Yet, it also challenges the authenticity of gender categories. If men can convincingly portray women, what does that say about the foundation of Ida's university? Tennyson doesn't delve as deeply into this question as a contemporary writer might, but he brings it up in a straightforward way.
Gilbert and Sullivan adapted the poem for their 1884 comic opera *Princess Ida*, which isn't as famous as some of their other works. They maintained the core story — the all-female university, the prince in disguise, the conflict — but approached it mainly as a comedy. The opera highlights how the poem's humorous aspects were easily recognized by Victorian audiences, even within a serious context.
The poem generally receives lower ratings than *In Memoriam* and *Idylls of the King* from many readers and critics. However, the interpolated songs, particularly 'Tears, Idle Tears,' are regarded as some of the best lyrics in English. It's worth picking up the poem just for those songs, even if the narrative seems a bit inconsistent.