Treatment of the Greek mythology in “Oenone” and “Tithonus”

The romantic poets were not that much interested in writing about Greek mythology as we can hardly find any poem of Wordsworth or Coleridge related to the topic. However, the Victorian poets were just the opposite, and Tennyson, in particular, was deeply interested in Greek mythology. Robert Browning was interested in Renaissance. Tennyson’s two poems “Oenone” and “Tithonus” both deal with Greek mythological characters and there we can find Tennyson giving different treatment about mythology and the mythological characters.

First, I like to talk about Oenone who was a mythological character. He married Paris, the prince of Troy. In fact, she was the first choice of Pairs, who abandoned her for Helen.

We all know the reason behind Paris going after Helen. Aphrodite promised him that if he gave the golden apple to her then she would give the most beautiful woman of Greece to Paris as his wife. Here, in this poem, Tennyson has presented Greek mythology in a new light. In ancient Greece, it was not such a big crime to abandon the first wife and going after another woman. Women did not have that much respect in society. In our age, if this matter happened then Oenone could have gone to court and filed a lawsuit against Paris. However, in ancient Greece Oenone did have no choice but to lament her fate and even she thought of committing suicide. During the Victorian age, the condition of women was gradually improving and Queen Victoria was herself a woman. Still, it was not like today. Women still had limited access to education, job and their wealth. They had no political right or voting right during the time Tennyson wrote. Tennyson was not himself a feminist, but here in the poem, he has shown the suffering of women. This suffering happened because Oenone did not have any right as a woman or as a wife. He was totally dependent on the mercy of Paris. After Paris abandoned her, her life was all but finished even though she was pregnant with a child.

Tennyson has focused more on the misery and suffering of Oenone in the poem than describing the mythological story. This is a very nice thing that he has done because normally mythological poets are often full of miracles of gods and goddesses. Here, the focus is not on Helen or not on Aphrodite but on the bad condition of Oenone.

“Tithonus” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson is a dramatic monologue. In the poem, Tithonus tells the reader his story and his suffering from immortality. Aurora, the goddess of dawn, falls in love with Tithonus and brings him to live with her. Tithonus asks Aurora to make him immortal but forgets to ask for eternal youth. As a result, he grows old and weak but does not die. The poem opens up with Tithonus lamenting his immortality.

In the original Greek version, it was not Tithonus but Aurora, who asked Zeus to make Tithonus immortal but forgot to asks for eternal youth. Tennyson changed the story to provide readers a moral message and that message is “Death is a normal part of life. Trying to overcome death means break of that cycle, which would not bring any good to human beings.”

Life is dear to all of us. We are afraid of death and it is inevitable. However, life without death is immortal life and that is not so attractive. Tithonus is immortal, but he is not enjoying his immortality but lamenting it. He tells Aurora to take back her gift of immortality, but that would not be possible because once the god grants something, he cannot take it away. Tithonus says,

Why should a man desire in any way

To vary from the kindly race of men,

Or pass beyond the goal of ordinance 

In the end, Tithonus refers to ordinary people as “happy men” because they have the power to die. 

Through Tithonus, Tennyson is addressing the readers not to be afraid of death. Tennyson wrote this poem shortly after the death of his close friend, Arthur Henry Hallam. His death affected Tennyson very much. He died at a very young age. Tennyson was trying to justify his death.

The poet also tried to warn the readers about greed. Tithonus was greedy for immortality. He finally got it, but it did not do him any good. Tithonus said,

I ask’d thee, “Give me immortality.”

Then didst thou grant mine asking with a smile,

Like wealthy men who care not how they give.

He prayed to Aurora for immortality and Aurora grant him his wish. It was like a charity by a wealthy man, who had too much wealth and did not bother what he gave. Now, he is suffering from immortality. He is old but he cannot die. He thinks that an old man like him cannot live with a goddess who is immortal and young.