What are the narrative techniques used by Tennyson in Mariana

Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem, Mariana, follows the story of a jilted woman from Shakespeare’s “Measure for Measure.” The epigraph of the poem “Mariana in the moted grange” is taken from a reference of this play, and the narrative techniques within the poem combined with the context of the isolation of the character give us an insight into the melancholy that not only the character of Mariana feels, but perhaps also Tennyson himself. Arguably the most prominent narrative technique used by Tennyson is the imagery within the powm which is an outward manifestation of Mariana’s inward melancholy.
The monotonous “glooming flats” outside of her house reflect her life; she is going nowhere now that she has been jilted and apparently has no wish to! In addition to this, images of isolation prevail throughout the poem, “The lonely moated grange”. This further adds to the belief that Mariana is cut off from the vibrancy of human life. Tennyson is particularly clever with this narrative technique; giving the description of an inanimate object, such as the “moated grange” using an human emotion, it allows the reader to reflect this feeling onto the character of Mariana, which further gives insight to the solitude that her character is feeling.
The imagery throughout is of vital importance, due to the fact that we learn nothing of the physical appearance of her, yet the bleak desolation of the landscape which she lives in allows the reader to project this image onto her character and gives an insight towards the inner turmoil and isolation that the character is feeling. In addition, the image of decay is one of the most obvious forms of imagery throughout, and further reflects the fact that Mariana’s life is wasting away waiting for a man. . The quotation:

“With blackest moss the flower plots,
Were thickly crusted one and all.”
suggests the idea that the melancholy Mariana has been feeling has not been a short term thing. The fact that the usually green moss has turned black raises the question that Mariana may be wallowing, and perhaps even enjoying her melancholy, due to the fact that it highlights the amount of time she has been in such a state. This quotation further shows the contrast between what her life could have been, and how she is living now. The mention of “flower-plots” indicates that her life could have been flourishing and filled with colour, if she allowed it to be so, yet it is simply dark and bleak. This imagery of colour is entwined throughout the verses, with consistent references to “blacken’d waters” and “the rounding gray”.
A startling piece of imagery which contrasts this darkness is the “poplar tree” with “silver green…gnarled bark” This is a dominant image throughout the poem, and has been interpreted to be a phallic image of the man who abandoned Mariana, and is continuing to haunt her life even after he has left. This interestingly reflects the attitudes of the time. Throughout Tennyson’s poetry there are examples of feminism, and critique of the attitudes towards woman at the time. This reflects the Victorian idea that a woman can only be complete with a man in her life, and the life of a woman without a husband is “dreary”.
The sheer melancholy within the poem could perhaps be a further jibe from Tennyson about society at this time, indicating that he believes that the idea that women should live like Mariana if they don’t have a husband is utter nonsense. A further technique used by Tennyson to tell the story within “Mariana” is the use of the structure. The verse structure “abab cddc efef” is almost encircling, with the central quatrain having a rhyming couplet in the middle, such as
“And wild winds bound within their cell,
The shadow of the poplar fell”
This emphasises the psychological constraints of Mariana’s depression and depicts further the stasis of her life. The couplet in the middle is trapped, unable to escape due to the constraining verses, which clearly reflects the attitude that Mariana has to life. In addition to this, the verse form is unique to Tenyson and does not follow the traditional verse forms of other poetry, further adding to the idea that Mariana feels alone in life, and that there is nobody that is able to sympathise with her situation. Tennyson uses other language techniques such as onomatopoeia develop the story of “Mariana”, and is further used to reflect her character. The most brilliant example of this is;
“The doors upon their hinges creak’d;
The blue fly sung in the pane; the mouse
Behind the mouldering wainscot shriek’d”
The density of the onomatopoeia within this section suggests nightmarish and crazy sounds, and screams of despair, and create, as Ebbatson phrased “a landscape of inertia and loss”, which correlates with the emotions of the character. Furthermore, this quotation offers a stark contrast to the rest of the poem. Tennyson uses powerful words such as “shriek’d” and “creak’d” which are a harsh difference to the rest of the poem, which is mainly compiled of inactive verbs such as “fell”. The abundance of inactive verbs throughout the poem further reflects Mariana’s idleness, and really emphasises the onomatopoeia within this verse to reflect the dramatic sounds made from outside. Pathetic fallacy is a further narrative technique;
“And wild winds bound within their cell,”
This is another example of the way Tennyson uses the surroundings to reflect character; Mariana’s consciousness is really a wild wind, but she chooses to keep it imprisoned and “trapped within their cell”, adding to the perception that she is actually enjoying her melancholy. The alliteration of “wild winds” consequently accentuates the mayhem of her consciousness, and gives the reader further insight into the character. A final technique used by Tennyson is repetition, which is present throughout the poe,. Perhaps the most obvious form of repetition is the refrain, which is repeated at the end of each verse;
“She only said, ‘My life is dreary
He cometh not’ she said:
She said, ‘I am aweary, aweary,
I would that I were dead!”
The fact that this is at the end of it gives an insight into the monotony of Mariana’s life, yet it also has an effect of creating annoyance towards the character of Mariana. Evidently as this is the only thing that she can say, it may appear that she is wallowing in her sadness, and further adds to the impression that Tennyson gives off throughout the poem about the feminist aspect. The use of direct speech within this refrain is the only part in the poem where we get a direct view of Mariana. It is therefore more immediate than the rest of the devices used to describe her character in the poem, and could perhaps evoke sympathy. However, it is not only the refrain which is repeated.
The repetition of feminine rhymes such as “dreary/aweary” reflect the feminine nature of the character, and the drawn out nature of these words and the unstressed syllable at the end reflect the languorous nature of the poem and create an effect of infinite weariness. Furthermore, the dramatic change of the final two lines of the refrain in the last stanza offers perhaps the only change to the stasis of the poem, which is a further narrative technique, and the final line “Oh God that I were dead!” shows that Mariana has come to the decision that she is fed up of living a lfe of shadows and nothingness.
In summary, Tennyson uses an abundance of narrative techniques to tell the story of Mariana. Whilst it is essentially a poem of stasis, the methods such as imagery and repetition cleverly give the reader a deeper insight into the character featured in the poem, and have an interesting message about Victorian society concealed within them.

Calculate the price
Make an order in advance and get the best price
Pages (550 words)
$0.00
*Price with a welcome 15% discount applied.
Pro tip: If you want to save more money and pay the lowest price, you need to set a more extended deadline.
We know how difficult it is to be a student these days. That's why our prices are one of the most affordable on the market, and there are no hidden fees.

Instead, we offer bonuses, discounts, and free services to make your experience outstanding.
How it works
Receive a 100% original paper that will pass Turnitin from a top essay writing service
step 1
Upload your instructions
Fill out the order form and provide paper details. You can even attach screenshots or add additional instructions later. If something is not clear or missing, the writer will contact you for clarification.
Pro service tips
How to get the most out of your experience with MyhomeworkGeeks
One writer throughout the entire course
If you like the writer, you can hire them again. Just copy & paste their ID on the order form ("Preferred Writer's ID" field). This way, your vocabulary will be uniform, and the writer will be aware of your needs.
The same paper from different writers
You can order essay or any other work from two different writers to choose the best one or give another version to a friend. This can be done through the add-on "Same paper from another writer."
Copy of sources used by the writer
Our college essay writers work with ScienceDirect and other databases. They can send you articles or materials used in PDF or through screenshots. Just tick the "Copy of sources" field on the order form.
Testimonials
See why 20k+ students have chosen us as their sole writing assistance provider
Check out the latest reviews and opinions submitted by real customers worldwide and make an informed decision.
Nursing
thank you so much
Customer 452749, June 10th, 2021
Leadership Studies
excellent job as always
Customer 452773, September 2nd, 2023
Business and administrative studies
Thank you for your hard work
Customer 452773, October 19th, 2023
Nursing
I just need some minor alterations. Thanks.
Customer 452547, February 10th, 2021
Managerial Accounting & Legal Aspects of Business ACC/543
excellent work
Customer 452773, February 7th, 2024
Management
Love this writer!!! Great work
Customer 452597, April 5th, 2021
Criminal Justice
This has been the greatest help while I am recovering from an illness. Thank your team so much.
Customer 452671, May 2nd, 2021
Humanities
Thank youuuu
Customer 452729, May 30th, 2021
business
Thank you for your hard work and help.
Customer 452773, February 13th, 2023
Business and administrative studies
looks good thank you
Customer 452773, March 3rd, 2023
Leadership Studies
awesome work as always
Customer 452773, August 19th, 2023
Business and administrative studies
great job as always
Customer 452773, February 26th, 2023
11,595
Customer reviews in total
96%
Current satisfaction rate
3 pages
Average paper length
37%
Customers referred by a friend
OUR GIFT TO YOU
15% OFF your first order
Use a coupon FIRST15 and enjoy expert help with any task at the most affordable price.
Claim my 15% OFF Order in Chat
Close

Sometimes it is hard to do all the work on your own

Let us help you get a good grade on your paper. Get professional help and free up your time for more important courses. Let us handle your;

  • Dissertations and Thesis
  • Essays
  • All Assignments

  • Research papers
  • Terms Papers
  • Online Classes
Live ChatWhatsApp