Popular Dramatic Monologues

Abstract

Far more popular than his published plays or Idylls of the King were the stories and sketches which Tennyson versified with ready and sometimes not over-subtle art, especially in his later years. Technically expert, but with a worrying dearth of major inspiring subjects, the Poet Laureate adopted, almost by force of habit, the dramatic monologue form, and long heavily stressed lines, caesurally divided to make for balance and easy reading. His subjects vary from the amusing to the heroic, and were obviously well suited for the readings and recitations which had become fashionable.