Invictus meaning unconquerable written in 1875& Published in 1888 in his first volume of poems.

1. Invictus
WILLIAM ERNEST HENLEY
Dr. Varsha Palsule
City Premier College,Nagpur

2. POETRY
Invictus
BY
WILLIAM ERNEST HENLEY

3. WILLIAM ERNEST HENLEY

4. • William Ernest Henley (1849-1903) was a British poet,
critic and editor. He suffered in his youth from
tuberculosis, and at age sixteen his leg was amputated.
When he turned twenty-five, he became an inmate of
a hospital in Edinburgh. From there he started writing
poignant poems which described his experiences. He
published many poems in different collections
including In Hospital (written between 1873 and 1875)
and Book of Verses, published in 1891. Forming the
subject matter of the ‘hospital poems’ were often
Henley’s observations of the plights of the patients in
the hospital beds around him. In 1889, Henley became
editor of the Scots Observer, an Edinburgh journal of
arts and current events. After its headquarters were
transferred to London in 1891, it became the National
Observer and remained under Henley’s editorship until
1893.

5. • ‘Invictus’ (meaning ‘unconquerable’ or
‘undefeated’ in Latin) was written in 1875 and
published in 1888 in his first volume of poems,
Book of Verses, in the section Life and Death
(Echoes). After his leg was amputated and he
was told by doctors that his other leg would
soon meet the same fate, Henley sought the
help of another doctor who was ultimately able
to salvage his remaining leg. ‘Invictus’ was
written while he was recovering in the
infirmary and shows how Henley never lost
hope and kept faith in himself while facing his
struggles.

8. • Out of the night that covers me,
• Black as the pit from pole to pole,
• I thank whatever gods may be
• For my unconquerable soul.

9. • Invictus by William Ernest Henley is an
inspirational poem. This poem depicts the poet’s
attempt to motivate himself when there is no
hope at all. When the poet writes this poem he
has already lost one of his legs. So, in such a
situation of mental and physical agony, the poet
tries to lift up his courage.
• In the very beginning of the poem, the poet says
that he wants to thank God. In fact, he admits
that his life has no ray of hope. Rather his future
seems to be as dark as a pit. But then also he is
grateful to God for his ‘unconquerable soul’. He
says that no pain can be able to curve his soul.

10. • In the fell clutch of circumstance
• I have not winced nor cried aloud.
• Under the bludgeonings of chance
• My head is bloody, but unbowed.

11. • Eventually, he claims that whenever he fell
into some difficulty he always remained
unbeatable. However, situations have tried to
destroy him, he always fights back with
courage. In fact, he agrees that sometimes
difficulties have made him bleed and suffer.
But he never let himself to bow before them
and cry out of fear.

12. • Beyond this place of wrath and tears(angry &
sorrowful)
• Looms but the Horror of the shade,
• And yet the menace of the years
• Finds and shall find me unafraid.

13. • In the third stanza, the poet says that horror
has always lurked behind him. But it always
finds him unafraid. Whenever menace or
trouble has come in his life he has faced it
bravely.

14. • It matters not how strait the gate,
• How charged with punishments the scroll,
• I am the master of my fate,
• I am the captain of my soul.

15. • Finally, in the last stanza, Henley says that
though the gate of life is narrow he will
definitely pass it with vigor. Moreover, he
declares that he is the master of his fate,
meaning his fortune. Also, he claims that he is
the captain of his soul.

16. • Hence, this poem motivates the readers to
understand the fact that nobody can control
our lives. It only depends on us how we
choose to live our lives. Henley ends his poem
with a note that one should become the
friend, philosopher, and guide of one’s own
soul.

17. • From pole to pole : from the North Pole to
the South Pole
• unconquerable : that which cannot be
conquered or defeated
• fell cluth : tight grip
• circumstance :situation; present state of
affairs
• wince : grimace; to react in pain
by making a face or recoiling

18. • bludgeoning : a severed beating
• unbowed : undefeated
• wrath : extreme anger
• loom : to appear large and
threatening
• Horror of the shade : the unknown difficulties
that lie ahead
• menace : threat; danger
• strait : (here) referring to how
narrow or cramped a space is
• gate : (here) referring to a path
• charged : filled with
• scroll : a metaphor referring to the
speaker’s fate

19. • VOCABULARY :
• 1. List two OR more synonyms for each of the
following words.
• a. pit
• b. cried
• c. menace
• 2. List two or more antonyms for each of the
following words.
• a. unafraid
• b. under
• c. unconquerable

20. • COMPREHENSION :
• 1. Answer the following questions in two to
three sentences each.
a. Why does the speaker thank the gods at the
start of the poem?
b. Describe the speaker’s attitude towards
hardship,.
c. Does the speaker see himself as a victim?
d. What can you infer from the line, ‘My head is
bloody, but unbowed?

21. • 2. Answer the following questions in about
75 to 100 words each.
a. Analyse and explain the significance of the
title of the poem.
b. Discuss the spiritual angle of the poem
c. Analyse the tome of the poem. How does it
contribute to the point made in the final
stanza?
d. Elaborate on the significance of the line, ‘I am
the captain of my soul’, in relation to the
entire poem.

22. • 3. Answer the following personal-response
questions in about 75 to 100 words each.
a. When facing difficult times, what do you do
or who do you turn to for comfort and
strength? Explain why.
b. Describe your decision-making process. For
example, do you weigh the pros and cons of
your choices before committing to a decision?

23. • The poem is divided into four stanzas, each containing four
lines. In the initial stanza, the first-person speaker refers to
the absolute darkness which covers him, then adds that this
darkness extends “from pole to pole,” suggesting it is
something universal, rather than purely personal despair. This
dichotomy is never explored, as the poet casually extends his
own experiences into a general comment on the evils that
beset humanity as a whole.
• In the midst of this darkness, he says, he thanks “whatever
gods may be” for his “unconquerable soul.” The reference to
the “gods” establishes the fundamentally pagan and even
anti-Christian tone of the poem. The speaker has no hope of
heaven or any other afterlife. He does not believe in the one
God of the Bible. He merely acknowledges that there might
be some gods, in whom he has no particular interest, and
from whom he does not expect help. The important matter is
the phrase with which he ends the poem, his “unconquerable
soul,” which depends on no supernatural power and is proof
against any ordeal.

24. • vicissitudes of life. He says that the “fell clutch of
circumstance” has never caused him to cry out, or even
to wince, the smallest possible reaction that pain might
cause. The phrase “fell clutch of circumstance” is
something of a paradox, if not quite an oxymoron. The
word “clutch” suggests intention, while the word
“circumstance” makes it clear that the speaker’s
troubles are not caused by supernatural malevolence,
but are the arbitrary result of a world that appears
hostile despite its lack of a will. The paradox is
repeated in “the bludgeonings of chance.” Blows rain
down upon the speaker, and his head is bloodied by
them, though he stubbornly refuses to bow, which
would be a gesture of submission and defeat. These
painful blows, however, come not from any agent,
whether natural or supernatural, but mere chance. This
intensifies the idea that life is inherently hostile.