The poem Invictus is well known today because the South African leader Nelson Mandela (1918-2013), had it written on a piece of paper while he was imprisoned for 27 years in Robben Island prison.
Due to the popularity of the film, people think that this piece of poetry was written by Mandela, however it was written by William Ernest Henley (1849–1903) while he was in a hospital treating tuberculosis. He had contracted the disease when he was very young and before he finished the poem, his leg had been amputated to save his life.
Written in 1875, when Henley was 27 years old, it was not published until thirteen years later - 1888 - in his first book of poems, Book of Verses, where it is the fourth poem in the "Life and Death" section.
It was originally untitled and contained a dedication to RTHB, referring to Robert Thomas Hamilton Bruce, a successful Scottish merchant and literary patron.
It was immediately a popular poem. His inspiring message was frequently shown in poetic anthologies and was recited and memorized in schools until the late 1960s. The word Invictus in Latin means invincible or undefeated and the poem is about courage in the presence of death, about courage and about dignity.
You may also be interested in these phrases by Nelson Mandela.
Poem in spanish
In English
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.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
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.
Analysis
In the first stanza, the author prays in the dark to the god that may exist, to give thanks for the strength of his soul. Here are a couple of things that seem obvious: that the person is faced with a "personal darkness" or despair and second, that despite this despair, he feels strong and for that he gives thanks.
In the second stanza, the author continues to refer to courage. He speaks that despite the negative circumstances, he has not allowed himself to decay and that despite the fact that fate has not granted him the best, he has remained upright and without complaint.
The third stanza deals with death and his lack of fear of it. It conveys that despite the anger and tears, circumstances have not been able to with him.
In the fourth stanza he summarizes the main theme of the poem: that the circumstances do not matter, how hard the road is and the negative events that occur. The author will always be the one who guides his path: "the master of his destiny" and "the captain of his soul."
About the Author
Invictus ensured that Henley would become an important literary figure of the Victorian era, however due to the enormous popularity of this poem, his other work has been largely forgotten. And it is that, Henley, was an innfluent critic, journalist and poet. He was also a playwright although not very successful.
He began working as a journalist, but his career was interrupted by his illness and the duty to go to the hospital. Tuberculosis, which he contracted at age 13, had spread to his left leg and was amputated to save his life. The other leg was saved thanks to the innovative treatment of surgeon Joseph Lister.
Curiosities and influence
-Henley had a great friendship with the novelist and also poet Robert Louis Stevenson, whose character Long John Silver from Treasure Island was inspired by Henley.
-Mandela spent from 1962 to 1980 in Robben Island jail, time he dedicated to educating himself and other colleagues to prepare to fight apartheid and establish equality in South Africa. In addition, at that time he studied at a distance at the University of London.
-Morgan Freeman commented in an interview: 'That poem was his favorite. When he lost courage, when he felt like he was going to give up, he recited it. And it gave him what he needed to keep going. "
-In the 1942 movie Casablanca, Captain Renault, an officer played by Claude Rains, recited the last two lines of the poem while speaking to Rick Blaine, played by Humphrey Bogart.
-In the 1042 film Kings Row, a psychiatrist played by Robert Cummings recited the last two stanzas of the poem to his friend Drake McHugh, played by Ronald Reagan, before revealing to Drake that a doctor had unnecessarily accused his leg.
-It was one of Franklin D. Roosevelt's favorite poems.
-Nelson Mandela recited it to other prisoners while incarcerated on Robben Island. In the movie Invictus, Mandela gives it to the captain of the South African rugby team to inspire his team to win the World Cup. However, he actually gave her "The Man in the Arena," a passage from Theodore Roosevelt's "Citizenship in the Republic" speech.
-Named by Barack Obama at the end of his speech at the Mandela remembrance event on December 10, 2013.
-Henley's youngest daughter, named Margaret, was friends with JM Barrie, author of Peter Pan. The author called her her "fwendy-wendy," resulting in the use of "Wendy" in the book. Unfortunately, Margaret died at the young age of 5.
What does the poem convey to you? Inspiration? Dramatics?