Idylls of the King

Tennyson's Arthurian cycle, rebuilding the Round Table's rise and ruin for the Victorian age.

Specifications & Metrics

author

Alfred, Lord Tennyson

type

Narrative poem cycle

era

Victorian (1859–1885)

language

English

verse form

Blank verse

cantos count

12

Core Principles & Analysis

• Published in sections from 1859 to 1885, reaching twelve idylls.
• Tennyson recast Malory's Arthuriad as an allegory of society's moral strain.
• Prince Albert and Queen Victoria were among its first devoted readers.

Sources

• Wikipedia: Idylls of the King