Tithonus

"Tithonus" was written by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. The poem's setting is the ancient story of Tithonus. Tithonus fell in love with Eos, goddess of the dawn, and asked her for immortality. Unfortunately for Tithonus he did not ask for eternal youth, only eternal life. He, therefore, grows old but never dies while Eos not only never dies but also never grows old. What makes Tithonus's situation worse is that "the gods themselves cannot recall their …

…from it (29). "Tithonus" contains most of the major tenets of Tennyson. In the end, this poem is about decision making and the eternal consequences of decisions. Through Tithonus's misadventures of immortality, the audience learns that immortality is not for man, and it is through the dramatic tension that the audience sees this objectively. Tennyson stresses the art of good decision making and the importance of our decisions because of the possibly eternal significance they have.