Inviticus By Henley: Poem Analysis

Is fear real? One might think that fear is a part of life, and at some point in your life you will experience fear. Is it really possible to live life without fear in your heart? The word inviticus is of Latin origin and means unconquerable or undefeated. In the poem ‘Inviticus’ by William Ernest Henley, the author incorporates the idea that it is possible to live life without fear no matter what are the circumstances. I believe that life can be lived without fear, the only person that should be able to control your emotions are you. In the third stanza of the poem the writer stated,” Looms but the Horror of the shade, And yet the menace of the years, Find and shall find me unafraid.” By the writer stating this it lets me know, that he is going through a gloomy period in his life. Although he is going through a bad situation at this moment in his life, he will face the horrors without fear. This is one of the many ways the writer integrates being fearless in his poem. In the first stanza he states,” I thank whatever gods may be, For my unconquerable soul.” When he says that he means that he is truly fearless; He doesn’t have any fear in his body not even in his soul.

An example of this theme is in the fourth and final stanza when he articulates, “It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punished the scroll, I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul,” When the writer says that it lets me know that he controls his own emotions, even in horrific situations and moments when most people would give up or be terrified. It doesn’t matter how obscure the path is or how bad the consequences are, only he can control his fate of his life and what happens next. He is the captain of his own soul if he wants to be unafraid he can because he is the captain of his