Invictus_-_William_Earnest_Henley

“Invictus” by William Ernest Henley is a poem which, written in 1875, still echoes in the present day. Meaning ‘unconquerable’ in Latin, it is no wonder that it has inspired much greatness and much beauty and that it has withstood the test of time. In recent years the poem received negative press when American terrorist, Timothy McVeigh, used it as his final statement before his execution on June 11, 2001 leading to much wariness about its content. But to me, this only reinforces the genius of this poem. If you are a sick child, a suffering parent, a corrupted soul, this poem still radiates with hope and meaning. It is timeless; endless; flawless. The main strength of this poem is it’s incredible universal and palpable theme of bravery, resilience and mastery of one’s own soul. The language that Henley uses to frame this theme is simple yet brilliant while the use of quatrain poetry allows for the subject matter to speak clearly and distinctly; freeing it of any unnecessary baggage and capturing the clarity and strength of his message. It is said that this poem was written as a demonstration of his resilience following the amputation of his foot due to tubercular infection as a child which is easy to believe as Henley speaks with the defiance and the conviction only someone who had suffered immense pain could possibly capture. It’s raw, it’s palpable and most importantly, it’s real. It is easy to understand why it is one of his more famous poems. There is much ambiguity about Henley’s position in regards to spirituality which leads to conflicting opinions about the deeper meaning behind “Invictus”. The phrase “whatever gods may be” suggests that the “master” and “captain” that he speaks of could be referring to a Christian God and he quotes an excerpt from Matthew 7:14 (‘_Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it__’)_ in his final stanza which begs the question of whether he intended to carry on a religious connotation or whether he just found the message behind the biblical excerpt particularly inspiring. As a self-proclaimed atheist, the likelihood is that he used the quote as a reference point; otherwise the whole message of the poem becomes convoluted as it is impossible to believe in God the creator and ruler while also being the “master” of your fate and the “captain” of your soul. The ambiguity almost becomes another positive of the poem however as it allows those of both a religious background and those with more agnostic and atheistic views to draw some hope and courage from the poem. Taking one or the other side of the fence would have tarnished the universality of the poem and in essence, taken away from it’s brilliance. There is a sense, in the poem, that Henley did not write “Invictus” with the intention of success or praise. Instead it seems as if this poem became somewhat like a mantra for him as he suffered terrible illness as a child; as if it became somewhat of an outlet for that otherwise indescribable pain. This authentic resilience and perseverance radiates from the poem and makes it even more inspirational, hopeful and poignant. The poem reads with a certain level of maturity even though Henley was only 26 at the time of it’s composition highlighting the strength of his character and the pride that he withheld even in the face of great adversity. It is the type of text that was relevant in the 1800s is relevant in the present day and will resound for future generations to come. There is no doubt that William Ernest Henley was a talented craftsman of words and had immense knowledge of the English language but, to me, it is the theme and the simplicity of his style that makes this poem as moving as it is. We need not have known his personal background to get a sense of the conviction and the dignity which he writes with. Henley truly was the “master of his fate”; he undoubtedly was the “captain of his soul”. Bibliography Henley, William Ernest. A Book of Verses. London: David Nutt,