'Tithonus' Summary

The poem 'Tithonus' tells the story of Tithonus, a mortal man who was granted immortality by the goddess Aurora, with whom he had fallen deeply in love. However, the gift of eternal life did not include eternal youth, leaving Tithonus to face the horror of endless aging. As years turn into centuries, Tithonus becomes a frail, withered shell, longing for death to end his suffering. He begs Aurora to release him from this cruel existence, to allow him to join the cycle of life and death. But Aurora, bound by the irrevocable nature of the gods' gifts, is unable to grant his plea. The poem concludes with Tithonus lamenting his fate, trapped in a body that is but a shadow of its former self, desperately seeking an end to his endless agony. Tennyson's 'Tithonus' poignantly portrays the human struggle with mortality and the complexities of love and desire, offering a profound meditation on the ephemerality of life and the futility of seeking to defy nature's inevitable cycle.