Jealousy

Charles Tennyson Turner's Jealousy

Charles Tennyson Turner’s Jealousy is a poignant exploration of emotional torment, capturing the visceral suffering of a woman consumed by envy. Though lesser-known than his brother Alfred Lord Tennyson, Charles Tennyson Turner was a meticulous craftsman of the sonnet form, and Jealousy exemplifies his ability to distill complex emotions into tightly controlled verse. This analysis will examine the poem’s historical and cultural context, its literary devices, central themes, and emotional resonance. Additionally, we will consider philosophical and psychological perspectives on jealousy, as well as potential biographical influences that may have shaped Turner’s portrayal of this devastating emotion.

Historical and Cultural Context

Written in the Victorian era, Jealousy reflects the period’s preoccupation with repressed emotions, gender dynamics, and the tension between societal expectations and inner turmoil. The 19th century was marked by strict moral codes, particularly concerning female behavior; women were often idealized as pure, self-sacrificing, and emotionally restrained. Turner’s depiction of a woman undone by jealousy subverts this idealized femininity, exposing the raw, ungovernable passions that Victorian propriety sought to suppress.

Moreover, the poem’s medical imagery—referencing a "leech" (doctor) and an "aged lazar" (leper)—evokes the era’s evolving understanding of psychology and physiology. The Victorians were fascinated by the intersection of mental and physical suffering, often attributing emotional distress to bodily ailments. The speaker’s comparison of jealousy to a terminal illness underscores the era’s perception of destructive emotions as both psychological and somatic afflictions.

Literary Devices and Imagery

Turner employs a range of literary devices to convey the corrosive nature of jealousy, with imagery being the most striking. The poem opens with a visceral depiction of suffering:

"Alas! sad Jealousy! the scalding tear / Drops on her hands — her brow aches sadly too"

The adjective "scalding" suggests not just heat but also a corrosive quality, as if the tears themselves are burning her. This aligns jealousy with physical pain, reinforcing its destructive power. The aching brow further merges emotional and bodily anguish, a motif that recurs throughout the poem.

The poem’s central metaphor compares jealousy to a supplicant at the feet of Love, a figure who was once boldly confronted but now must be approached in desperation:

"She, who looked boldly in the front of Love, / And searched his glittering face, so proud and fair, / Must droop her gaze, declining from above, / And clasp his feet, and shed her sorrows there."

Here, Love is personified as a radiant yet indifferent figure, reminiscent of classical deities like Cupid or Venus. The shift from direct confrontation to abject prostration illustrates jealousy’s degrading effect—once confident, the woman is now reduced to begging for attention.

Another powerful metaphor likens jealousy to an "aged lazar" (leper), a figure abandoned and incurable:

"Or, like some aged lazar must she lie, / Some palsied crone, who hath no voice but tears — / Who sees the long-expected leech pass by / Her couch, to whisper hope in younger ears."

This comparison evokes both physical decay and social isolation. The leper, a biblical and medieval symbol of ostracism, underscores jealousy’s isolating nature. The "leech" (doctor) who ignores her in favor of "younger ears" reinforces the idea that jealousy is an affliction without remedy, a condition that society deems unworthy of attention once it takes root.

Themes: The Destructive Power of Jealousy

The dominant theme of the poem is the all-consuming and incurable nature of jealousy. Unlike fleeting anger or sorrow, jealousy is portrayed as a chronic, debilitating condition. The speaker does not merely describe jealousy as an emotion but as an identity—the woman is Jealousy, personified and trapped in her suffering.

A secondary theme is the loss of agency. The woman who once "looked boldly in the front of Love" is now reduced to a passive sufferer, her gaze "declining from above." This descent mirrors the psychological erosion that jealousy inflicts, stripping its victim of dignity and autonomy.

Additionally, the poem touches on the futility of seeking relief. The final lines—

"And her heart trembles, dying, yet astir; / She knows the healer can do nought for her!"

—suggest a paradoxical state of near-death and lingering agony. Unlike physical ailments, which might be treated, jealousy offers no cure, only prolonged despair.

Emotional Impact and Psychological Depth

Turner’s portrayal of jealousy is unflinching in its bleakness. Unlike Shakespeare’s Othello, where jealousy leads to violent action, or Keats’s Ode on Melancholy, where suffering is intertwined with beauty, Turner’s Jealousy offers no catharsis, no redemption—only unrelenting anguish.

From a psychological standpoint, the poem aligns with modern understandings of jealousy as a self-perpetuating emotion. Cognitive theories suggest that jealousy thrives on rumination—the constant replaying of perceived betrayals—and Turner captures this perfectly in the woman’s endless weeping and fixation on "those false eyes for ever near."

Philosophically, the poem resonates with Schopenhauer’s view of desire as inherently painful. In The World as Will and Representation, Schopenhauer argues that suffering arises from unmet wants, and jealousy exemplifies this—it is the torment of seeing one’s desires fulfilled for others while remaining unfulfilled for oneself. Turner’s depiction of jealousy as incurable aligns with Schopenhauer’s pessimistic outlook on human longing.

Comparative Analysis

Turner’s Jealousy invites comparison with other poetic treatments of envy and despair. In John Keats’s La Belle Dame sans Merci, the knight is left "palely loitering" after his abandonment, much like Turner’s jealous figure. However, Keats’s poem retains a haunting beauty, whereas Turner’s is unrelentingly grim.

Another apt comparison is with Christina Rossetti’s After Death, where a deceased speaker observes a lover who no longer mourns her. Like Turner’s jealous woman, Rossetti’s speaker is powerless, but her suffering is posthumous and resigned, whereas Turner’s subject is alive and actively tormented.

Biographical Insights

Though less is known about Charles Tennyson Turner’s personal life than his brother Alfred’s, some scholars suggest that his own experiences with unrequited love or professional envy may have influenced Jealousy. Unlike Alfred, who achieved literary fame, Charles lived a quieter life as a clergyman, and some of his sonnets reflect themes of longing and unfulfilled potential. Whether or not Jealousy was autobiographical, its emotional authenticity suggests a deep empathy for the suffering it describes.

Conclusion

Jealousy is a masterful study of emotional agony, rendered with precision and unflinching honesty. Through vivid imagery, metaphor, and psychological depth, Charles Tennyson Turner captures the corrosive, isolating, and ultimately incurable nature of envy. Situated within Victorian literary traditions yet transcending them with its universal emotional truth, the poem remains a powerful meditation on one of humanity’s most destructive passions. Its bleakness is its strength—Turner does not offer solace but instead forces the reader to confront jealousy in its rawest, most devastating form. In doing so, he creates a work that lingers in the mind long after reading, a testament to poetry’s ability to articulate the inarticulable depths of human suffering.

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