The Eagle

The eagle is a regal, predatory bird, so, due to the title, the theme of power and force is present from the beginning. Tennyson reinforces the mastery of the eagle by wasting no time putting him into action. The eagle “clasps the crag with crooked hands” (Line 1), and he smoothly showcases his prowess, with the alliterative line adding to the eagle’s graceful dominance. The eagle's proximity to the sun and his loneliness further his authority. The eagle is at the top of the hierarchy. No other creature or thing has the power to stand with him except for the sun and “the azure world” or sky (Line 3). The sky seems to like the eagle, and it reaffirms the eagle’s power by giving him a diadem or ringing his head.

Juxtaposition contributes to the eagle’s force and power. Tennyson puts together two different things—the eagle and the sea—to spotlight their differences: The “wrinkled sea beneath him crawls” (Line 4). The sea is frazzled, infantile, and low, whereas the eagle is graceful, competent, and high above it all. The eagle “watches from his mountain walls” (Line 5). He possesses the walls; it's his kingdom. The eagle also has the privilege to observe and gaze.