Albatross and Poet: A Symbolic Parallel in Baudelaire’s Verse
Analysis of “Albatross” by Charles Baudelaire
Structure and Meaning
This 14-syllable (Alexandrine) poem, with consonant rhyme, consists of four quatrains (four lines each). The title is both eponymous, naming the central figure of the albatross, and symbolic, as the albatross represents the Romantic poet.
The first three stanzas explore the relationship between the albatross and sailors. The final stanza draws a parallel between the poet and the albatross.
Stanza 1: The Albatross and the Sailors
This stanza introduces the albatross, a seabird and traveling companion of the sailors. Soaring high in the sky, it embodies freedom, mirroring the poet’s elevated perspective and sense of exclusion from society. The sailors, symbolizing society, capture the albatross, representing society’s suppression of the poet’s freedom. An antithesis emerges between the poet and society, the albatross and the sailors, and the spiritual and material realms. Baudelaire highlights the poet’s isolation within society, feeling alienated and unable to share their ideals and emotions.
Stanza 2: Kings of the Sky, Awkward on Deck
The albatross, “kings of the sky,” embodies power and freedom in flight. However, on deck, they become awkward and clumsy. This antithesis reflects the poet’s experience: empowered and free in their creative realm, but repressed and uncomfortable within society. The contrast between the albatross’s grand white wings and the sailors’ oars further emphasizes this divide between freedom and confinement.
Stanza 3: The Wounded Albatross
The albatross’s natural environment is the sky, just as solitude is the poet’s preferred atmosphere. On deck, the albatross becomes weak, useless, and vulnerable to attack. The line “comic and ugly, he once so beautiful” highlights the stark contrast between the albatross’s majestic flight and its pitiful state on deck. The poet, like the albatross, is wounded by society’s criticism, their “peak” (bill) likened to the poet’s censored poetry.
Stanza 4: The Poet’s Exile
This stanza clarifies the symbolism. The poet, like the albatross, navigates obstacles and mocks their captors while soaring high. However, on earth, they feel exiled and out of place. The albatross’s wings, powerful in the storm, become cumbersome on deck. This reflects the poet’s struggle, their unique qualities (poetry) misunderstood and rejected by society.
Romanticism and Symbolism
Baudelaire’s “Albatross” aligns with both Romantic and Symbolist literary movements.
Romanticism
- Emphasis on imagination, subjectivity, and freedom of thought and expression.
- Idealization of nature.
- Themes of individualism, isolation, and dissatisfaction with society.
- Melancholy and emotional intensity.
Symbolism
- Use of symbols to express complex ideas and emotions.
- Focus on dreams, fantasies, and the hidden meanings of the world.
- Rejection of materialism and industrial society.
- Exploration of metaphysical themes and the search for universal truths.
Baudelaire’s poem, with its symbolic representation of the poet as an albatross, embodies the core values of both Romanticism and Symbolism, showcasing the poet’s struggle for freedom and recognition in a materialistic and uncomprehending society.