Ted Hughes: Life and Works
Introduction
Ted Hughes aka Edward James Hughes (1930-1998) was an English poet, translator, and children’s writer. He is best known for his innovative and powerful poetry that often explored themes of nature, mythology, and human emotions. Hughes served as the Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1984 until his death in 1998.
Early Life and Rural Upbringing
Ted Hughes was born in Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire, England. Growing up in the countryside provided Hughes with a first-hand experience of the natural world, and this upbringing had a profound impact on his artistic sensibilities. Hughes once remarked “my first six years shaped everything”. In his early years, Hughes was exposed to the sights, sounds, and rhythms of rural life, including the landscapes, fields, rivers, and wildlife of Yorkshire. He used to interact with animals, observing their behaviours, and witnessing the cycles of life and death in the natural world. These experiences not only fuelled his imagination but also instilled in him a profound respect and understanding of the natural environment. This connection to nature and animals became a defining element of his poetic voice. His poems frequently feature animals as central figures, using them as metaphors or symbols to explore complex human emotions and experiences.
Hughes initially studied English at Pembroke College but during his third year, he changed his major subject to Anthropology and Archaeology which contributed to shaping his poetry later on. After university, he pursued a range of diverse occupations, such as serving as a rose Gardner, a night watchman and a reader to British film company J. Arthur Rank. He also worked at London Zoo that offered him ample chances to closely observe animals.
His Tumultuous Personal Life
Ted Hughes’s personal life was marked by turmoil and complexity, which had a significant impact on his poetry and public perception. One of the most notable aspects of his personal life was his marriage to fellow poet Sylvia Plath. The couple’s marriage was marred by various challenges, including creative competition, personal insecurities, and mental health issues. Plath’s struggles with depression and her tragic suicide in 1963 added a layer of tragedy to their relationship. Hughes’s role in their marriage and Plath’s subsequent legacy became a subject of controversy and debate.
Hughes faced criticism and accusations for his handling of Sylvia Plath’s literary legacy, including the order and omissions in the publication of her writings. Additionally, some critics accused him of contributing to her suicide and questioned his role as the executor of her personal and literary estates. This tumultuous period in his life significantly influenced his poetic work. Themes of love, loss, pain, and emotional turmoil are evident in many of his poems, reflecting the personal challenges he experienced. He has written Birthday Letters(1998), a collection of poems addressing his relationship with Plath.
Hughes’s relationship with his second wife, Assia Wevill, was also complex and controversial one. He met Assia while still married to Sylvia Plath, and their affair began shortly before Plath’s suicide in 1963. Hughes later married Assia in 1969 after divorcing Plath. Tragically, Assia also died by suicide in 1969, along with their young daughter. Their deaths led to claims that Hughes had been abusive to both Plath and Wevill.
Despite the difficulties, Hughes continued to write prolifically and explored a wide range of topics in his poetry. His own emotional journey and reflections on relationships often found expression in his verse, making his work deeply introspective and emotionally charged.
Themes of Hughes Works
Themes of Ted Hughes’s distinctive works is characterized by several key elements that set him apart as a poet:
Vivid Imagery and Sensory Experience
Vivid imagery and sensory experience are hallmarks of Ted Hughes’s poetry, allowing readers to engage deeply with his work. Through descriptive language, Hughes creates scenes that come alive in the reader’s mind, invoking a range of sensory perception. Here are a few examples from his poetry that illustrate this:
“I sit on top of the world, my right eye // Glinting with a sharp taste of memory.”
The lines are extracted from “Hawk Roosting” in which Hughes’s use of imagery places the readers in the hawk’s perspective, allowing us to visualize its lofty perch and to feel the intensity of its observation.
“Black and white, hysterical // Yelling out of the sky’s belly, the blows that // Hurry up the river.”
This excerpt is taken from Hughes’ poem “Wind” in which uses of visual and auditory imagery describe the powerful force of the wind, making the reader experience the sound and movement of the wind’s impact.
“Two eyes serve a movement, that now // And again now, and now, and now // Sets neat prints into the snow.”
In “The Thought-Fox” Hughes employs imagery to capture the quiet presence of the thought-fox and its hesitant steps, effectively conveying the sense of anticipation and the delicate movement.
Exploration of Dark and Mysterious Aspects
Hughes delves fearlessly into the darker and enigmatic aspects of human existence. His poems can be haunting and unsettling, as seen in “Crow’s Account of the Battle” where he portrays a battle scene through the eyes of the crow, a symbol of death and darkness. The poem delves into the brutality of war, but it also goes deeper, addressing the cyclical nature of violence and human history.
Violence and Conflict
Many of Hughes’ poems explore themes of violence, conflict, and struggle. He often portrayed nature as both a source of creation and destruction, reflecting the primal forces at play in the world. In the poem Pike, Hughes uses the pike, a predatory fish, as a symbol to explore the primal and savage aspects of nature. The poet employs the metaphor ‘tigering the gold’ to depict the hue of the fish, symbolically alluding to the Tiger’s strength in the natural world. The phrase ‘Killers from the egg’ signifies their inherent destructiveness from birth, while the ‘wicked grin’ further emphasizes their predatory nature. His another poem, Hawk Roosting, presents the perspective of a hawk, embodying dominance, power, and the darker side of nature. The hawk’s assertion of its supremacy reflects a primal instinct for control and dominance. Lines such as,
“Now I hold Creation in my foot
Or fly up, and revolve it all slowly—
I kill where I please”
emphasize the hawk’s arrogant and ruthless demeanour.
Myth and Archetype
Hughes incorporated mythological references and archetypal imagery into his work. He drew on ancient stories and symbols to add depth and universality to his themes.
His Poetic Style
Ted Hughes used different poetic style and literary devices to enhance his poetry.
1. Free Verse: Hughes frequently used free verse, which lacks a consistent rhyme scheme or metrical pattern. This allows him to experiment with line length and rhythm, giving his poems a natural, conversational flow. The absence of strict structure can mirror the rawness and unpredictability of emotions and experiences he portrays.
2. Enjambment: Hughes often employed enjambment, where lines of verse run into the next line without a pause or punctuation at the end. This creates a sense of continuity and flow, encouraging readers to move smoothly through the poem and emphasizing the connections between ideas.
3. Varied Line Lengths: Hughes used lines of different lengths to control the pace of his poems. Short lines can create a sense of urgency or intensity, while longer lines slow down the rhythm and allow for more complex descriptions and thoughts.
4. Repetition: Hughes occasionally employed repetition of words, phrases, or lines for emphasis or to create a musical effect. This technique can reinforce themes or emotions within the poem.
5. Parallelism: Hughes used parallel structures to juxtapose contrasting or similar ideas, creating a balanced and rhythmic effect that draws attention to the connections between them.
6. Imagery and Symbolism: Hughes’ poems often follow a structure that weaves together vivid imagery and symbolic elements. This can involve using metaphors, similes, and sensory details to evoke a strong visual and emotional impact.
7. Narrative Structure: Some of Hughes’ poems have a narrative structure, where a story unfolds or a scene is depicted. This structure allows him to explore characters and events in depth.
