20 pages • 40 minutes read
Robert SoutheyThe Battle of Blenheim
Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1798A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
The Skull
The skull that Peterkin finds is the dominant symbol of the poem. It is an actual physical relic from the battlefield. Other elements of the battle, such as the corpses rotting in the sun, are recalled by Kaspar but date from the distant past. The skull exists in the here and now.
The children have not seen a human skull before. All Peterkin knows is that it is “a large, and smooth, and round” (Line 12) object. The innocuous description conveys nothing of the true nature of the skull. In this context it is a powerful symbol of the battle and the price the struggle exacted in terms of human lives. It is no surprise to Kaspar, however, who says he has seen many such skulls in the area. He takes the skull from the boy and likely remains holding it as he tells the children about the battle (See: Further Reading & Resources).
Sword and Ploughshare
A ploughshare, a metal tool used in farming that cuts the top layer of soil loose, is mentioned once in the poem. Kaspar states that when he ploughs his land, the ploughshare turns up the skulls of men who were killed in the long-ago battle. The ploughshare symbolizes a peaceful, productive activity that has as its purpose the nourishment of human life. In a famous passage from the biblical book of Isaiah, ploughshares are contrasted with swords: “[T]hey shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more” (Isaiah 2:4). The sword is also mentioned in the poem. In conjunction with fire, the sword laid waste to the land during the battle; the sword thus symbolizes the opposite of the plough—the destructive element in human life. The present work of the ploughshare shows that peace now reigns, and yet the ploughshare still throws up, several generations later, skulls from the battle. Ploughshare and skull juxtaposed in this way symbolize the interweaving or alternation of the productive and destructive activities of humanity.
Fame and Greatness
Fame and greatness are recurring motifs, occurring in seven of the poem’s 11 stanzas. To Kaspar, who repeatedly proclaims that the battle resulted in a “great” and “famous” victory (Lines 18, 24), greatness and fame seem synonymous. They are the only things about the battle that he cares about, and he repeats the slogan not only after he has described the devastation the battle caused but also after Wilhelmine says the battle was “wicked” (Line 57) and Peterkin asks what good came of it.
While those that died remain anonymous and forgotten, Kaspar associates greatness and fame with the two commanders he names. These are the Duke of Marlborough, who commanded the English forces, and Prince Eugene, who was in charge of the Austrian army that was allied with the English. “Great praise the Duke of Marlbro’ won, / And our good Prince Eugene” (Lines 55-56), Kaspar says. The praise, the fame, the greatness, and the glory, focused on two men, is more important to Kaspar than the loss of so many thousands of ordinary soldiers.
