by Daniel Hagerman

Invictus By William Ernest Henley

Description:

“Invictus" is a short Victorian poem by the English poet William Ernest Henley (1849 - 1903). It was first published in 1875 in a book called Book of Verses, where it was number four in several poems called Life and Death. The title "Invictus" (Latin for "unconquered) was added by editor Arthur Quiller-Couch when the poem was included in The Oxford Book of English Verse .

The poem's influence:

In the 1942 film Casablanca, Captain Renault, an official played by Claude Rains recites the last two lines of the poem when talking to Rick Blaine, played by Humphrey Bogart, referring to his power in Casablanca.

In the 1945 film Kings Row, Parris Mitchell, a psychiatrist played by Robert Cummings, recites the first two stanzas of "Invictus" to his friend Drake McHugh, played by Ronald Reagan, before revealing to Drake that his legs were unnecessarily amputated by a cruel doctor.

Franklin D. Roosevelt mentions that this is one of his favorite poems in the 1958 play Sunrise at Campobello (Act 2, Scene 2). Later, in the same scene, his friend and advisor, Louis Howe, reads the entire poem aloud as a tribute to Roosevelt.

The fourth stanza was quoted by Lachesis to Zane in Piers Anthony's novel On a Pale Horse, the first of his Incarnations of Immortality series.

In a Union Bank of Switzerland advertisement Alan Bates recites the poem.

While incarcerated on Robben Island prison, Nelson Mandela recited the poem to other prisoners and was empowered by its message of self-mastery.

The poem was used as the title of one of the final episodes of the 1987-1989 television series Beauty and the Beast.

The poem was used in a voice-over by Lucas Scott in the hit television series One Tree Hill.

The American Heavy Metal band Virgin Steele take influence from the poem for their 1998 release Invictus.

The Greek black-metal band Necromantia used the entire poem lyrics in their song "Invictus" in their album IV: Malice released in 2000.

Canadian poet and singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen recited the poem as an introduction to his own song "The Darkness", during a couple of shows on his 2010 world tour.

The last stanza of the poem was used by Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) to inspire Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) in the 30 Rock episode "Everything Sunny All the Time Always".

Novelist Jeffrey Archer quoted the poem in the first volume of his A Prison Diary series 'Hell' which recounted his time inside HMP Belmarsh.

The line "bloody, but unbowed" was the Daily Mirror's headline the day after the 7 July 2005 London bombings.

The Burmese opposition leader and Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi stated, "This poem had inspired my father, Aung San, and his contemporaries during the independent struggle, as it also seemed to have inspired freedom fighters in other places at other times."

The Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh quoted the poem in its entirety as his final (written) statement.

In the 2012 game Mass Effect 3 the second stanza of the poem is cited by one of the main characters: Ashley Williams, lieutenant-commander of the Alliance.

Tennis player Andre Agassi quoted the poem in his autobiography, Open.

In a Lost in Space episode, Dr. Smith paraphrases the poem in the line "each man is the master of his fate, the captain of his soul".

The Japanese visual novel Robotics;Notes uses the last two lines in this poem in the tagline for the game.

The Korean Manhwa Noblesse uses the last two lines as the motto for Ye Ran High School.

Fitness guru Jack Lalanne cited the poem as an inspiration in his life. Jack Lalanne battled illness as a young man in his teens and drew strength from Invictus. During an episode from his daily fitness program The Jack LaLanne Show, aired in the 1950s, he quotes lines from the poem.

The poem is also recited and memorized by most black Greek letter organizations (BGLOs), during their new member presentation show known as the probate. Initiates are usually required to study this poem during their pledging process.

The second verse of the poem was printed on cans of Relentless Inferno, an energy drink marketed in the UK by the Coca-Cola company.

The poem is also recited within an audio commentary created to accompany street artist Banksy's October 25, 2013 art installment featuring Death riding a bumper car.

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About

As a youth, I was constantly drawing, painting, and experimenting in fine arts. Also, I had a strong interest in architecture. Today, I enjoy photography and history, and dabble in drawing and painting.

I labored over 25 years in a pre-World War II aluminum mill, some of the time on catwalks above two-thousand degree, electrically charged molten metal. At the height of my career there the plug was pulled when various globalist financiers ravaged the company. In my mid-40s, I returned to college and re-educated as a computer network engineer. I currently work for local government.

My wife is a Kyoto, Japan native, so I have photographed that area extensively and some of that will probably show up in my work here.

Thank you for stopping by, and I wish you much success in whatever endeavors you choose that brings enjoyment to your Life.