ABSTRACT
IN THE ILIAD, HOMER SINGS OF THE DEVASTATING WRATH OFACHILLES; IN MAUD, Tennyson sings of the psychic devastation of his ownwrathful hero. The title of Maud gives the first indication of the poems heroic aspects. The name “Maud,” as Linda K.Hughes notes, “is derived from the same source as Matilda, the Old German Mahthildis, a compound of mahti, meaning ‘might’ or ‘strength,’ and hildi, ‘battle’ or ‘strife’” (171-72). Chris R.Vanden Bossche also recognizes the heroic significance of the title character’s name. “Maud,” he writes, “is the diminutive of ‘Matilda,’ the name of several medieval queens, most notably Empress Matilda (1102-1167), also known as Maud; true to her name, which means ‘mighty battle-maid,’ she led an invasion of England” (79). Tennyson had a sister named Matilda, a situation conducive to an awareness on his part of the name’s etymology.
