Question To what extent do you agree that Godiva is successful as a feminist poem? Response It could be argued in many ways as whether or not Tennyson's Godiva is successful as a feminist poem. For example, Godiva is under the control of her husband, thus disproving the idea that the poem is feminist as it portrays the main female character as having little to no power. Contrastingly, she stands up to her husband to defend the villagers and therefore highlights the feminist nature of the power due to Godiva appearing to have overcome the power of her husband. It is clear that there is a power struggle between Godiva and her husband, particularly when she is established as ˜wife to that grim Earl', showing how she has no individual identity and is seen to be property of the Earl. Further into the poem, Godiva ˜sought her lord' which also demonstrates the idea that there is a clear power divide and that the male character has the lead in this divide. This is further evidenced in Barry's What Feminist Critics Do where he states that feminist critics ˜examine power relations'. It could be argued that Godiva is in fact not a feminist poem, particularly due to the fact that she is her husband's possession and that he is the dominant character throughout. Alternatively, it could also be argued that the poem is in fact feminist, due to the female lead character overthrowing the command of the superior male character. Contrasting to that opinion of Bertens who claims that ˜female independence gets a strongly negative connotation', the independence demonstrated by Godiva is hardly negative, but in fact exceedingly positive. Godiva ˜rode forth, clothed on with chastity, portraying her as moral and pure and thus confirming the idea that Godiva is successful as a feminist poem. In the final stanza of the poem, it is discovered that Godiva ˜built herself an everlasting name, the word ˜built' representing strength and connoting