The Good, Great Man by Samuel Taylor Coleridge (Poem, Summary, & Analysis)

 

The Good, Great Man

by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

(Poem, Summary, & Analysis) 

The Good, Great Man

"How seldom, friend! a good great man inherits

Honour or wealth with all his worth and pains!

It sounds like stories from the land of spirits

If any man obtain that which he merits

Or any merit that which he obtains."

 

REPLY TO THE ABOVE

For shame, dear friend, renounce this canting strain!

What would'st thou have a good great man obtain?

Place? titles? salary? a gilded chain?

Or throne of corses which his sword had slain?

Greatness and goodness are not means, but ends!

Hath he not always treasures, always friends,

The good great man? three treasures, LOVE, and LIGHT,

And CALM THOUGHTS, regular as infant's breath:

And three firm friends, more sure than day and night,

HIMSELF, his MAKER, and the ANGEL DEATH!

 

Summary

Opening Lines (Lines 1–5):

The first speaker begins with a sorrowful observation, addressing a friend. He notes how rarely a man who is both good and great receives due recognition, honor, or material wealth, despite all his hard work and moral worth. The speaker expresses disillusionment, saying that it almost sounds like a ghost story—or something mythical—when someone actually gets what they deserve in life, or deserves what they get. The implication is that the world is unfair, especially to those who live with integrity.

 

Reply (Lines 6–14):

A second voice, possibly the poet himself or a wiser friend, responds sharply, urging the first speaker to abandon this cynical, complaining tone. He questions what kind of rewards are expected for a truly good, great man—are they worldly gains like high office, titles, money, or a decorated position achieved by conquest and violence?

Instead, he explains that greatness and goodness should not be seen as tools to gain worldly success, but are noble ends in themselves. Such a man already possesses invaluable treasures and unshakable friends. His three great treasures are:

Love – the ability to love and be loved.

Light – possibly wisdom, knowledge, or moral clarity.

Calm thoughts – peace of mind, gentle and steady like a baby’s breath.

 

And his three steadfast friends are:

Himself – self-respect and inner peace.

His Maker – a close relationship with God.

The Angel Death – the inevitable end that comes as a friend, not a foe, to the good man.

 

In this way, the second voice argues that the good great man does not need worldly rewards to prove his greatness; he already possesses deeper, eternal riches.

 

Analysis in Detail

Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s The Good, Great Man explores themes of virtue, greatness, and the contrast between worldly success and spiritual fulfillment. The poem is written as a dialogue, where one speaker laments the lack of rewards for truly virtuous individuals, while the other responds by asserting that the rewards of goodness and greatness are not found in material wealth or status, but in inner peace, love, and spiritual connection.

 

Tone and Structure:

The poem is conversational in style, with a direct back-and-forth between two speakers. The tone of the first speaker is one of frustration and disillusionment, while the second speaker’s tone is more contemplative and firm, offering an antidote to the first speaker’s complaints. This shift in tone reflects the poet’s message about the nature of true greatness and the consequences of overvaluing material success.

The poem is structured into two stanzas, with the first laying out the complaint and the second providing the response, which is both philosophical and reassuring. This structure mirrors the contrast between worldly and spiritual values.

 

Analysis of the First Stanza (Lines 1-5):

The first speaker opens the poem with a mournful reflection on the fate of the good, great man. The speaker laments that such a person rarely receives honor or wealth in proportion to their virtue. The mention of the “land of spirits” introduces a sense of idealism or myth, suggesting that the concept of a person receiving what they truly deserve is more of a fantasy than a reality. The first speaker’s words express a worldview where the virtuous often go unrewarded and the unjust are favored by society. The key idea here is that material success does not align with moral worth, implying a disillusionment with the world’s unfairness.

The choice of the word “merits” is significant, as it draws attention to the concept of deservedness. The first speaker’s complaint is not just about the lack of reward but about the mismatch between the moral worth of a person and the outcomes of their life. This disparity emphasizes the frustration of being a person of virtue in a world that values power, wealth, and status over integrity.

 

Analysis of the Second Stanza (Lines 6-14):

The second voice, which serves as a counterpoint to the first speaker, challenges the pessimistic worldview. The response is almost a rebuke—urging the first speaker to “renounce this canting strain,” which means rejecting the complaining or self-pitying attitude.

The second speaker then asks what exactly the first speaker would have the good, great man obtain—whether it’s worldly rewards like “place,” “titles,” “salary,” or something as grim as a “throne of corses” (a metaphor for power gained through violence and conquest). This rhetorical question highlights the absurdity of equating greatness with such fleeting and often corrupt forms of success.

The second speaker moves beyond worldly considerations, suggesting that true greatness is not about what one gets, but what one is. Greatness and goodness, in this view, are not means to achieve an end; they are the end themselves. The speaker proposes that the good, great man has treasures that are far more meaningful than wealth or recognition. These treasures are not material but spiritual, residing within the individual.

The three treasures attributed to the good, great man are:

Love – The ability to both give and receive love is an eternal and powerful treasure. It signifies an emotionally rich life, full of connections that transcend material wealth.

Light – This likely represents wisdom, insight, or moral clarity. Light is a metaphor for intellectual and spiritual illumination, something that guides the person through life with a clear sense of right and wrong.

Calm Thoughts – These represent inner peace, tranquility, and emotional stability. The reference to “regular as infant’s breath” suggests a purity and consistency in the individual’s thought process, unmarred by the stresses or anxieties that often accompany a life focused on material success.

Furthermore, the second speaker mentions three firm friends that the good, great man can always rely on:

Himself – Self-respect, self-awareness, and a strong internal foundation are vital. The ability to be content and confident in one’s own moral standing is a crucial form of wealth.

His Maker – The good, great man is in communion with his Creator, signifying a strong spiritual connection with God. This suggests that spiritual fulfillment is the ultimate source of peace and purpose.

The Angel Death – Death is not presented as a fearful end, but as a friend. The good, great man has no fear of death because he is at peace with his life and his purpose. The acceptance of death as a companion suggests a philosophical and spiritual maturity.

These three friends—Himself, His Maker, and The Angel Death—are contrasted with the fleeting and often treacherous nature of worldly friendships, which can be based on self-interest or exploitation. The implication here is that the good, great man has found ultimate fulfillment in these spiritual connections, and in them, he finds stability and strength.

 

Philosophical and Spiritual Themes:

At its core, the poem reflects Coleridge’s transcendental and idealistic philosophy. The idea that goodness and greatness are spiritual qualities, not material ones, is central to the poem. By rejecting worldly success as the measure of a man’s worth, Coleridge elevates moral integrity and spiritual peace as the ultimate form of greatness.

The poem also explores the tension between individual integrity and societal recognition. The first speaker’s disillusionment reflects a common struggle: the idea that virtue is often overlooked, while the corrupt and self-serving prosper. However, Coleridge counters this view by suggesting that the good, great man does not need external validation because his true treasures are internal and divine.

 

Conclusion:

In conclusion, The Good, Great Man serves as a meditation on the nature of true greatness. Coleridge’s response to the world’s often unjust treatment of virtuous individuals is to offer a vision of spiritual fulfillment that transcends worldly concerns. Through the dialogue, Coleridge presents the good, great man as someone who is rich in love, wisdom, inner peace, and spiritual companionship, finding true greatness in his moral character and divine connections rather than in any material wealth or worldly recognition. The poem encourages readers to reconsider their values, suggesting that true greatness lies not in what one achieves in the world, but in the virtues one cultivates within.