American and British Society

While not a character in the typical sense, Hardy's poem alludes throughout to a decadent social world of luxury, waste, and carelessness. Readers are made to understand the ill-fated Titanic as a natural byproduct of the two egoistic (and more or less corrupted) societies that constructed and peopled it. By valuing modern glitz and glamor all too highly, architects and sponsors of the much-bandied ship allowed intrinsically valuable human life to fall by the wayside. The massive luxury liner, with its numberless comforts and modish appeal, is made to function as a symbol for larger anglophone society. Unless changes are quickly implemented, Hardy's speaker warns, then a proverbial sinking will soon take place.

The Titanic and the Iceberg

Personified throughout, the Titanic is very much the main character of Hardy's poem. Its construction, rich appurtenances and ultimate wreckage are described in a largely melancholic tone...