This metaphor compares Henley’s relationship to his soul to that of a captain to his own ship. This metaphor can be read beyond the final words of the poem, suggesting that though Henley cannot control the waters in which the ship travels—much like how we cannot control many of the events that happen to us in life—he can still steer his soul in the direction he wants to go.

This phrase is borrowed from a passage in the Bible, Matthew 7:14: “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” In both instances, the phrase refers to the idea that pursuing a righteous path in life is harder than pursuing a sinful one.

The “place of wrath and tears” represents life and its difficulties, and Henley uses the phrase “Horror of the shade” to describe the fear of death, the ultimate darkness (or shade). By stating that death is inevitable but that he isn’t afraid of it, he is asserting his command over his fears and emotions. This phrase is also reminiscent of Psalm 23:4 in the Bible, which suggests that those who follow God need not fear death: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” Capitalizing the “h” in “Horror” gives it more power and was popular in the poetry of the Romantic era, which preceded the Victorian era.

In both this phrase and “fell clutch of circumstance” above, Henley applies personification to the concepts of circumstance and chance. That is, he attributes human-like behaviors to these concepts, as if they were capable of clutching or bludgeoning someone. Personification like this is often used to imbue verse with rich imagery.

In context, the adjective “fell” means something that is evil or deadly.

It was in Victorian society that the idea of keeping a “stiff upper lip”—that is, remaining stoic while dealing with great personal suffering—became popular. The belief that one’s soul could not be tarnished, no matter the hardships one experienced, is reflected in both this line and the poem as a whole. The popularity of “Invictus” helped reinforce this attitude, as did many other works of Victorian poetry and literature.

This reference to a black pit is an extension of the darkness metaphor used above and also likely a more specific allusion, perhaps to hell itself or the Victorian coal pits. The presence of the definitive article “the” suggests an allusion to hell because it states “one and only.” The pit and hell are used synonymously in religious texts, and as an allusion to hell, “the pit” reinforces the darkness metaphor Henley establishes, suggesting a kind of spiritual darkness. As an allusion to the Victorian coal pits, “the pit” draws on historical context; during England’s Industrial Revolution, which started before the Victorian era and continued into it, coal became a desirable commodity used to power trains and generate electricity. Coal mines had terrible working conditions, with many people falling ill or even dying. They were often referenced symbolically in Victorian literature.

Henley uses a metaphor to compare his struggles to the darkness of the night. In this case, the metaphorical darkness that surrounds him is physical pain and the threat of death. Henley wrote this poem while in the hospital recovering from surgery that saved his right leg from the debilitating effects of tuberculosis of the bone. Henley’s left leg had been lost to the disease years prior.