Invictus - a great film and an inspiring poem

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Lately, it seems every second film we watch has Morgan Freeman in it. Last night, we watched Invictus at the clubhouse and what a great film it was. The story deals with Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman), and the comeback of the Springboks to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup. ‘Invictus’ has its roots in Latin and can be roughly translated as ‘unconquered’ or ‘undefeated’. Invictus is also the name of a poem, written in 1875, which features in the film. The author, William Ernest Henley (1849-1903), had his left leg amputated at 16, following complications from tuberculosis, and at one stage, it looked like he might lose the other leg. The poem deals with self-discipline and fortitude in adversity. Several lines and phrases you might recognise, and parts of the poems have been quoted in numerous speeches, films, literature. ‘Bloody but unbowed’ is one quite common phrase which comes from the poem. The last two lines are particularly notable: I am the master of my fate I am the captain of my soul. In real life, Mandela did not present a copy of Invictus to the captain of the Springboks (Francois Pienaar played by Matt Damon) but gave him the text of a passage from Theodore Roosevelt’s Citizenship in a Republic delivered in 1910. The passage is now known as ‘The Man in the Arena’ and is well worth a read.