The Princess

The Princess is a narrative poem by English poet Alfred Tennyson, first published in 1847. It tells the story of a princess, Ida, who creates a university that only accepts women, and forbids men from entering. However, a prince, to whom she was betrothed in infancy, is determined to get in there, and win back her hand. He and two friends disguise themselves as women and go to the university. Brought before the princess, they debate the advantages of women's equality, but are eventually found out to be imposters. There are divided opinions as to what Tennyson's beliefs were when it came to equality for women, but it would appear that he tried to find a balance between progressiveness and the Victorian attitude of anti-feminism.
The poem inspired Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera Princess Ida.