An interpretation of the following lines from "Invictus"? "It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll...

The lines…

"It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll ..."

…must be analyzed in light of the stanzas before it, because this gives these lines context and contributes to the whole of the poem and a better understanding of the first two lines of the final stanza.

One interpretation of these lines is that the writer of this poem, William Ernest Henley, believes, through his words in the opening stanza, that his soul is unconquerable.  He indicates here that he is the master of his own fate, that no god or gods, nor anyone in essence can conquer his soul. This is a defiant, bold statement that he will stand his ground concerning his beliefs, which he holds to (whether they are right or wrong).

In addition, the poet indicates that, although he has been beaten and bloodied in life because of time, chance, and circumstance, he has not wilted in defeat. He says that he has remained “unbowed.” He champions the thought that he has not cried aloud in distress with an attitude of defeat. He has plodded on and continued to fight the fights in life, because of his own sense of what bravery and stalwartness is, in association with his beliefs and ideologies.

He sees ahead, beyond the trials and tribulations of this life, a time of darkness of death. Whether he believes in an afterlife or not – his view is that life in an afterlife will be desolate; if there is no afterlife, then he ceases to be and that is it. This is, as he says, “…the Horror of the shade…”

As a result, the final stanza, and the abovementioned lines that prompted this question, are now clearer, based on the words preceding them. Henley doesn’t care how strait the gate is, or how charged with punishments the scroll is (talking of the Bible here). Defiantly, he, as one who has freedom of choice, is the master of his fate and the captain of his soul (his life) based on the decisions he makes.

These decisions do have consequences. He upholds his right to be the master of hi fate – he can choose right or wrong, good or evil, and reap the consequences of his choices. He is saying, no matter what, he will decide and hold his fate in his hands by his decisions and actions and beliefs . The rewards and punishments to come in the future will not stop him from being his own man now. He fears the "horror of the Shade", but this will not stop him from calling the shots in his life as suits him.