Alfred Tennyson And A Summary of Ulysses

Ulysses is a blank verse dramatic monologue written when

Tennyson was a young man of 24 years, in 1833, the year
his best friend Arthur Hallam died whilst touring in Europe.

The poem was inspired by his friend's passing, as

Tennyson acknowledged:

'There is more about myself in Ulysses, which was

written under the sense of loss and that all had gone
by, but that still life must be fought out to the end. It
was more written with the feeling of his loss upon me
than many poems.'

Ulysses is the latinised version of the Greek mythological

hero Odysseus, king of Ithaca, first recorded in Homer's
classic poems the Iliad and its sequel the Odyssey, which
tells of Odysseus's ten year journey home following the
Trojan War.

Tennyson loved the Greek myths. Several poems of his

are directly inspired by them, so his choice of Ulysses
(Odysseus) is understandable. He also knew of Dante's
Inferno canto 26 where Ulysses is found in hell, for his
many sins. Virgil the Roman poet also used Ulysses in his
epic poem the Aeneid.
So it is that Virgil, Dante and Tennyson chose the original
Homeric Odysseus and in each case recast the character
for their particular work. James Joyce the Irish novelist
also got in on the act with his novel Ulysses published in
1922.

Tennyson's Ulysses finds himself idle and restless at

home after years of exploration and adventure. He tells
himself :

How dull it is to pause, to make an end,

To rust unburnished, not to shine in use!

Three Stages in Ulysses

1. The poem begins with Ulysses admitting that his life is a

monotony despite him being king. All he does is waste his
time with a people who don't know him. His wife is old, he
doesn't even mention her name. (lines 1 - 5)

Ulysses looks back to better days when he truly lived

and travelled the world. He yearns for more adventure
and 'to follow knowledge' (lines 6 - 32)
 Ulysses rejects the status quo.
2. He knows his son Telemachus will take over the
kingdom and run it well when Ulysses has gone. (lines 33
- 43).

 Abdicates responsibility.

3. Ulysses addresses his mariners and prepares them for

the journey of all journeys, 'beyond the sunset', to seek
and find and not to yield. (lines 44 - 70).

 Prepares for the final journey.

The poem was written in 1833 and published in Poems in

1842. Some publications have the poem split into four
stanzas but in the original book (and Tennyson's personal
notebook) the poem is one long stanza, with indentations
at lines 33 and 44.

What Is The Main Idea or Theme of Ulysses?

The main idea or theme of Ulysses is that of conquering or

overcoming a situation that threatens to bring a person
down. The poem builds up to those final few lines which
are defiant, hopeful, pro-life and inspirational.

What Is The Tone Of Ulysses?

The tone of Ulysses is reflective, contemplative and
hopeful. The speaker has come to the conclusion that, to
live a meaningful life, he has to move on from his domestic
situation.

Whilst the poem is a kind of dramatic monologue, it is

more of a soliloquy - an address to oneself but in the
presence of others.

Full Analysis of Ulysses Line By Line

Ulysses is a dramatic monologue, the speaker, Ulysses

himself, reflecting on his current domestic situation,
looking back to when his life was exciting and adrenaline
filled, looking forward to more of the same now that his
son Telemachus can rule the kingdom of Ithaca.

Lines 1 - 5

The opening two lines and a half suggest that the speaker
is observing an idle king and it's only when the rest of line
three is read that the first person is revealed. This is
Ulysses himself, bemoaning the fact that he's stuck at
home.
Just look at the language...little profit, idle, still, barren,
agèd. Words that imply emptiness and stagnation. (note
the accent on the è in agèd making this a two syllable
word which fits into the pentameter)

That phrase mete and dole means to weigh and measure

but he's having to do it to a savage race unequally,
suggesting that he thinks the people uncouth and he feels
himself far apart from those he rules.

So by the end of line 5 he's already in a difficult position.

These lines have caused controversy over the years

because, for some, they lack proper grammar, specifically
a comma which should come after the word that in the first
line.

Without the comma the third line's I mete and dole seems

out of place. But, if the first line is read slowly with one ear
on the metrical beat this appositional opening makes
sense.

Lines 6 - 17

The confession is out. The speaker, Ulysses, is restless

because he has wanderlust. It's in his being to travel. He
 wants to drink life to the lees (make the most of it) and
begins to look back at those times when he was doing just
that.

 Note the contrasts set up as this section of the poem

progresses: enjoyment/suffering, in loving company/alone,
on land/at sea.
 Ulysses the hero, warrior and adventurer is slowly
deteriorating at home. Discontentment rules. Something
has to change.
The syntax here is complex - the way clauses and
grammar are put together - the eleven lines being one
complete sentence.

Tennyson's use of colons and semi-colons together

with enjambment challenge the reader to make
meaningful pauses. This is especially true for lines 6 - 10
where most pauses are mid-line, which helps break up the
steady iambic beat.

Hyades is a group of stars in the constellation Taurus,

believed to foretell the coming of rain.

In line 11 note the use of the word Vext (sometimes

written vexed) which means agitated or angered or
annoyed.
He states that he has become a name, that is, Ulysses is
known by many abroad (in contrast to his name at home
where the people know not me, a sad truth).

As the poem moves on the reader becomes increasingly

aware of this divide between what Ulysses was to what he
has become. His former life was a heady mix of travel,
meetings with important men in far off places and battle.
The alpha male's dream existence.

Lines 18 - 21

The next four lines sum up Ulysses's existential dilemma

in a somewhat abstract image.

His past experiences are an integral part of who he is. To

elaborate this idea Tennyson introduces a metaphorical
arch through which the future untravelled world appears,
to be experienced only when he is moving.

So it is forward motion in life that is crucial for Ulysses.

Lines 22 - 23

In contrast these two lines sum up what it feels like to be

stuck at home, a passive, resigned figure.
This could be a sword that rusts, or a shield. Ulysses
oxidised. On the scrapheap, a piece of junk.

Lines 24 - 32

More reasons to move on! Breathing might be a sign of life

but not for Ulysses. How many breaths make a life? Time
waits for no man...every hour is precious. Every hour
could bring forward new things from out of that eternal
silence (death).

Ulysses pictures himself in the same vile (horrible) position

for three years or three days (three suns) when inside he
craves travel and knowledge, right round the earth and
beyond all human thought.

The reader can now get a good grasp of what is going on

inside Ulysses's heart and mind. Here is a desperate man
yearning for his former life, keen to move on.

Line By Line Analysis of Ulysses

Lines 33 - 43

Ulysses introduces his son Telemachus in an act of

abdication. He outlines the qualities that will make his son
a successful leader, through slow prudence and soft
degrees to transform a rugged people (no longer
a savage race) into useful citizens.

That last line contains the essential difference between

the two:

He works his work, I mine.

Telemachus knows nothing of adventure and battle but

will duly rule the kingdom because he is dutiful and ready
to take over the household gods.

Ulysses Line by Line Analysis

Lines 44 - 61

Ulysses addresses the mariners that have been with him

throughout. The sea is calling, a ship awaits.

They may be old, death may be around the corner but

before they succumb there will be one last voyage beyond
the sunset and no return. It is crystal clear that Ulysses
intends to go out with a bang and not a whimper.

He is saying with some conviction that old age is no

excuse to sit and do nothing; life can still be lived, useful
work can be done.
Lines 62 - 70

They might sink, drown, end up on the Happy Isles

(Islands of the Blessed in Greek mythology, Elysium,
abode of the gods for heroes and patriots, located beyond
the western horizon) where they'll meet Achilles (greatest
of Greek warriors, killer of Hector at Troy and lead figure in
Homer's Iliad).

We are what we are Ulysses says, that is, older now but
still full of yearning for new things. He will never give in.

So even though time wears us down as we age, even

though we may find ourselves depressed and weakened
by circumstance, there is always something to strive for.

Tennyson's friend Arthur Hallam died young. It was this

tragic event that brought the poet initial grief and sadness
and caused him to question his own existence and
purpose.

Ulysses was written to exorcise demons and transform an

individual. Change for the better is always possible...out of
the darkness and into new light.
What Are The Literary/Poetic Devices Used in
Ulysses?

There are several literary/poetic devices used in Ulysses;

some bring texture and phonetic variation (alliteration and
assonance, internal rhyme), others alter the pace (caesura
and enjambment) or help deepen meaning (simile and
metaphor) :

Alliteration

When two or more words start with the same consonant

and are close together in a line:

life to the lees...hungry heart...climates,councils...drunk

delight...sinking star...noble note...sail beyond the
sunset...for some three suns to store..
Assonance

When two or more words contain similar sounding vowels

and are close together in a line. For example:

little profit/king...sleep/feed...ringing plains of windy...rust

unburnished
Caesura

This is a pause midway through a line, caused by a

comma or other punctuation. As in lines 39,40,41:
Most blameless is he, centred in the sphere

Of common duties, decent not to fail

In offices of tenderness, and pay

Enjambment

When a line runs on into the next with no punctuation. Momentum

gathers as the pause is reduced. Lines 58,59,60 are enjambed:

Push off, and sitting well in order smite

The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds

To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths

Internal Rhyme

Words in lines that are close together, either full or slant rhymed, bringing
echo and connection:

mete/sleep/feed/lees...me/rainy/sea...port/wrought/thought...
Metaphor

When something becomes something else to deepen understanding for the

reader and bring extra imagery into play:

Yet all experience is an arch wherethrough

Gleams that untravelled world whose margin fades

Simile

When a comparison is made, as in line 31:

To follow knowledge like a sinking star,

Summary
Ulysses (Odysseus) declares that there is little point in his
staying home “by this still hearth” with his old wife, doling out
rewards and punishments for the unnamed masses who live in
his kingdom.

Still speaking to himself he proclaims that he “cannot rest from

travel” but feels compelled to live to the fullest and swallow
every last drop of life. He has enjoyed all his experiences as a
sailor who travels the seas, and he considers himself a symbol
for everyone who wanders and roams the earth. His travels have
exposed him to many different types of people and ways of
living. They have also exposed him to the “delight of battle”
while fighting the Trojan War with his men. Ulysses declares
that his travels and encounters have shaped who he is: “I am a
part of all that I have met,” he asserts. And it is only when he is
traveling that the “margin” of the globe that he has not yet
traversed shrink and fade, and cease to goad him.

Ulysses declares that it is boring to stay in one place, and that to

remain stationary is to rust rather than to shine; to stay in one
place is to pretend that all there is to life is the simple act of
breathing, whereas he knows that in fact life contains much
novelty, and he longs to encounter this. His spirit yearns
constantly for new experiences that will broaden his horizons;
he wishes “to follow knowledge like a sinking star” and forever
grow in wisdom and in learning.

Ulysses now speaks to an unidentified audience concerning his

son Telemachus, who will act as his successor while the great
hero resumes his travels: he says, “This is my son, mine own
Telemachus, to whom I leave the scepter and the isle.” He
speaks highly but also patronizingly of his son’s capabilities as a
ruler, praising his prudence, dedication, and devotion to the
gods. Telemachus will do his work of governing the island
while Ulysses will do his work of traveling the seas: “He works
his work, I mine.”

In the final stanza, Ulysses addresses the mariners with whom

he has worked, traveled, and weathered life’s storms over many
years. He declares that although he and they are old, they still
have the potential to do something noble and honorable before
“the long day wanes.” He encourages them to make use of their
old age because “ ’tis not too late to seek a newer world.” He
declares that his goal is to sail onward “beyond the sunset” until
his death. Perhaps, he suggests, they may even reach the “Happy
Isles,” or the paradise of perpetual summer described in Greek
mythology where great heroes like the warrior Achilles were
believed to have been taken after their deaths. Although Ulysses
and his mariners are not as strong as they were in youth, they are
“strong in will” and are sustained by their resolve to push
onward relentlessly: “To strive, to seek, to find, and not to
yield.”

Form
This poem is written as a dramatic monologue: the entire poem
is spoken by a single character, whose identity is revealed by his
own words. The lines are in blank verse, or unrhymed iambic
pentameter, which serves to impart a fluid and natural quality to
Ulysses’s speech. Many of the lines are enjambed, which means
that a thought does not end with the line-break; the sentences
often end in the middle, rather than the end, of the lines. The use
of enjambment is appropriate in a poem about pushing forward
“beyond the utmost bound of human thought.” Finally, the poem
is divided into four paragraph-like sections, each of which
comprises a distinct thematic unit of the poem.

Commentary
In this poem, written in 1833 and revised for publication in
1842, Tennyson reworks the figure of Ulysses by drawing on
the ancient hero of Homer’s Odyssey (“Ulysses” is the Roman
form of the Greek “Odysseus”) and the medieval hero of
Dante’s Inferno. Homer’s Ulysses, as described in Scroll XI of
the Odyssey, learns from a prophecy that he will take a final sea
voyage after killing the suitors of his wife Penelope. The details
of this sea voyage are described by Dante in Canto XXVI of
the Inferno: Ulysses finds himself restless in Ithaca and driven
by “the longing I had to gain experience of the world.” Dante’s
Ulysses is a tragic figure who dies while sailing too far in an
insatiable thirst for knowledge. Tennyson combines these two
accounts by having Ulysses make his speech shortly after
returning to Ithaca and resuming his administrative
responsibilities, and shortly before embarking on his final
voyage.
However, this poem also concerns the poet’s own personal
journey, for it was composed in the first few weeks after
Tennyson learned of the death of his dear college friend Arthur
Henry Hallam in 1833. Like In Memoriam, then, this poem is
also an elegy for a deeply cherished friend. Ulysses, who
symbolizes the grieving poet, proclaims his resolution to push
onward in spite of the awareness that “death closes all” (line
51). As Tennyson himself stated, the poem expresses his own
“need of going forward and braving the struggle of life” after
the loss of his beloved Hallam.
The poem’s final line, “to strive, to seek, to find, and not to
yield,” came to serve as a motto for the poet’s Victorian
contemporaries: the poem’s hero longs to flee the tedium of
daily life “among these barren crags” (line 2) and to enter a
mythical dimension “beyond the sunset, and the baths of all the
western stars” (lines 60–61); as such, he was a model of
individual self-assertion and the Romantic rebellion against
bourgeois conformity. Thus for Tennyson’s immediate
audience, the figure of Ulysses held not only mythological
meaning, but stood as an important contemporary cultural icon
as well.

“Ulysses,” like many of Tennyson’s other poems, deals with the

desire to reach beyond the limits of one’s field of vision and the
mundane details of everyday life. Ulysses is the antithesis of the
mariners in “The Lotos-Eaters,” who proclaim “we will no
longer roam” and desire only to relax amidst the Lotos fields. In
contrast, Ulysses “cannot rest from travel” and longs to roam the
globe (line 6). Like the Lady of Shallot, who longs for the
worldly experiences she has been denied, Ulysses hungers to
explore the untraveled world.

As in all dramatic monologues, here the character of the speaker

emerges almost unintentionally from his own words. Ulysses’
incompetence as a ruler is evidenced by his preference for
potential quests rather than his present responsibilities. He
devotes a full 26 lines to his own egotistical proclamation of his
zeal for the wandering life, and another 26 lines to the
exhortation of his mariners to roam the seas with him. However,
he offers only 11 lines of lukewarm praise to his son concerning
the governance of the kingdom in his absence, and a mere two
words about his “aged wife” Penelope. Thus, the speaker’s own
words betray his abdication of responsibility and his specificity
of purpose.