Ulysses

By Alfred Lord Tennyson

It little profits that an idle king,
By this still hearth, among these barren crags,
Match'd with an aged wife, I mete and dole
Unequal laws unto a savage race,
That hoard and sleep, and feed, and know not me.
I cannot rest from travel: I will drink
Life to the lees: All times I have enjoy'd
Greatly, have suffer'd greatly, both with those
That loved me, and alone; on shore, and when
Thro' scudding drifts the rainy Hyades
Vext the dim sea: I am become a name;
For always roaming with a hungry heart
Much have I seen and known; cities of men
And manners, climates, councils, governments,
Myself not least, but honor'd of them all;
And drunk delight of battle with my peers,
Far on the ringing plains of windy Troy.
I am a part of all that I have met;
Yet all experience is an arch wherethro'
Gleams that untravell'd world, whose margin fades
For ever and for ever when I move.
How dull it is to pause, to make an end,
To rust unburnish'd, not to shine in use!
As tho' to breathe were life. Life piled on life
Were all too little, and of one to me
Little remains: But every hour is saved
From that eternal silence, something more,
A bringer of new things; and vile it were
For some three suns to store and hoard myself,
And this gray spirit yearning in desire
To follow knowledge like a sinking star,
Beyond the utmost bounds of human thought.
This is my son, mine own Telemachos,
To whom I leave the sceptre and the isle-
Well-loved of me, discerning to fulfill
This labour, by slow prudence to make mild
A rugged people, and thro' soft degrees
Subdue them to the useful and the good.
Most blameless is he, centred in the sphere
Of common duties, decent not to fail
In offices of tenderness, and pay
Meet adoration to my household gods,
When I am gone. He works his work, I mine.
There lies the port, the vessel puffs her sail:
There gloom the dark broad seas. My mariners,
Souls that have tol'd and wrought, and thought with me-
That ever with a frolic welcome took
The thunder and the sunshine, and opposed
Free hearts, free foreheads - you and I are old;
Old age hath yet his honour and his toil;
Death closes all: but something ere the end,
Some work of noble note, may yet be done,
Not unbecoming men that strove with Gods.
The lights begin to twinkle from the rocks:
The long day wanes: the slow moon climbs: the deep
Moans round with many voices. Come, my friends,
'Tis not too late to seek a newer world.
Push off, and sitting well in order smite
The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds
To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths
Of all the western stars, until I die.
It may be that the gulfs will wash us down:
It may be that we shall touch the Happy Isles,
And see the great Achilles, whom we knew.
Tho' much is taken, much abides; and tho'
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved heaven and earth; that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

Summary for 1 to 5 lines (It little profits......... and knows not me)
Ulysses is the king of Ithaca. After great journey, which includes wars, has come his own city.
After his
advent, he tries to stay in his home kingdom. But the adventurous life, he lived is contrary to the
present
life. In this kingdom, he has to sit idle and stay with his wife Penelope. He is administering the
people
and judging them. But, people do not know the Ulysses as he is always on adventurous wars and
voyages. He thinks this life is waste when compared with the previous life. He also complains
that the
people are savage and they only eat and sleep.
6 to 10 lines (I cannot rest from travel.......... the rainy Hyades)
Ulysses here decides that he cannot rest and wants to travel beyond. He does not want to live his
life
staying idle but to enjoy his life in adventurous way even in old age. He wants to live in that way
till his
last breath. He remembers the great life which is surrounded with joys and sufferings. He waded
through his life with his loved ones and sometimes he has to face it alone. He uses "Through
scudding
drifts the rainy Hyades" to speak about his coming out of the storms and obstacles over the sea.
11 to 15 lines (Vext the dim sea..........but honoured of them all)
Through these lines, Ulysses is saying of his own travels and knowledge gained through it. He
says that
he has got name and fame through his adventures. He has also come into contact with cities,
manners
of them, climates, governments, councils. He insists that he still has hungry heart to quench the
thirst.
He says he is respected as he journeyed most parts of the world.
15-20 lines (And drunk delight .........Whose margin fades)
Ulysses is turned towards the war experiences, he has in his life. He also remembers his war
participation on plains of Troy in Trojan War and he is delighted with peers in the war field. He
declares
that he is part of all he has met. Even though he affirms that he has seen is letting him know that
there
is more to be known. In these lines, he speaks again about untraveled world.
21 to 25 lines (Forever and forever.........and of one to me)
Ulysses through these lines speaks of his wastage of time in Ithaca where he could not satisfy the
heart
thrust of adventurous journey life. He says he moves often but he does not like staying in one
place and
wants to move on further. In his opinion, to rest is to rust. He wants to shine in use rather than
being
rusted. He shows his hurry through these words that even our life is blessed with multiple
lifetimes, time
will be insufficient to touch all places of the world. Thus these lines show the tiredness of
monotonic life
of Ithaca for him.
26-30 lines (Little remains......... gray spirit yearning in desire)
Here, Ulysses begins to decide how his life should be in remaining time. He quotes of his death
and the
time towards it. The remaining time should provide more energetic new exploration and
enjoyment. He
remembers that he has already wasted the time to be in Ithaca rather than enjoying the old way of
life.
He uses 'gray spirit' to remind us that he is old and near to death, but not to his will power. Thus
these
lines refer his death thoughts, remaining life time and finding knowledge.
30-35 lines (To follow knowledge....... discerning to fulfill)
Ulysses speaks that he wants to follow knowledge like sinking star. This does mean two things.
He
himself might have compared himself like a sinking star which means he is about to die. At the
same
time, we can understand knowledge should be caught as if it is going to be missed, if you do not
act
quickly. These lines introduce the character of his son Telemachus. He declares that he is giving
the
authority on Ithaca to his son in these lines. He says that he loves his son. Hence, he is ready to
give the
scepter, the authority to his son.
36-40 lines (This labor.........decent not to fail)
Ulysses describes his son Telemachus efficiency in ruling. He declares that his son is spotless in
character.
He describes his character and his ability to administer the savage people and he hopes he can set
them
right through his patience. He suggests his son to utilize them for the good. He also opines that
his son
will not step back for any good work.
41-45 lines (In offices of tenderness........... My mariners)
In these lines, the continuation of character description takes place. As well as Ulysses gets ready
to
start his journey. He opines his son will adore the household gods. In the end of his parting with
Ithaca,
he says that now he has his duty and his son has the duty of ruling the kingdom in fair manner.
After
completion of description of his son's character, now his eyes fall on readily set vessels for his
journey at
port. It becomes evening when he is at port. There he remembers his old adventure hunger mates
who
have died.
46-50 lines (Souls that have toiled..............honor and its toil)
Ulysses after worrying of his stay in Ithaca, he bends on to leave for his journeys. Later, he
explains the
son' ability and starts towards the port. After reaching the port he recollects his passed away
mariners
who have worked hard, thought and acted upon his word. He recollects that they are with him in
not
only good times but also in bad times. He affirms that the mariners with him faced hardships as
free and
self reliant men. They have never turned back in the adventurous world. But, at the end of these
lines he
comes to sense that he is old now. Not only that, but also he says that the mariners also have
come to
old age. But, this does not give despair to him because he is in opinion that every age has its
work
together with the honor.
51-55 lines (Death closes all..........the slow moon climbs: the deep)
Ulysses opines that death is end to all. One cannot escape it. One has to live life and at the end he
is to
face it and will be absorbed into it. But, before the death engulfs him, he wants to do something
great
which can outweigh his previous achievements. He wants to achieve before his death. He
remembers
that they have fought with gods in Trojan War. Actually in this war, gods occasionally took turns
andfight on the sides of either Trojans or Greeks. Such achievement is being aspired before his
last breath.
That is why he starts his journey to gain the indented success. He says to his mariners not to
forget that
they have fought with the gods and they are the same persons who are now going for an
adventure. He
says that ' lights begin to twinkle from the rocks'. It means it is getting night and stars are coming
out. It
is time they started their journey. He also says the moon is appearing. Thus, through these lines,
he
inculcates confidence among his old warriors to get them ready for fresh knowledge and
adventure.
56-60 lines (Moans round with many voices...........sunset and the baths)
Ulysses engulfs in praising his old warriors and infuses a new spirit saying it is not too late to get
to a
newer world. He encourages them to go fast by slashing the waters with their oars. He quotes the
destiny and shows the target to be achieved through their journey to his journey mates. He
inspires
them to reach the beyond of sunset or may be another world. He refers baths which are in the
view of
Ulysses where stars sink when they are set.
61-65 lines (Of all western stars..........., much abides and though)
Ulysses begins to think the outcome of journey in two ways. In his words to the mariners, it is
clear that
he has a destination. He says the whirlpools in seas may devour them. Another way is that they
may
reach happy isles which can be assumed as heaven. There, he has ambition to meet his co-
warrior in
the war of Trojan. The warrior he wants to meet is Achilles. All warriors who are presently
sailing knew
Achilles very well. Later, he comes to think of the age and says that the most of the life is over.
There is a
bit remaining part.
66-70 lines (We are not now strength..........not to yield)
Ulysses, in its previous words can help in conclusion that he has a destiny and he is towards it.
At the
same time he agrees that now they are not strong. They have their old age with feeble bodies.
Once
they had shaken the heaven and earth and fought against the will of gods in the wars. But, now
they
have no strength as earlier. He resumes his flashback that the warriors fought as a single heart
beat and
never turned back. Later he agrees that they are as they are and time and fate has taken their
strength
and vigor. But, still they are strong in their will even though they are not as strong as earlier
physically.
He affirms that they are to strive, to seek, to find and not to yield.

Alfred: Alfred: Alfred Tennyson (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was a British poet. He
was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign and remains one of the most
popular British poets. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at
Cambridge for one of his first pieces, "Timbuktu". “Ulysses” was published in 1842, following
the death of his closest friend, Arthur Henry Hallam in1833. Like In Memoriam, then this poem
is also an elegy for deeply cherished friend. The poem is seventy lines of blank verse in the style
of a dramatic monologue, with three audiences—Odysseus himself, the reader, and his mariners.
The poem garnered praise from T.S Eliot, who called it “perfect” poem. It is generally
considered one of his finest works. The poem is based on the character Odysseus from Homer's
Odyssey("Ulysses" is the Latin form of the name), but Tennyson also drew upon Dante's Inferno,
Canto XXVI, in which Dante is led by the Roman epic poet Virgil to meet Ulysses and hear his
tale. In Homer, Odysseus is told by the blind prophet Tiresias that he will return home to Ithaca
but will then make one more journey to a land far away from home. In Dante, this part of the
story is fleshed out. Ulysses gathers his men together to prepare for the journey and exhorts them
not to waste their time left on earth. He dies on this journey, which is why he is in Dante’s hell.
Tennyson's character is somewhere in between these literary predecessors, as Ulysses knows he
will set off on a last journey but has not done so yet.

Or
"Ulysses" was written in 1833 by Alfred Lord Tennyson, the future Poet Laureate of Great
Britain. The poem takes the form of a dramatic monologue spoken by Ulysses, a character who
also appears in Homer's Greek epic The Odyssey and Dante's Italian epic
the Inferno (Ulysses is the Latinized name of Odysseus). In The Odyssey,
Ulysses/Odysseus struggles to return home, but in Tennyson's "Ulysses," an aged Ulysses is
frustrated with domestic life and yearns to set sail again and continue exploring the world. Dante
seems to condemn Ulysses's recklessness as an explorer, but in Tennyson's poem, there is
nobility and heroism in Ulysses' boundless curiosity and undaunted spirit.

Summary: Ulysses expresses frustration at how dull and pointless his life and complains
that he is “idle” as a king of Ithaca, trapped at home on the rocky island of Ithaca with his elderly
wife, and he must spend his time enforcing imperfect laws for a “savage race” . In Ulysses's
eyes, all his people do is try to store up wealth, sleep, and eat. They have no conception of who
Ulysses really is or what his life has been like. Ulysses still yearns to travel the world like he
used to do. As long as he's alive, he doesn't
want to cease his travels. e found joy, he claims, in every moment he spent traveling, even at the
times when he was suffering. He found joy both when he was with his faithful crew members
and when he was by himself; both when he was on land and when he
was sailing the sea through rainstorms. He has become famous throughout the world as an
explorer
who was continually traveling and yearning to know more. Ulysses reflects that he has seen
much and has seen a great variety of cultures in the world and has been honored everywhere. He
also has enjoyed fighting alongside with his fellow warriors, when he fought in battles far from
home in the Trojan war.
Ulysses feels that each person and place he has encountered has been changed by the encounter,
as has he himself. But all these experiences have not satisfied his desire for travel.Ulysses
exclaims that it is boring and unsatisfying to stay in one place and stop doing the activities that
defined your life, comparing himself to a sword that has been allowed to rust uselessly away
rather than being used gloriously in battle, simply breathing is not life. Ulysses feels that
multiple lifetimes would still have been too little time to do all he wishes to do, and he is almost
at the end of the one lifetime he has. Still, every hour that he has left to live before he dies, there
is time for something more. It would be a shame and a disgraceful to do nothing. he feels, to sit
tight at home and just try to eat and stay alive for a few more years, when, even as an old man,
his greatest desire is still to explore the world and keep learning more. He wants to go beyond
the limits of what humans have seen and known, the way a shooting star seems to go beyond the
horizon when it falls and disappears from sight.
In contrast, his son who will succeed him as kong of the island when Ulysses dies. Ulysses loves
him and knows that he will use his prudence to govern wisely, turning the “rugged” people
“mild,” and he is “blameless” and “decent” in his “common duties.” He honors the family’s
gods. Telemachus is well suited for the role of ruler—just as Ulysses is well suited for a different
role, the role of explorer. Ulysses looks at the port and the sea beyond, He now addresses his
former crew, the men who worked alongside him and
explored the world and gained new knowledge with him. Ulysses then acknowledges that both
he and they have grown older, but insists that even as old men. Yet, they still can do something
noble and suited to their greatness, especially as they are men who once fought with gods. The
people of Ithaca are
beginning to light lamps in their homes; night is falling; the moon is rising in the sky; the waves
of the
sea are murmuring almost as if they are speaking to Ulysses. Ulysses urges his friends, to join
him on one last voyage—even now, they're not too old to explore some unknown region of the
world. He invites them to board a ship, to leave this shore, and man the oars so they can beat the
waves; because Ulysses still has the goal of sailing beyond the sunset exploring before he
ultimately dies. He acknowledges that the waves may sink their ship which refers to death, they
might see their old companion, the accomplished warrior Achilles. Although they are weak in
age, much vigor remains; they still have “heroic hearts” which are “strong in will” and want to
persevere, to explore and discover and never give up.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in “Ulysses”
literary devices are tools used by writers and poets to convey their emotions, feelings,
and ideas to the readers. Alfred Tennyson has also used literary devices to enhance the
poem. Here is the analysis of some literary devices used in this poem.
1. Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same
line. For example, the sound of /n/ in “This is my son, mine own Telemachus”.
2. Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line. For
example, the sound of /a/ in “The long day wanes: the slow moon climbs: the
deep”.
3. Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in
quick succession. For example, the sound of /f/ in “Free hearts, free foreheads—
you and I are old”.
4. Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at
a line break; instead, it rolls over to the next line. For example,
“And this gray spirit yearning in desire To follow knowledge like a
sinking star, Beyond the utmost bound of human thought”.
5. Imagery : Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses.
For example, “The thunder and the sunshine, and opposed”, “That hoard, and sleep, and
feed, and know not me” and “To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths”.
6. Personification: Personification is to give human qualities to an inanimate object. For
example, “For always roaming with a hungry heart”. Here, the heart is personified as if it
can experience hunger.
7. Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between
different objects. For example, “How dull it is to pause, to make an end; To rust
unburnish’d, not to shine in use.” Here, the poet compares himself to a dull and lifeless
surface. the speaker of the poem uses “still hearth” and “barren crags”
as metaphors. These two metaphors refer to a single idea of immobility and
idleness.
8. Anticlimax: the line, “That hoard, and sleep, and feed, and know not me”, is an
anticlimax. Here, the ideas get arranged in descending order of importance. It
heightens the verbal effect of the speaker on the audience.
9. Antithesis: seen in the phrases in juxtaposition, “enjoy’d greatly” and “suffer’d
greatly”.
10. Onomatopoeia: is seen in the line “Far on the ringing plains of windy Troy.”
11. Epigram: for example, “To rust unburnish’d, not to shine in use!”, “Old age hath
yet his honour and his toil”, and “It is not too late to seek a newer world.”

Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in “Ulysses”

Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of
some of the poetic devices used in this rhyme.
 1. Dramatic Monologue: Dramatic Monologue is a poem spoken by a single person to an
audience. The audience can be one person or a group of people. “Ulysses” is
a famous dramatic monologue.
2. Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of verses and lines. There are three stanzas in this
poem, each having a different length.
3. Free Verse: Free Verse is a type of poetry that does not contain patterns of rhyme
or meter. This is a free-verse poem with no strict rhyme scheme or a metrical pattern.
Ulysses Mythology
The story of Ulysses is perhaps most famous for the kidnapping of Helen of Troy and the
efforts of Ulysses and his men to take her back from the Trojans. Homer’s story involves
the Trojan horse, the Cyclops, and Ulysses’s efforts to make it back home to reach his
wife, Penelope, and his son, Telemachus.
Meter
This poem uses a very specific meter– iambic pentameter. This is the traditional meter
used in classical English poetry. This choice means that every line has ten syllables, split
into five groups of two known as iambs or iambic feet. Each one of these two-syllable
features first an unstressed syllable, followed by a stressed one. For example: “It little
profits that an idle king”. Breaking this down, we can see the unstressed and stressed
syllables as:

It lit/tle pro/fits that/ an id/le king

The bold words are the stressed syllables, each one following the first, unstressed
syllable of the iamb. Let’s look at another line: “To strive, to seek, to find, and not to
yield”. Becomes:

To strive,/ to seek,/ to find,/ and not/ to yield

Perhaps the most famous line in the poem, this closing line also demonstrates how
iambic pentameter adds a pounding, heartbeat-like rhythm. Having resolved to turn his
attentions back to the adventure, Ulysses’ thoughts beat with the definitive pounding of
a war drum and this is reflected in the poet’s arrangement of the words.

But occasionally, Tennyson throws in a slight variation. In the line, “Made weak by time
and fate, but strong in will” for example, the words “made weak” are both stressed,
implying the revulsion and disgust the speaker feels about such a subject, almost as
though he is spitting them out. When there are two stressed syllables in a meter such as
this, it is known as a spondee.

Another variation is a trochee, which refers to swapping around the stressed and
unstressed parts of the syllables. In the line, “Life to the lees: All times I have enjoy’d” for
example, “Life to” places the stress very much on the first word of the
line, emphasizing its importance. Little variations such as these can help to add a more
natural feel to language.

Quotes to be Used
The lines stated below are suitable as a quote in a speech while talking about ambitious people,
who do not accept defeat.
“ T is not too late to seek a newer world.
Push off, and sitting well in order smite
The Sounding furrows; for my purpos.
Another variation is a trochee, which refers to swapping around the stressed and
unstressed parts of the syllables. In the line, “Life to the lees: All times I have enjoy’d” for
example, “Life to” places the stress very much on the first word of the
line, emphasizing its importance. Little variations such as these can help to add a more
natural feel to language.

Symbolism

Tennyson uses different symbols for referring to the greater structure. The poetic
persona uses “still hearth” and “barren crags” as a symbol of an idle life. There are two
important symbols in the poem. The first one is “sea.”

In the poem, the sea has a different symbolic meaning. It refers to adventure, mystery,
and mobility. Whereas the poet uses the symbol of land to signify the opposites. It
depicts love, care, relationship, immobility, and idleness.
In the poem, Ulysses belonged to ancient Greece. The poet also belonged to an age
when immobility was compared to death. The sea and the land reflected a similar kind
of symbolic meaning in Ulysses’ time as well as in the Victorian era.

Character of Ulysses

This poem is about a heroic character named Ulysses. In his current state, he is a king
and a soldier, a man approaching retirement with one journey left to make. He’s an old
man, one who has seen the world and battled against the worst of it. Most of the time,
he won. Nowadays, he is ruling his kingdom of Ithaca, doling out “unequal laws unto a
savage race.”

But now, as he looks back over his life spent “always roaming with a hungry heart,” He
begins to take stock of what his adventuring has done to him. As he works through his
memories and considers his current position, he gets more and more agitated, more
and more passionate. By the finale, he has convinced himself that he still has enough
fight left in him, that he is not yet ready to become just another “idle king.”

From the domestic memories of the opening, Ulysses convinces himself of the value of
battle. Throughout the piece, readers learn that his character will never be truly satisfied
unless he is facing off against a foe. He hopes, in earnest, “to strive” and never “to yield.”
If he never gave up in battle, why should he give up and settle for a simple home life
now?

Historical Context

Tennyson makes use of literary works that came long before him. Both Homer’s
the Iliad and the Odyssey are used, as well as Dante’s Inferno, in which Ulysses makes an
appearance. As we learn in Homer’s work, before Ulysses can return home after his epic
voyage, he will undertake one last voyage. While readers don’t know exactly what
Homer had in mind, readers do know what Dante thought the voyage might entail.
In Dante’s Inferno, Ulysses discovers that he has a strong urge to see the world after
growing restless at home in Ithaca. Dante paints him as a tragic figure, one who dies
when sailing out too far, perishing while trying to satiate his desire for adventure.
Tennyson builds on this, picturing the character at home in Ithaca, having become the
“idle king” he loathes, yearning to return to the sea.

By taking the legend, Tennyson explores feelings from his own life. Just after the death
of his friend, Arthur Henry Hallam in 1833, Tennyson found himself thrust into the role
of Ulysses. Confronted by the death of his friend, Tennyson noticed a sudden urge to
drive forwards in life and not settle for the commonplace. As stated in the poem, “Death
closes all,” enlightening the poet to the need to make the most of his life before it
escapes him.

FAQs

Q: Compare and contrast between Ulysses and Telemachus in Tennyson's

“Ulysses”?
Ans:
Tennyson contrasts Ulysses and his son, Telemachus, in the poem “Ulysses.”
While Ulysses is a free spirit who longs for adventure, his son is a fixed
figure who does not have that same restlessness. Ulysses is an aging man
who wishes to have adventure during the little time he has left in life. He is
accustomed to travel, so staying home and ruling the people is not his idea
of life. His son, Telemachus, on the other hand, is a young man who does
not have that restless spirit.

Telemachus, according to his father, is a smart and caring person who will
stay and be a good king. He will be gentle with the “savage” people and
teach them to be more civilized. Telemachus has the patience to work with
people, and Ulysses is confident that he will succeed when the kingship is
turned over to him.

Ulysses is quite honest that he has never been able to tame the people the
way he anticipates Telemachus will. One of his complaints is that he rules
this “savage race” which takes what he gives without knowing the real
person behind the ruler. Although on his adventures Ulysses has
encountered so many and he carries a piece of everyone with him, he has
not been able to connect with the very people he rules. This is in part what
feeds his desire to travel again.

Father and son are not exempt from this separation. Ulysses admits that
while he loves and respects his son, they are living different lives. “He works
his work, I mine.” Yet the differences between father and son do not prevent
Ulysses from recognizing the good qualities in Telemachus. He knows that
his son will be the gentle and fair ruler that the people need to connect with.

In addition to having the qualities that will make him a good king,
Telemachus has shown Ulysses that he is a dutiful son. Ulysses is convinced
that Telemachus will pay the proper respect to the gods when his father
dies. Overall, the king is quite comfortable leaving his command to a son
who will do good things for his people. He is proud of his son and knows he
can leave Telemachus in charge while he fulfills his quest for adventure
before he dies
Q: Why Ulysses wants to go adventure?
Ans:
Ulysses is bored with his dull life in Ithaca after so many years of
excitement and adventure. He plans to set sail on a final voyage into the
unknown.

How does Ulysses feel about Telemachus in ‘Ulysses’?

Ulysses trusts his son, Telemachus, to whom he can leave the scepter. He knows
Telemachus can rule Ithaka well. Besides, he loves his son as he loves his comrades.
What is “dull” for Ulysses?

It is dull to pause or make an end to the everlasting journey of life. According to

Ulysses, a sword, a metaphor for life, starts to rust if it remains unburnished. It is
useless if it does not shine in use.
What are the characteristics of Ulysses in Tennyson’s poem?

Ulysses is courageous and he has thirst for knowledge. For him, old age is nothing
but a mental state and he wants to set out for another journey before his death. So,
he is unafraid of death.
What does Ulysses think of his wife?
 In the first few lines, Ulysses says, he is “Match’d with an aged wife.” Penelope, his
aged wife, is compared to idleness and immobility. He loves his wife. But, to pass his
time with an “aged” individual, is not in his blood though he is physically old.
What does Ulysses yearn for?

He yearns to follow knowledge like a “sinking star” that is beyond the imagination of
human beings. The thirst for knowledge and the zeal to discover the unknown is his
yearning.
What does Ulysses say about age?

According to him, “Old age” has its honor and toil. It means though they are old, they
are honored for their courage and toil they did for their country. The speaker and his
compatriots are regarded for their courage and heroism in their homeland.
What does “I am a part of all that I have met” mean?

In this line, the first-person speaker (old Ulysses) says he is a part of all that he has
met in the past. It means that he is made of all the experiences he had in the past.
What is the tone of ‘Ulysses’ poem?

The tone of the poem is optimistic, emotive, thoughtful, and reflective. It helps
readers to understand the mindset of the speaker.