Ulysses is a poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson, written in 1833 but not published until 1842. It is narrated by an aged Ulysses (the Latin form of Odysseus) who has become dissatisfied with his life as king of Ithaca. Ulysses had spent years fighting the Trojans (as described in the Iliad) and trying to return home (which is the subject of The Odyssey); but now that his journey is complete he feels restless and yearns to get back out into the world. Poetry (ancient Greek: poieo = create) is an art form in which human language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or instead of, its notional and semantic content. ... Lord Tennyson, Poet Laureate Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (August 6, 1809 - October 6, 1892) is generally regarded as one of the greatest English poets. ... For other places named Ithaca, see Ithaca (disambiguation). ... It has been suggested that Deception of Zeus be merged into this article or section. ... Odysseus and Nausicaä - by Charles Gleyre For other uses, see Odyssey (disambiguation). ...

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.

He declares his intent to leave the throne to his son Telemachus ("He works his work, I mine") and gather up all of his old sailors for one final voyage: Telemachus and Mentor Telemachus departing from Nestor, painting by Henry Howard (1769–1847) Telemachus (also transliterated as Telemachos or Telémakhos; literally, far-away fighter) is a figure in Greek mythology, the son of Odysseus and Penelope. ...

... 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 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 earth and heaven, 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.

^[1]

The Verse

Ulysses is written in 70 lines of blank verse. Its strongly-accented iambic pentameter uses simple, strong words, as befits a king on rocky Ithaca, but the many enjambed lines^[2] give a flow to the monologue that accords with the restlessness of the man of action. In particular, the last twenty syllables are as happy a matching of sound and sense as English poetry affords.^[3] Blank verse is a type of poetry, distinguished by having a regular meter, but no rhyme. ... Iambic pentameter is a meter in poetry. ... Enjambement is the breaking of a linguistic unit (phrase, clause or sentence) by the end of a line or between two verses. ...

Viewpoints

Tennyson is questioning what becomes of the hero after the quest. Even a man as clever as Ulysses could not outwit the Fates and, like everyone else, he grew old. Although many readers have accepted the last lines of the poem as inspirational, it is not clear that Tennyson intended them as such. Ulysses's call to action is suicidal and proud. He intends to die contending, rather than in peace.

The figure of Ulysses was not particularly praised in the Victorian era. While he was a hero, Tennyson's Ulysses is prideful. As with the Byronic hero, Ulysses allows his personal pride to endanger lives. It has been theorized (by Dorothy L. Sayers among others) that Tennyson's conception of Ulysses is based more on Dante's depiction of him in the Divine Comedy (Canto XXVI of the Inferno) than on the character presented by Homer. Queen Victoria (shown here on the morning of her Ascension to the Throne, 20 June 1837) gave her name to the historic era The Victorian era of the United Kingdom marked the height of the British industrial revolution and the apex of the British Empire. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Dorothy Leigh Sayers (Oxford, 13 June 1893 – Witham, 17 December 1957) was a renowned British author, translator, student of classical and modern languages, and Christian humanist. ... Dante shown holding a copy of The Divine Comedy, next to the entrance to Hell, the seven terraces of Mount Purgatory and the city of Florence, with the spheres of Heaven above, in Michelinos fresco. ... Homer (Greek: , Hómēros) was a legendary early Greek poet and aoidos (rhapsode) traditionally credited with the composition of the Iliad and the Odyssey. ...

Another, far more straightforward, way to look at the poem is that the poet meant exactly what he said without irony or attempt at contradiction. The passion and conviction of his language signify that Tennyson, as was typical in the Victorian age, deeply admired courage and persistence and wrote the poem as a metaphor for never surrendering the questing spirit of youth, never giving up, never ceasing to fight for one's dreams, even though one has grown grey over the years. Had the poet not intended this, the last lines and much of the body would not be as forceful and intentionally inspiring as they are.

Notes

1. ^ Tennyson (below) has the complete text of the poem
2. ^ Kurshan
3. ^ Reese, p.368

His poetry fits into a period known as 'The Victorians'.

References

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Ulysses

• Tennyson, Alfred. "Ulysses". The Victorian Web. Viewed 18 Oct, 2006.
• Kincaid, James R. "Tennyson's Major Poems". The Victorian Web. Viewed 18 Oct, 2006.
• Kurshan, Ilana. SparkNote on Tennyson’s Poetry, section Ulysses. Viewed 18 Oct, 2006.
• Landow, George P. "Alfred Tennyson's Ulysses". The Victorian Web. Viewed 18 Oct, 2006.
• "Sound and Sense: The Teaching of Prosody", Jack E. Reese. In College English, Vol. 27, No. 5 (Feb., 1966), pp. 368-373

Image File history File links Wikisource-logo. ... The original Wikisource logo. ...

See also

• To Sail Beyond the Sunset, a novel by Robert A. Heinlein which quotes this poem
• Web page containing a dramatic reading by Sir Lewis Casso