I Semester – English

 

Unit – 3

 

Ulysses

-        Alfred Tennyson

Summary:

 

The Poem ‘Ulysses’ was written by Alfred Tennyson. He was a famous Victorian Poet. The Present Poem was written in 1833 and published in 1842 in the second volume of poetry. It is a popular example of dramatic Monologue.

According to the poem, Ulysses, a great warrior declared that he could nod not stay in his kingdom in a relaxed manner, He proudly mentioned that his name became the synonym of adventure; He craved to move even in the old age by giving his kingdom to his beloved son, Telemachus. Ulysses stated that he had travelled to various regions and due to that reason he understood various people, their mannerism, their culture, their kingdoms, their governments, etc. He boasted that he had come across enemies sometimes and so he fought with them in order to achieve his goal. Ulysses felt proud to state that he had fought with equals on the windy plains of Troy and became known to the world as a great Warrior.

Ulysses did not find happiness in administering unequal laws among the people in his kingdom. He found his son suitable for that. He had tremendous belief upon him and so he gave the sceptre and Isle to him. Ulysses proudly mentioned his fellow mariners that they moved heaven & earth when they had travelled together in their youth. He reminded them that they did not have the same youth and age at that time but still they possessed a great will of travelling which would instill confidence into them to go and see new regions which are there beyond the sunset. He stated that, if they were lucky enough, they would be able to see warriors like Achilles in the western land; The Mariners were inspired by Ulysses a lot. They stood by him and showed their willingness to travel with him to do a noble work which was not done by any man till then.

The present poem was written in Dramatic Monologue Form. The entire poem was spoken by a single character called Ulysses. The Poem is divided into four sections. The lines in each section of the poem are in Blank verse. The Main Theme of the Poem is the desire for adventure. It conveys the idea that the search for adventure in human beings makes their lives worth living.