Tennyson’s Poetry

In “Ulysses,” Ulysses explains his feelings of restlessness. After roaming for years after the fall of Troy, he arrived home to Ithaca and ruled his land for several years. But now he feels anxious to set off for adventure once again. He enjoys all aspects of adventure equally. Even suffering feels enjoyable because pain reminds him that he is living life to the fullest. After many years of travel and near-death experiences, most men would be thrilled to relax upon a throne until their old age, but Ulysses is not like most men. Ulysses craves adventure.

While sitting on a throne in Ithaca, Ulysses, in his eponymous poem, admits that he misses the adventure and variety of visiting new places and meeting new people. However, from these lines, readers might infer that what Ulysses misses the most are the honor and respect given to him by the foreign leaders he visits. Ulysses feels eager to get back to his adventurous life, then, at least in part to renew and boost his own personal fame, which may be fading in his older years.

In these lines from “Ulysses,” the hero gives his thirst for adventure a more elevated cause than fame: the desire for knowledge, particularly the knowledge of things yet unknown. The idea that such discoveries await while he sits idly makes Ulysses positively disgusted, especially given that his time left on earth seems short. His description of knowledge as a star acknowledges that he will never know all and also presages how Ulysses actually dies on this upcoming adventure.

In these lines from “Ulysses,” Ulysses addresses his former crew, trying to convince them to join his new adventure. He appeals to their pride, reminding them that they once “strove with Gods” during the Trojan war. He also appeals to their desire to stave off old age by continuing to perform noble work. The poet showcases Ulysses’ legendary gift for persuasion here. According to an ancient poem titled “Telegony,” Ulysses does convince the men to join him.