'Ulysses' by Tennyson is an example of dramatic monologue, which consists of the speech of the protagonist, influenced by a critical situation. The story of Ulysses derives from Homer's The Odyssey; Homer tells the legend of the courageous and persevering hero that returns to his home, Ithaca, from an odyssey. In the first line Ulysses is introduced as a king. When he is talking in the poem, he is already an old man. Since youth he has gone on missions of extraordinary bravery. 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.