Ulysses is a poem by Lord Alfred Tennyson written in October 1833 few weeks after the death of his very close friend. So the poem is an kind of tool for continue his life, something that permits him to go on so this the reason why he wrote it.

The poem is a dramatic monologue: a kind of poem in which a single other than the poet speaks to a silent ‘audience' of one or more persons. Such poems reveal not the poet's own thoughts but the mind of the impersonated character, whose personality is revealed unwittingly; this distinguishes a dramatic monologue from a lyric, while the implied presence of an auditor distinguishes it from a soliloquy. Major examples of this form in English are Tennyson's ‘Ulysses' (1842), Browning's ‘Fra Lippo Lippi' (1855), and T. S. Eliot's ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock' (1917). The language is similar to an everyday speech language. There are also colloquial forms like fillers and deitics and the first person singular mologue.

In the first verse of poem there is present a typical Victorian vision of utilitarianism, that matters was a money. Also Ulysses is presented as a "idle king" when he arrived at home, he is no more a dynamic person. He also does not like idea to spend the rest of his life on the island because he does not like his land which is not fertile any more and he called it "still hearth" and "barren crags". He also does not like his aged wife and his people that he called "savage race" that is only trying to accumulate and to hoard. The specificity of Tennyson's Ulysses is that he is old unlike he was presented by other writer, e.g Dante Alighieri. In the next lines there is passage from the external to the inner side of character. He cannot stay still, he had to voyage (in opposition to his land), he wants to live life fully, to the very end because in his voyages he "have enjoy'd greatly, have suffer'd greatly"(there is a repetition, anaphora that reinforces words). The adverb "greatly" have an ethnic meaning. While he is speaking he is aware that there are different dimensions of life "those that love me, and alone". In the lines 10 and 11 there is reference to the sea and the voyages but also to the belief that stars bring rain "the rainly Hyades". In the line 11 there is an important phrase "i am become a name" that came after the references of his activities and after colon that means that it is an explanation, that he became a name, a person because of his actions. In the line 12 he reveals that he is a passionate person "with a hungry heath", man that lived a lot of experience "much i have seen and known". L.A. Tennyson prefers perceptive verbs and the existential idea of life emerges. After a list of things he saw and knew in the line 15 he underlines that he knew also himself "myself not least". The idea of Ulysess is that he was looking for knowledge. He was also respected for all these things.

The expression "delight of battle" underlines his passion for life, his will to face it and to not remain still, protect and close. In the few lines the reader can see the importance of experience because man is shaped by his experiences and it give him new possibilities so Ulyesses sees his new voyages the right way of living life "for ever and for ever". There is nostalgia for the voyages , he cannot accept the immobility because it corresponds with death. There is also utilitarian vision in the line 23 "not to shine in use". In the last part of the firs sequence the idea of life is analyzed. In the line 24 the word "life" is repeated three times and the idea of utilitarian life of the people of his island is criticized because it is too little for him but also it considered vile. This is underlined with repetition of word "little". The is also contrast between the life and the death, life presents "some three suns" and the death is "eternal silence" so the life of store and hoard is like a death. In the last three lines the reader can see the real life: it is to follow a knowledge, desire to seek, bring new things without any limit. And the image of a sinking star can be linked to the religion and the desire of Saint Lowrence.

The poet in the next sequence introduces Telemachus, Ulysses's son in opposition to Ulysses's personality, attitudes and identity. Ulysses asks him to perform the duties of the king because Telemachus has all the needed qualities: "slow prudence to make mild a rugged people, and thro' soft degrees subdue them to the useful and the good". The inhabitants of Ithaca are called "rugged people", that underlines their devotion to material without any ideal and they are the people that had to been "subdued", that means controlled. There is also criticism towards Victorian Age mentality represented by "useful and good". The key aspects of Victorianism were : Darwinism, Puritanism and Utilitarianism, although they were full of contradictions they made England a great power. Telemachus is very good and interested to common duties and he is careful to "not to fail" but this is in opposition to Ulysses who cannot stay still. The difference between them is highlighted by the last line of the section "He works his work, I mine.  

The last section presents the Ulysses's monologue addressed to his mariners. It starts with deitics, references to the space. He is speaking about souls, he is concerned to the psychological side of them. The life they shared was difficult, but they always welcomed him "the thunder and the sunshine" in every condition of weather. In the line 49 the importance of freedom is underlined "free hearts, free foreheads" in opposition to Victorian Age (heart and head). Human being has to reconcile them. A voyage becomes a symbol for the search of knowledge, and for doing that the man has to be free. Although there were old they still had the power of character, and they did not want to surrender and resigns. They are still able to face the difficulties of the life and they believed that "some work of noble note, may yet be done". There are also references to the setting : the last part of the day , sunset, represents an old age. Passing of time coincides with the passing of age. For them it is never too late to seek a new world, untraveled world. Even if it is difficult they still go on aware of possibilities of different ends both positive and negative. This has the function to highlight their power of will. Only the death can stop them. The time weaken their bodies and he is aware of this, but "one equal temper of heroic hearts" is the same, the will and the passion are the same. L. A. Tennyson identifies with Ulysses and he is searching for something to give him the power to go on.