Analysis of Lord Tennyson's Ulysses (16/4/12)

Lord Alfred Tennyson's Ulysses was published in 1833, some weeks after his dear friend Arthur Hallam's death.
The poem is a dramatic monologue and the main character is Ulysses and he himself is the narrative voice. Reading the dramatic monologue, the reader understands Ulysses reflects about his life because it is a crucial moment: he does not like the situation.
Lord Tennyson's Ulysses is particular, because he is an old man. It emerges right from the beginning of the poem: Ulysses talks about an "idle king", because of his age.
In the first line there is also a reference to Victorian idea of economy ("little profits"), based on utilitarism. The main character goes on presenting his situation: his land his sterile and stony, and also his wife is old and unattractive. His countrymen do not know him, because he has been far from home for a long time, and he does not appreciate them because he defines them "a savage race", only interested into the lowest life functions, that is to eat, sleep and to have always much more material goods. In this part of the poem it is possible to understand Ulysses does not feel at ease in his homeland and that he wants to leave it again.
In the following scene Ulysses says he can not rest and that he wants to live his life fully, unlike his people do. He has also lived fully during his voyage because he says he enjoyed and also he greatly suffered. He underlines he did these things with people that loved him and understood him (it is a reference to the savage people that do not know him) but also sometimes he was alone.
Ulysses says he "has become a name": it underlines the existencial dimension and also he has become famous and the symbol of the search of knowledge.
He says he has got an hungry heart: he always wants to discover something new, but during his voyage he also discovered something new about himself.
Ulysses did not only see new places and people, but he relly learnt something new and his discoveries have became a part of him.