TENNYSON'S ULYSSES

ANALYSIS FROM THE START OF THE POEM TO LINE 17

Right from the start of the poem the intelligent reader can understand that the speaking voice is different from the poet. Reason why the poem can be define a dramatic monologue.The protagonist is Ulysses and he also is the dramatis personae of the poem.

In opposition with all the others Ulysses, Tennyson's Ulysses is old and he has already lived a large part of his life. Ulysses is returned to his reign, Ithaca, where the present poem is set. He realizes that his wife does not attract him because she is old and he defines his people a savage race. They do not believe in the same ideals and they do not represent their kin's mentality. They only want to hoard, sleep and feed and they cannot understand Ulysses.  He is completely different from them. He cannot rest from travel and his aim in the present moment is to live fully. In particular in the 6^th line Ulysses suggests an idea of dynamism that is in complete contrast with his still country. The king does not feel at home in his country because he can't find anything positives there. In the following lines he underlines his experiences, which made him a great man. He has lived a lot of great periods but this implies also difficult periods in which he has suffered. He has travelled around the world and he has faced many realities: "Much have I seen and known; cities of men and manners, climates, councils, governments".

In the present lines it is curious to analyse the choice of adjectives, most of them are particularly unexpected: the speaking voice describe his land "still", among "barren crags" and his people as a "savage race" with "unequal laws". The choice of such adjectives focuses the reader's attention on Ulysses's feeling towards his country. They allow the reader to better understand the king's psychology.