Notes of the 16^th of April 2012

Eliot takes the dramatic monologue from Victorian poetry. It’s a poetic form where the speaking voice of does not belong to the author, as happens in theatre. There’s a character (feint) that speaks with his own voice that doesn’t coincide with the poet’s one. He talks about him and his worries. The language used is quite similar to the everyday speech or colloquial language (“filler” expression like “well” or “by the way” are employed). The first person is also used into the monologue.

Robert Browning and lord Alfred Tennyson are the poets who used more the dramatic monologue.  

About Tennyson's Ulysses:

Lord Tennyson declares this monologue has been written for following the life, for facing it. Tennyson's Ulysses is old, while in the works of Homer, Dante he’s young, he thirsts for knowledge, he’s a very curious person. Tennyson's Ulysses has also a wife old and not attractive. Mr. Tennyson makes his protagonist to speak.   

“It little profits”: during Victorian age the philosophical concept more important was the utilitarianism: everything should be invested, everything is profit. Another chief notion was the division of goods.

“A savage race”: the monologue deals with the first and rudimental form of psychological analysis.

Ulysses doesn’t feel at home, doesn’t feel comfortable.   

“I cannot rest from travel”: Ulysses can’t stop to travel.

“I have enjoy'd Greatly, have suffer'd greatly”: greatly has a moral meaning. There are different dimensions in Ulysses, and the intelligent reader understand it. He’s talking about and reflecting on his life.

Into the poem we find reference to activities that Ulysses is carrying on. There’s also a reference to existential dimension, an inner dimension.

Mr. Tennyson privileges the sense of life and he thinks that Ulysses is a man who desires learning.

“roaming” means moving around to look for.