Differently from James Joyce’s Ulysses , in Tennyson’s Ulysses the main character is old.

Focusing the attention on textual analysis, right from the start the intelligent reader notices the word “profit”. It belongs to the semantic field of economy and its presence makes the reader aware of the time’s idealogy. According to Victorianism the development of each is the development of all. The use of the adjective “idle” highlights one of the king’s characteristics: he is passive . Going on analysing Tennyson introduces the image of a hearth, fire represent knowledge but the hearth doesn’t burn anymore (“still hearth”). Immediately after is introduced the image of sterility conveyed by the harsh sound “r” (“barren crags”) that creates in the reader’s mind the idea of dryness . In these lines the main theme is “NOSTOS” : Ulysses returns home after his adventures.

Going on analysing the reader notices two verbs: “mete” , “dole” . They belong to the economic field. Ulysses’ population is a “ savage race” which “ hoard, sleep, feed”. The previous list of verbs underlines the mechanicalness of their actions. They live their life not consciously and they base it only on material aspects. The race is “ savage”: the intelligent reader understands that this term is connected to animals. The sound “i” conveys a sense of heaviness and dullness. “ I have enjoyed greatly, have suffered greatly” . In this lines the reader can appreciate the anaphorical structure which is used to emphasize Ulysses’ attitudes. The following lines higlight ulysses’ conditions: he wants to escape from Ithaca. Going on analysing Tennyson inserted a list of nouns “ I seen cities of manners , climates , councils, governments..” in order to underline Ulysses personality: he is not passive but dinamic. He had travelled a lot and he remembers all his adventures. In these lines the main theme is Ulysses’ voyage. At line 16 the raeder can appreciate the alliteration in “ drunk delight” , in addiction the use of the verb drunk hints to the semantic field of water. The following lines display Ulysses’ thoughts. “ I am a part of all that I have met “ , yet..” The use of the adverb yes underlines a tuning point in the text. “ margin fades for ever and forever” .. with the repetition of the adverb “forever” Tennyson wants to emphasize Ulysses thoughts.

The exclamatory cluse “ How dull is to pause.. ”  is functional to convey Ulysses nostalgic tone about the way he wants to live life. In the following lines the word “ life “ is repeated three times in the same line in order to hoghlight how much existance is important for Ulysses. The use the adverb “little” underlines the caducity of human life : Ulysses is old , his life is eanding. The silence in eternal and that conveys the idea of death. The intelligent reader understands that these lines are based on the juxtapposition of life and death. Immideiately after returns the semantic field of economy with the use of  the verbs “ store “ and “hoard”. Ulysses’ spirit is gray. The choose of gray is perfect : gray is the colour of oldness, it is the colour which is usually associated to industrial society and according to religion gray is the colour of ash and that recalls the idea of death. Going on analysing the reader can appreciate a simile (“ To follow knowledge like a sinking star” ) which highlights Ulysses thoughts. He believes that men have to follow knowledge in order to discover new thruths. The sinking star recalls to religion precisely to the three wisemen which followed the sinking star in order to find Christ. In this case Ulysses wants to find knowledge.