Notes about Lord Tennyson's Ulysses 3 (20/4/12)

The poem Ulysses is a dramatic monologue, written by Lord Alfred Tennyson in 1833.
Ulysses has come back from his voyages and in the monologue he thinks about his present life.
Reading the poem, the reader understands that he, during his voyages, has learnt a lot about the world, but also about himself. The knowledge of himself and the encounter and the reaction to different people make of him a modern character.
In the monologue Ulysses uses very interesting words, that help the reader to understand his psychology and his feelings: at line 6 he uses the verb "to drink" to express his desire of living and it emerges that he has a passionate attitude.
The use of myth underlines the epic context and the epic poetry but Lord Tennyson wants the main character in the epic poetry is believable.
At line 19 the poet compares life to an arch: at the beginning of it there is birth; the arch is person's growth and the end of it is death. Life here is also compared to the parts of the day.
In the poem the voyage (in the sea) is a metaphor of life: through the monologue, Ulysses voyages in his inner reality.
At line 20 Ulysses explains that there is much to know still. He thinks the undiscovered world has margin fades, that vanishes, but the real limit is in human mind and Ulysses understands that it may be exceeded throughout man's will.
The reader understands that Lord Tennyson created a figure of Ulysses adapted to Victorian model of man.
For Ulysses to go beyond is to cross the limits and to always test his potential.
Even if Ulysses is old, he is still strong, courageous and hardened. He wants to express his idea of life, that is a typical tension of Romanticism (defined by the term "sensucht").
At line 23 he says "[...] not to shine in use" and it is refered to his heroism that is not showed.
At the following line the main character says "As tho' to breathe were life", that refers again to a Shakespearian concept.
At lines 24-29 Ulysses thinks that he has few time: it is possible to say he is at the sunset of his life, and again this concept is taken from a Shakespearian sonnet.
At lines 30- 32 the character underlines that it is necessary every man finds his own way and he himself admits he does not feel at ease in his present situation. He knows that he will die soon, so he wants something more in his life and he wants to be a bringer of new things.
Lord Tennyson is a Victorian poet and he chooses Ulysses like the narrative voice of his poem because in this way what he communicates is more effective because it is told by an important figure. Throughout Ulysses, Lord Tennyson can also criticize the materialism of the Victorian age (based on profit) without compromising himself.
At line 31 the main character compares who searches knowledge to a comet: it recalls the night of S. Laurence and it underlines that Ulysses desire goes beyond everything.
From line 33 to line 43 there is a short section, where the character of Telemachus, Ulysses' son, is introduced. In J. Joyce's Ulysses, Telemachus is Leopold Bloom's adopted son (the main character can not have sons or he wants the son he himself has chosen). In Lord Tennyson's poem Telemachus represents another way to face the life.
At line 33, the son is presented to the reader. Using "my own", Ulysses underlines the idea of possession. So here a double face of human being emerges: there is personal identity but also the social role.
At line 36 the word "labour" underlines something difficoult to do.
At line 38 there are two important words: "useful" and "good", that are the key words of the Victorian age.
Telemachus is presented as a diplomatic person, who is able to communicate with people, unlike Ulysses.
In the poem Ithaca represents the Victorian world, while the dramatis personae (Ulysses) is Lord Tennyson's mask.

During the Victorian age there are four tendencies:
- Darwinism, the theory about evolution by C. Darwin;
- Utilitarism, where it is thought that if everyone produces the useful, everyone would stay better;
- Puritanism, where it is thought that if a person does not improve his condition he has not God's blessing;
- Philanthropy.