Ulysses is a poem written by Lord Alfred Tennyson in 1833. In particular Lord A.Tennyson writes this poem after his friend Arthur Henry Hallam’s death in order to create a tool to face life, to get over difficulties of life.

Right from the title it is possible to understand the link with other Ulysses in literature: the Homer’s and Dante’s one. But unlike Dante’s Ulysses, Tennyson’s is a middle aged man, after his return to Ithaca, committed with the administration of his kingdom.

The poem is a dramatic monologue, so the speaking voice does not coincide with Tennyson point of view. Besides the speaking voice addresses his reflection to a silent audience(the reader), as in the drama. The text is made up of three stanzas, in particular the second one is shorter than the others. There is no a precise rhyme scheme and also Tennyson uses the iambic pentameter.

First section deals with the upsetting of Ulysses’ traditional myth.

Starting to read the text is clear the distance from Homer’s Ulysses: here Ulysses is an idle king and Penelope is an aged wife. Ithaca’s people are savage race/ That hoard, and sleep, and feed, and know not me.(v.4-5). In these lines Tennyson is referring to his contemporary society that is the result of The First Industrial Revolution.

From line 6 to 11 the poet describes Ulysses’ life as full emotions, stressing this idea with the repetition of the adverb greatly(v.10).

“I am become a name”(v.11) let the reader understand that Ulysses’ life was great and now he’s famous.

But going beyond appearance, it is clear that name is not all his identity. So the poet faces the problem of what create individual’s identity. In the following lines (v.12-17) Ulysses states Much have I seen and known, and he lists all his experiences. At the end of this list Ulysses adfirms: I am a part of all that I have met(v.18), in other words, past is an essential part of our identity.

Ulysses is at home, he is not roaming and he does not feel live: How dull it is to pause, to make an end(v.22). Live is not only to be alive, As tho' to breathe were life! (v.24) he said, according to Ulysses to live means to travel, to have new experiences. But he is old now, Little remains(v.26) to live, so he still can not voyage.

Second section introduces Ulysses’ son Telemachus.

This section sounds like a will, where the protagonist remises his kingdom to his son, To whom I leave the sceptre and the isle(v.34). Ulysses introduces Telemachus as a perfect king, blameless, centred in the sphere/Of common duties, decent not to fail /In offices of tenderness, and pay/Meet adoration to my household gods (v.39-42). So Telemachus is perfect for this work, but not Ulysses that he want to roam; everybody has a task to follow out, Ulysses’ one is not to be Ithaca’s king : He works his work, I mine.(v.43)

Third section conveys protagonist’s regret of being grown old.

After ceding kingdom to his son, he decides to start voyaging again, with his friends.

To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths/ Of all the western stars, until I die(v.60-61) These two lines convey the sense of Ulysses’ travel: he is not searching for a land or something material, he is traveling to always discover something new, because knowledge does not have limits.

To sum up, most important theme is voyage. But Ulysses’ voyage is not a physical voyage as in Homer’s Odissey; it represents the endless travel to knowledge.