1)      Read the poem through and say:

• who is speaking and to whom : Ulysses is speaking, it is a dramatic monologue so he speaks to           someone who does not answer
• how old he is : he is old
• where he is : he is in Ithaca
• what he is setting out on : he does not want to hang out on Ithaca but he wants to travel

2)      Now read the text again, this time paying attention to the development of the argument. Summarize what Ulysses says and feels following the guidelines on the left. For each point consider also Tennyson's vocabulary indicating which words and phrases, in particular, reveal in the hero's traits and attitudes. The first point has been written for you.

 Life on Ithaca (lines 2-5): It is uncivilised and… Negative adjectives such as idol, aged convey Ulysses’s total dissatisfaction with life on Ithaca

His past life : all time I have enjoyed greatly, have suffered greatly

View of present and future (19-32) : live a life of adventure, waste of time for him to hang out on Ithaca

Attitude to Telemachus (33-44) : he seems a lot less restless, he is patient and willing to make the best decisions for the people of Ithaca 

Address to his mariners (45-70) : it’s never too late to go in search of new lands, they are old and broken but they still have the will to seek out and face challenges

3)      3a) How is Ulysses portrayed in the poem?  To answer the question, consider:

• His present situation
• The contrast with Telemachus
• What he can be taken to be symbolic of
• Whether he differs from the picture we usually associate with the hero of the Odyssey

Ulyesses is presented like someone who cannot do nothing so he wants to travel, on the other side Telemachus is the opposite of the father so he is the good one to reign Ithaca. He can be taken to be symbolic of travelling and live a life full of adventures. We usually associate Ulysses with the hero of Odyssey because both of them have travelled a lot.

3a) What is the poet’s attitude to Ulysses and Telemachus? With whom does it side?

On my opinion the poet sides with Ulysses because he is the character who is particularly analyzed in the extract.

4)      The poem was composed when Tennyson was still suffering for the death of his dearest friend, A. Hallam, in 1883. Does the poem reflect a sense of loss?

                Yes, the poem does reflect sense of loss but not the loss of a person much more the loss of a life full                 of adventure.

5)      As you will have realised the hero’s feelings are communicated through a careful choice of words. What observations can you make about the meter and the music of the poem and the relationship with its meaning?

The rhythm is very slow and this can be put I relation with the feeling of Ulysses because he do not want to hang out in Ithaca and for this reason the time passes slowly.