Ulysses is a dramatic monologue written in 1833 by A. Tennyson who used as a pretext his friend Arthur's death. The dramatis personae chooses by A. Tennyson is a common character in literature: Ulysses, but differently from the other poets who used
him, Tennyson's Ulysses is an old man who returns to his changed island. The whole monologue presents Ulysses' dissatisfaction and annoyance of his Island and his desire to keep sailing to live his littleremains as best he can. The monologue ends with the quotation of Ulysses' desires to strive, to seek, to find, andnot to yield.

As for the analysis of the dramatic monologue, it starts with references to the most important person of a kingdom, the king, but Ulysses' island's king is one who lies by this still heart, among these barren crags, match'd with an aged wife. At line 3, the reader feels confuse: the king of the first line becomes the first person of the third one. Maybe it reminds to the link between the king and the other people. If the king does not act, the people will not do it too, but another interpretation could be the one
that considers Ulysses as the real king, and even if he would like to act, he cannot do it because of society does not allow it. The degrade of society is shown in the 5^th line: the use of the paratactic style and the repetition of the word and underline
a negative connotation of common people's daily actions (that hoard, and sleep, and feed). As a consequence the reader understands Ulysses' disagreement in common thoughts and the contraposition between Ulysses and the other people is suggested by the contraposition between the two verbs feed (what people do) and drink (what Ulysses does). The metaphor of drinking, that reminds to something that is necessary for life, is continued by the use of the noun fees that was generally used to sediment accumulated at the bottom of a bottle of wine. Ulysses needs to keep on sailing to live life to the lees that means to live life to the fullest.

From line 6 the theme of journey is evoked by alliteration in liquid sounds that reminds to the image of see and by the semantic field of travel (see, crew, Hyades). The journey is the reason why he becomes a name. After that, with the sentence for always roaming with a hungry heart the theme of knowledge is introduced. Ulysses has seen lots of places and he has known lots of cities of men, and he is aware his personality is created by what he has met.

At line 19 his experience is compared to an arch from which the untravelled world gleams to him encouraging his curiosity. From this first part the reader understands Ulysses' most visible characteristic is perseverance.

From line 23 there is another critic of people's kind of life that represents a link between the theme of journey and a new one: the theme of death. The contraposition between Ulysses' and other people's life is made up with the metaphor of light. People who live their life fully, shine while the other rust.  It seems as if they die before their physical death. It is the reason why Ulysses wants to go on travelling. The image of death is created by the suggestion of the eternal silence that reminds to the paralysis and the inability to act of the first lines of the monologue.

Ulysses' son is presented in the third part (line 29). Telemachus will inherit the Kingdom and the sceptre. He is deemed capable of refining the rugged people (uncivilized and uncultured). He is devoted to the Gods and dedicated to duties. Ulysses trusts him.

The attention of the reader is moved from Telemachus to the port of Ithaca where there is a ship ready for leaving. From line 44 the reader understands it is Ulysses' ship.

The whole final part of the text is an invite in seeking unexplored avenues even if they are old. Ulysses' thoughts underline the importance of psychological strength but in particular the importance and the power of will. This motivation ends with the climax to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield and it is a clear message to his contemporary people: they have to act and not to yield.

Regarding the style of the dramatic monologue, there is a speaking voice that coincides with the character (Ulysses) whose identity is revealed by his own words. Many of the lines are enjambed, that reminds to the continuous flow of thoughts. The reader notices also the presence of deviations from normal syntax (and know not me; I am become a name) that allows the use of perception verbs (the most of verbs in the text).

The poem starts with a slow rhythm and the reader feels bored as well as the characters of the dramatic monologue. Going on reading Ulysses' voice rises becoming more and more exciting and by the end he is in full force. it is the reason why the involvement of the reader is different in the first and in the last part of the text. At the beginning the reader is not involved in the events and scenes while at the end s/he is totally involved. The final line could be used as a motto for every situation in which somebody needs to get a group of people pumped up.