ULYSSES ANALYSIS

“Ulysses” is a poem written by Alfred Tennyson in 1833. The title “Ulysses”
makes immediately understand to the reader that the protagonist of
the poem is the mithological hero Ulysses, king of Itaca.

Tennynson's Ulysses is different from Dante Alighieri's or Omero's version,
indeed he is not a young and strong warrior but he is old and tired of life.
The text is mainly focused on Ulysses return  to his homeland Itac, after the Troy war.

The poem is a dramatic monologue: the poet speaks through another
character, the audience is without analysis or commentary.
 As a result the main character has the total control on the ides and thoghts without interlocutors. 

The poem is made up of two sections: the first part focuses on the
relationship between Ulysses and the people from Itaca, the second
part is focused on the relationship between the character  and his
son and sailors. The poet chose a syntetic lexicon.

From the beginning of the poem the character Ulysses expresses his
unconfortable situation. Indeed he feels in contrast with the people
from his country. He understands that he is extremely different from
the population of Itaca. Indeed he tells that he reigns over a
“savage race”: they are described almost as animals, not
civilised people. He is unable to get into relationship with these
people, because they are interested only in material values and they
are not interested in improving their existance (they “sleep and
feed”).Ulysses fears becoming lazy and unmoral in Itaca. 

The key position is “know not me”: it invites the reader to focus the
attention on “me”. The verse introduces Ulysses struggle for existance, he is characterised
as the result of his experience. He cannot accept living without
feelings and without being a “a deep man”. 

Since from the first lines the narrator makes references to the setting of
the Isle of Itaca: it has been exploied by the population and now
there are no resources left. 

Ulysses desideres to travel again and talks to his son as  “this
is my son, mine own Telemachus”. 
The protagonist underlines his affection to his son with the words “my
son” and “my own”. Telemachus is decribes as a future good
king, indeed his features are characterised with the expressions
“slow prudence”, “mite”, “soft degrees”, “useful”,
“good”, “duties”, “tenderness”.

The main feature of Tennynson's Ulysses is the curiosity to travel and to
know new thing , in addition it gives to the reader  the awareness of
the incoming death and need to leave th reign which makes him feel
bored of life.