Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s epic poem "Ulysses" is composed as a dramatic monologue, consisting of four stanzas each of which frankly discuss the speakers current situation and yearning for adventure. The use of iambic pentameter provides a sense of fluidity to the speaker’s voice. The speaker reveals himself to be the protagonist of the poem with the opening line “It little profits that an idle king” (1). The use of the word “idle” offers the first clue as to one of the main themes of the poem. Tennyson much like the protagonist of his poem feels the need to move on, in life. The period in which the poem was wrote, many sociable changes where occurring in Victorian England, the effects of the industrial revolution where being felt far and wide and there was, the idea that society needed to work together in order to establish conformity. Ulysses is feeling emotionally empty throughout the poem, without his mariner friends and adventures similar to times gone by, a similar situation that Tennyson had found himself in.
“Ulysses” was written after the death of his close friend, soul mate and confidante Arthur Henry Hallam. This was one of many poems composed by Tennyson, upon Hallam’s death the most notable being “Memorandum” (1833-1850). Tennyson himself commented how the series of poems were a direct comparison to how he felt after the loss of his dear friend. The poem was published in the book Poems by Alfred Tennyson (1842). Mythological characters appear to play an important role within Tennyson’s poetry, from English folk law characters such as King Arthur that featured in “Morte D’Arthur and other Idyllis” to the Greek mariner and adventurer Ulysses. The character of Ulysses has featured in many great epic poems, ...
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...hesterton. Tennyson. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1906. PDF.
Gray, Erik. "Tennyson’s Rapture: Transformation in the Victorian Dramatic Monologue." Victorian Studies 50.3 (2008): 541-42. Project MUSE. Web. 21 Feb. 2015. .
Nohrnberg, James. "Eight Reflections of Tennyson’s “Ulysses”." Victorian Poetry 47.1 (2009): 101-50. Project MUSE. Web. 21 Feb. 2015. .
Robbins, Tony. "Tennyson's "Ulysses": The Significance of the Homeric and Dantesque Backgrounds." Victorian Poetry Autumn 11.3 (1979): 177-93. JSTOR. Web. 21 Feb. 2015. .
Skidmore, Joel. "The Odyssey - Background - Detailed Version." Greek Mythology. 1997. Web. 20 Feb. 2015. .
Tennyson, Alfred Lord. "In Memoriam A. H. H." The Norton Anthology of English Literature, 3rd ed., Vol. 2. New York: Norton, 1974. 1042-84.
While Tennyson’s work conforms to that of typical myth and masculine heroics, the base structure of the revision places the role of storyteller in Penelope’s
... Works Cited Everett, Nicholas. From The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-century Poetry in English. Ed. Ian Hamilton.
The ancient Greeks have brought upon numerous ideas, inventions, and stories to the world. Greek mythology influences modern day literature and life. The Odyssey is an epic poem written by Homer, which tells the story of Odysseus's journey home after the Trojan War. Odysseus does not achieve his goal of reaching home so easily; monsters and gods come in his way and hinder him. The Odyssey expresses Greek values of hospitality from the customs of Ithaca, humility from Odysseus’s reform, and loyalty from Odysseus’s family.
In The Odyssey written by Homer and translated by Richard Lattimore, several themes are made evident, conceived by the nature of the time period, and customs of the Greek people. These molded and shaped the actual flow of events and outcomes of the poem. Beliefs of this characteristic were represented by the sheer reverence towards the gods and the humanities the Greek society exhibited, and are both deeply rooted within the story.
Oxford, UK: 2002. Works Consulted -. Fairhall, James. A. James Joyce and the Question of History. Cambridge University Press.
Tennyson’s abstract poetic genius in combining historical references and deeply felt emotion, causes comprehension obscurity in finding a single thematic idea. The distinction weaved through the works of “Ulysses” and “The Lady of Shalott” is depicted though the mood, structure, and tone. Although the differences vary heavily, an underlying theme of escaping their idle world appears evident through both pieces of writing. Through Ulysses, a grand warrior, and The Lady of Shalott, a locked away mistress, appear as contrary characters, their development in relinquishing themselves from redundant worlds relates them in various manners.
Upon first reading Ulysses by James Joyce, it may seem as though Joyce is creating chaos, but to read this text without looking deeper into it does not do it justice. Each word on the page is significant to understanding the novel as a whole, and it is when one reads the text with this in mind that its true significance emerges. It also helps to have knowledge of Homer’s epic the Odyssey. Without at least some familiarity with the original epic poem, Ulysses becomes impossible to fully grasp. The other tool to understanding it is familiarity with Modernist thought and theory, as framed in the wake of World War I. Though the novel takes place before the War, it was published in 1922, just a few years after the War ended. The chaos and senseless loss of life that occurred left a deep impact on the psyche of those that lived through it, and it was the writers and artists who demonstrated this. In his essay on Ulysses, “Ulysses, Order, and Myth,” T. S. Eliot states: “I hold this book to be the most important expression which the present age has found,” (Ellmann and Feidelson 680). Eliot realizes the importance of the novel and the role that it fulfills in the Modernist literature tradition. Ulysses is a completely Modernist text, and it becomes possible to understand the Modernist view of mythology through reading it.
Allison, Barrows, Blake, et al. eds. The Norton Anthology Of Poetry . 3rd Shorter ed. New York: Norton, 1983. 211.
“The Odyssey” is an epic poem that tells the story of Odysseus and the story of his many travels and adventures. The Odyssey tells the main character’s tale of his journey home to the island of Ithaca after spending ten years fighting in the Trojan War, and his adventures when he returns home and he is reunited with his family and close friends. This literary analysis will examine the story and its characters, relationships, major events, symbols and motifs, and literary devices.
Blunden, Edmund and Heinemann, Eds. “Tennyson.” Selected Poems. London: Heinemann Educational Books, 1960. p.1. print.
330-337. Tennyson, Alfred, Lord of the Lord. The Lady of Shalott. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed.
Cleverly , Rachael . "A Hero Among Men, A Man Among Heroes." Critical Analysis of Tennyson's Ulysses
The final element of the Victorian Age that can be seen in Tennyson's poetry is a feeling of isolation that was heavily felt among the Victorians. This sense of isolation, which sparked a desire for social change, was felt for various reasons. The first is that the scientific discoveries mentioned before set younger generations apart from the previous ones. Many people feared the effects of rapid industrialization, as they often didn't fully understand technology, making them feel isolated from the modern world and nostalgic towards simpler, rural life. Another is that the spiritual doubt that came as a result of these scientific advancements also led Victorians, and in particular, Victorian artists, to feel isolated from life, love, and spirituality. This theme can be seen in The Lady of Shalott, along with the themes about women's roles. In the poem, the Lady of Shalott is completely isolated from society that it becomes harmful to her psyche and ultimately chooses death over her life of isolation. The dangers of social isolation shown in the poem emphasize the need for social change that was greatly felt in the Victorian age. It also shows the isolation of the Victorian artist, who must observe life rather than participate in it. For example, the Lady of Shalott must continue to weave her web alone, and as soon as she tries to participate in the world her web is ruined. This can be symbolic of how it was often thought that an artist's work can suffer when he tries to become more than an observer, when he breaks his isolation. A similar theme is expressed in Ulysses, where the speaker, like the Lady of Shalott, wishes to explore the world, but is resigned instead to a life of conformity: marriage, manners, a tedious job. He is r...
Tennyson, Alfred. "Ulysses." The Norton Introduction to Literature. Eds. Jerome Beaty and J. Paul Hunter. 7th ed.