The Feelings of Greeks

Analyzing a story to find motivations and purpose is not the easiest task. However, in Ulysses by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, some of these traits are simpler to see. The motivations of humans will always remain somewhat of a mystery and thus it will always be a guess as to what the characters are truly thinking. As David Pizzi and Marc Cavazza state, "The duality between character and plot emphasizes the difficulty of reconciling a character’s perspective with the control exerted by the storyline." (Pizzi, Cavazza). The story Ulysses describes the hero and king Odysseus after his long journey in Troy and through the Mediterranean sea. The tale takes place years after his return and tells of his emotions with his kingdom and himself. This will be an analysis of said emotions and motivations in the story Ulysses by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. The first subject to cover is that of Ulysses' purpose of starting on a new adventure in the poem Ulysses by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. This is foreshadowed at the beginning of the poem by Ulysses describing how bored and useless he feels because he is no longer on the battlefield or the sea. Ulysses says himself, "How dull it is to pause, to make an end,/ To rust unburnished, not to shine in use!" (Tennyson, lines 23-24). He also relates that he would rather be on the sea, because at least then there was always something to do. Arthur Waugh furthers this statement by saying, "Ulysses, after all the wanderings and weariness of the years, is still unwilling to be idle." (Waugh). The previous paragraph hints towards the next topic of discussion, which is how Ulysses felt uneasy about aging in Ulysses by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Ulysses seems to feel badly about the prospect of getting older, as he states, “M... ... middle of paper ... ...the world, that they truly have desires.” (Bates). Characters give humans something to hold and connect to in a lonely and harsh world. Works Cited Bates, Joseph. The Role of Emotion in Believable Agents. Pittsburgh: Carnegie Mellon University, 1994. Print. Horne, R. H. "Alfred Tennyson." Lord Alfred Tennyson: The Critical Heritage. Ed. John D. Jump. N.p.: Routledge, 1967. 153-66. Print. Kingsley, Charles. "C. Kingsley on In Memoriam and Earlier Works." Lord Alfred Tennyson: The Critical Heritage. Ed. John D. Jump. N.p.: Routledge, 1967. 172-86. Print. Pizzi, David, and Marc Cavazza. "Affective Storytelling based on Characters' Feelings." 2007. American Association for Artificial Intelligence. N.p.: n.p., 2007. N. pag. Print. Waugh, Arthur. Alfred lord Tennyson: a study of his life and work. N.p.: T. and A. Constable, 1892. Print. Ulysses by Alfred, Lord Tennyson