"Ulysses"

Book Review # 95981

English > Analysis
English > Comparison
Literature > Poetry

"Ulysses"

An analysis of Alfred Lord Tennyson's characterization of "Ulysses".

1,833 words () | 3 sources | MLA | 2007 Canada

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how Tennyson's characterization of "Ulysses" brings a humanistic quality to Homer's once god-like hero by depicting his earthen limitations of restlessness, selfishness, and lust for glory. It discusses how the aged King portrayed by Tennyson in "Ulysses" resembles only a shadow of the great hero found in Homer.

From the Paper:

"Tennyson's poem "Ulysses" can be seen as a continuation of the story of Odysseus in the form of a speech made by the hero some years after returning to Ithaca and to his obligations as King. Bored with his position, Ulysses is longing for the glory days of old. His god-like past is reduced to memories, and his intimate relationship with the gods left behind. Tennyson illustrates Ulysses' thoughts, in his idleness, as having turned inward to his private hunger and desires. Tennyson envisages the character of Odysseus as a more contemporary, earthly man, whose own restlessness matches the restless nature of Victorian society. "

Sample of Sources Used:

Tennyson, Lord Alfred. "Ulysses." The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed. M.H. Abrams et al. 2 vols. 7th ed. New York: Norton. 2000 Vol. II. 1213-14.
Abrams, M.H. "The Victorian Age." The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed. M.H. Abrams et al. 2 vols. 7th ed. New York: Norton. 2000 Vol. II. 1043-45.
Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. Toronto: Random House of Canada Ltd. 1990.