Alfred Tennyson

Ulysses (1833)

Daria Smolianova
TEFL Year 4 Group 1
 OUTLINE

- About the author

- Summary & Meaning

- Form & Meter

-Literary Devices

-Detailed Analysis

-Themes & Symbolism

 LORD ALFRED TENNYSON (1809-1892)

- Poet Laureate during much of

Queen Victoria's reign and
remains one of the most
popular British poets.

- Much of his verse was based

on classical mythological
themes, such as "Ulysses".
It little profits that an idle king,  This is my son, mine own Telemachus, 
By this still hearth, among these barren crags,  To whom I leave the sceptre and the isle,— 
Match'd with an aged wife, I mete and dole  Well-loved of me, discerning to fulfil 
Unequal laws unto a savage race,  This labour, by slow prudence to make mild 
That hoard, and sleep, and feed, and know not me.  A rugged people, and thro' soft degrees 
I cannot rest from travel: I will drink  Subdue them to the useful and the good. 
Life to the lees: All times I have enjoy'd  Most blameless is he, centred in the sphere 
Greatly, have suffer'd greatly, both with those  Of common duties, decent not to fail 
That loved me, and alone, on shore, and when  In offices of tenderness, and pay 
Thro' scudding drifts the rainy Hyades  Meet adoration to my household gods, 
Vext the dim sea: I am become a name;  When I am gone. He works his work, I mine. 
For always roaming with a hungry heart 
Much have I seen and known; cities of men 
And manners, climates, councils, governments,  It may be that the gulfs will wash us down: 
Myself not least, but honour'd of them all;  It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles, 
And see the great Achilles, whom we knew. 
And drunk delight of battle with my peers,  Tho' much is taken, much abides; and tho' 
Far on the ringing plains of windy Troy.  We are not now that strength which in old
I am a part of all that I have met;  days 
Yet all experience is an arch wherethro'  Moved earth and heaven, that which we are,
Gleams that untravell'd world whose margin fades  we are; 
For ever and forever when I move.  One equal temper of heroic hearts, 
How dull it is to pause, to make an end,  Made weak by time and fate, but strong in
To rust unburnish'd, not to shine in use!  will 
As tho' to breathe were life! Life piled on life  To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
Were all too little, and of one to me 
 
MEANING
The title of Tennyson’s  poem refers to the
Homeric hero Odysseus. Ulysses is the Latin variant
of his name. He is the epic hero of the
epic, Odysseus, a legendary king of Ithaca.

The main idea : one should not stop even if the

body is old. One’s desire for going beyond the limits
should be kept alive until bodily death.
 DETAILED ANALYSIS

- The hero’s mental condition. He might be old but

his spirit is still of his younger self.

- Ulysses puts light on his past.

- The hero directly addresses his comrades. They

were always there whenever there was any
difficulty.

- The narrator infuses the energy of his soul into

his comrades. They have to overcome their fears
to continue this journey of life.

- Ulysses emphasizes courage and will. They are

weak and old for the natural process of aging.
But, they are “strong in will”.

- The poem’s final lines “to strive, to seek, to find,

and not to yield” fit into the Victorian urge to
escape the tedious nature of day-to-day life.
 FORM +METER
FORM: Dramatic monologue, delivered directly to
the audience.

TARGET: the world at large.

METER:This poem uses a very specific meter. In this
instance, the poet chose iambic pentameter, a traditional
meter used in English poetry.

Every line has ten syllables, split into five groups of two known
as iambic feet. Each one of these two-syllable features first an
unstressed syllable, followed by a stressed one.

“It little profits that an idle king”

It lit/tle pro/fits that/ an id/le king

“Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will” - the

words “made weak” are both stressed, implying the revulsion
and disgust the speaker feels about the subject, almost as
though he is spitting them out.
LITERARY DEVICES
The poem ‘Ulysses’ contains significant literary devices that make the speaker’s voice forceful and appealing

-Metaphor: “I will drink Life to the

lees” is an example of a metaphor.
Here, life is compared to water or
wine.
-A personal metaphor: “hungry
heart”. Here, the poet associates
desire with spiritual hunger.
-Onomatopoeia: “Far on the ringing
plains of windy Troy.”
- Climax: “To strive, to seek, to find,
and not to yield.”
THEMES

1. Optimism. The poet

presents the spirit of


hope by using the
character of Ulysses. He
was too old for
continuing his voyage.
Still, he was persistent.
2.Brotherhood. He never
left his companions even
if they were old and
dropping. They were his
soulmates who
“wrought”, and most
importantly “thought” with
him.
Symbolism
Tennyson uses
different symbols in this piece

“Still hearth” and

“barren crags”=
idle life.
‘Land’= love, care,

VS
relationship,
immobility, and
idleness.

“Sea” = adventure,
mystery, and
mobility.
Thank you for your attention!