Ulysses: Death, Action, and

the Dramatic Monologue

Ethan Hunt
December 7th, 2019
Why did Tennyson write “Ulysses” and why was
it a dramatic monologue?
• Tennyson’s “Ulysses” is a way of standing in the face of
death and making the most of life.
• The dramatic monologue allows Tennyson to reveal his
own desire through Ulysses.
Tennyson’s Struggle with Death
• Arthur Henry Hallam
• Trinity College Cambridge
• The Apostles
• Friendship with Tennyson
• Died September 15, 1833
• Ulysses

George Richmond. “Portrait of a young man said to be Arthur Hallam,”

Chalk. Unknown. Private Collection, England;
http://www.artnet.com/artists/george-richmond/portrait-of-a-young-m
an-said-to-be-arthur-hallam-oOJRgdga8MLFy33KrlVTuA2
A Call to Action Before Death
• “Some work of noble note,
may yet be done”
(Tennyson Line 52)
• “Come, my friends, / ‘T is
not too late to seek a
newer world.” (Tennyson
Lines 56 – 57)
• Reflection of Tennyson
Claude Lorrain. “Ulysses Returns Chryseis to her Father”.
Oil on Canvas. 1648. Musee de Louvre, Paris;
https://www.wga.hu/html_m/c/claude/2/01ulysse.html
Ulysses and Death
• Only mentioned twice in “Ulysses”
• “Death closes all: but something ere the end” (Tennyson
Line 51)
• To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths / Of all the
western stars, until I die” (Tennyson Lines 60 – 61)
• Death is inevitable
• Ulysses knows he cannot escape death
Informational Review
• Arthur Hallam’s death affected Tennyson
• Tennyson created “Ulysses” soon after Hallam’s death
• Ulysses’ call to action
• Ulysses doesn’t fear death, but fears not living
• “Ulysses” faces death and makes the most of life
• The dramatic monologue uses Ulysses as a vessel for
Tennyson’s thoughts
Does this Information Matter? So what?
• It matters!
• “Ulysses” is a poem about pushing forward and seizing the
day in the light of death.
• The character of Ulysses is the poetic embodiment of
Tennyson.