Merrell Pressley
Mrs. Jernigan
English Lit AP
1 February 2011
Poetry Response #2
Written in 1833, by Lord Alfred Tennyson, “Ulysses” is a poem that tells of a conglomeration of Homer and Dante’s character Odysseus. In this poem, the speaker is Ulysses, and he is looking back over his life, telling his people of his unfulfilled past and advice for the future. Ulysses’ age is revealed in the lines that read, “All times I have enjoy'd / Greatly, have suffer'd greatly” and “Much have I seen and known” of the kingdoms and seas around the world. Only one who is old and wise can look back and experience both extremes. Despite being a king, all is not as grand as one would think, because he says, “[I was always] roaming with a hungry heart.” This line alludes to the fact that perhaps Ulysses never found value and meaning in life, which kept him from settling in one place. Instead of remaining with his family, he roamed the earth, searching for some light to point towards his purpose. It appears as if he is soon to die, no sooner to finding his purpose.
Calling himself an “idle king” who “cannot rest from travel,” even at the end of his life, he cannot find happiness in peace and quiet. Despite his successes, victories, glory, and power, he writes, “Life piled on life / Were all to little.” Nothing seemed to satisfy Ulysses, no matter how much joy or sorrow he experienced.
A realist, Ulysses has come to terms with the fact that he is near death as he says, “Old age hath yet his honour and his toil; / Death closes all.” In addition to its lack of meaning, the honor of his people cannot stop the inevitable end of life: death. A wise man, instead of lamenting his coming death, he offers advice, saying “’T not too late to seek a better world.” That line proves that Ulysses’ continuous quest for meaning was not futile. He discovered that if nothing else can be done, that attempting to make the world a better place is the best one can do. He realizes that death might wash away all of his former glories, so one cannot cling to one’s accomplishments.
In the last two lines, Ulysses’ true character is revealed as Tennyson writes, “Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will / To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.” Though he is too old to travel and to seek out other truths, he will not back down and give in to death’s dark cover. Instead of relinquishing his life prematurely, he will press on until his fateful death, all the while searching for something of value.
