93 TENNYSON’S HERO “ULYSSES” – A RESTLESS SOUL
Dr. Purwa Kanoongo
Institute of Arts & Humanities, SAGE University, Indore
Abstract- Ulysses written in 1833and published in 1842 is based on a story from Greek mythology related in the odyssey written by Homer. As this famous poem “Ulysses” consists of seventy lines of blank verse in the form of a dramatic monologue. As it is very worthy to coalesce to the very innovative and creative side of famous poet Alfred Lord Tennyson. He has been influenced by many other poet as he has mentioned in many ways like in writing pattern, depicting the nature, in imagination though he is the epitome in creating Dramatic Monologue. Ulysses- the restless soul, is the best among them. In the poem he has extracted all he heroic quality what Ulysses has possessed and cover all the part of heroic life in a wide way as a hero, warrior, king, domestic man, and also presents the psychological perspective, and most importantly as a wonderer. The way Tennyson has made Ulysses accepts reality of life like aging, feeling of less powerful, and considers the death as a ultimate reality of life.
Keyword: Dramatic monologue, blank verse, psychological aspect, imagination, nature, aspect of writing.
1 INTRODUCTION
The poem opens with Ulysses‟ discontent with his return to domestic life. The speeches of Ulysses reflect his contrasting moods. The poem is in the form of blank verse, unrhymed iambic pentameter and in a dramatic monologue. Ulysses or Odysseus from Greek mythology is king of the Greek island of Ithaca, fond of wondering to visit hidden places, has fought in the war of Troy. When the war was over. He returned home Ulysses wandered land & meet with strange adventures but at last he reached home and got back his throne. Tennyson‟s this dramatic monologue poem describes, Ulysses overtaken by a mood of restlessness and longing for travel once again after he has settled down in Ithaca. This work of Tennyson is Dramatic monologue which means, a poem written in the form of a speech of an individual character; it compresses into a single vivid scene a narrative sense of the speaker's history and psychological insight into his character
In the first part of the poem, Ulysses is listing the problems that he has. Ulysses describes himself as an 'Idle king', His idea of an ideal King is not of one who sits around the fire with his wife and making laws for people who don‟t even know him. This shows he is restless. Ulysses, king of Ithaca has returned after 20 years of the Trojan war. He has journeyed the strange seas, unknown seen many countries and has comeback home full of experience. Ulysses cannot take rest from travel.
There spreads out, before him an infinite vista of knowledge yet unexplored of experience yet unacquired and therefore he is filled with a burning desire to spend the rest of his life in quest of further knowledge. He wants to go out once again with his sailors to see more of the world abroad, want to visit many places, want to sail many sea do more voyage till the last breath as he says I will travel till the last drop of blood. He has seen much variety
94 of cultures, but he considers them all a past. He says what matters is passing through the
“arch” to the “untravell‟d world” and constantly moving toward the ever-escaping horizon.
Here in word “arch” his desire to travel all points. Tennyson has presented that Ulysses soul is restless because all through his life he has been a fighter and travelled, meeting strange people in all parts of the words and during great deeds on the battle field. He can find rest only in travelling and in widening his outlook on life. In few lines of this poetry we can observe how beautifully Tennyson has applied metaphor like when Ulysses calling himself a sword that must “shine in use” rather than “rust unburnish‟d.” Life would be dull and beastly in his old age he should stay at home doing nothing. He would never remain idle at home and
„Rust in Disuse‟. as this metaphor applies on all because your own uselessness or rust can damage you as it damage the sword. Here a hidden message is Keep Moving.
In second part of the poem, The soul of Ulysses is sick with such a task of ruling over a race of subjects. Besides this he thinks that his own son “Telemachus” is matured enough to look after the kingdom so he hands over the charge of the same to his son. Telemachus has involved himself in regular political life, where one‟s aspiration is merely to lead a rough populace into accepting a somewhat better vision of morality and expedience. It is a duty that a leader of uninspired and imprudent citizens may well fulfill with honor, like fulfilling one‟s regular duty to honor the “household gods.” But to Ulysses this “slow” life is intolerable even if somebody has to do it. Thus Telemachus “works his work, I mine.” Rather presenting Ulysses heroic quality the poet has also presented his psychological situation like, Ulysses feels this urgency to leave as he feels death is nearing him and hence refers to himself as a
“sinking star” and “grey-spirited”. He besides decides to spend the rest of his brief life in search of happy adventure on the seas seeking for newer worlds and experiences.
In the third part Ulysses seems to address his hearty mariners. The port, the boat, and the seas all calling him for his new voyage and consider death with a new meaning like if he died he will meet his great and brave friend Achilles, who was his companion in Trojan War.
Greek Mythology is persistently used in this poem as the poem is spoken by a famous Greek Hero. The day is ending and sunset. This sunset is symbolic of the nearing end of his life. He thus, calls on his men and asks them if they would join him in his last endeavor to a land beyond the
“baths/ of all the western stars”
Ulysses in the words of Prof. Hales - The embodiment of the modern passion for knowledge for the explanation of its limitless fields for the annexation of kingdom of science and thought. His ruling passion is -
To follow knowledge like a sinking star, beyond the atmost bound of human thought.
Ulysses has a Gathered much knowledge and experience in the courage of his long wanderings indeed, experience is like a gateway through which he has gleams the vast world of the knowledge yet unknown. Tennyson hero Ulysses is aware that “life piled on life” is too short for acquiring all knowledge and he has only few years of to live. He is resolved to make best of his life before death, ends everything. He will do something noble. It is in the
95 respect that Ulysses stands for the modern yearning for knowledge that advances from one unknown to another unknown.
“It is not too late to seek a newer world.”
Strikes the key note of the moon embodied in this poem, old age need not dam the enthusiasm of a person to learn. Tennyson through Ulysses has mentioned, in old age we can still learn. we have strong Will and Self Confident
Tennyson seeks to present philosophy of life. In the person of Ulysses as the very embodiment of strong passion for knowledge. Ulysses shows that heroism prompted by no more than „love of knowledge‟ and „Scorn of Sloth‟ may be possible to even in old age. In Ulysses, Tennyson attempted a expression of the mood of string, enquiry aspirations and restless intellectual curiosity. The poem thus teaches us a highly useful lesson. That is - “To strive, To seek, To find and not to yield.”
Ulysses is a dramatic monologue. In it Ulysses himself is supposed to be speaking and expression his feelings. The diction which Tennyson has used is full of surprises the poet writing the almost value from a words. The style is held by the classical spirit and there are echoes of classical phrases. From the point of view of though content. Tennyson is well versed in creating a imagination and specially in creating juxtaposed character like one side he has created a character of “Lady of Shalot” which is not a dramatic monologue like Ulysses but a poem presented in third person narrative, Lady of shallot, who is bound with curse to live in camlot‟s isle without going out of it and on the other side he has carved the restless wonderer Ulysses who can‟t stay at home as an idle king. This contrast in character formation and great use of figures of speech makes the Tennyson a poet laureate .It is best possible poem of Tennyson. The philosophy of Ulysses in the poem is Tennyson‟s own philosophy. He followed the vision or gleam throughout life and that took him onwards.
Ulysses is the modern passion for knowledge, for the exploration of its limitless field.
REFERENCES
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