In lines 33 through 43 of the poem, the speaker reveals that perhaps the warrior’s courage overpowers a more important quality in a leader: that of leading at home as well as in battle. The word choice that Ulysses employs, his seeming indifference to his son, Telemachus, and the brevity of this particular passage all contribute to the image of the warrior who does not simply desire more adventures, but is unable to make a life for himself as a king.
Word Choice
One of the first clues to Ulysses’ lack of enthusiasm for everyday rule lies in his word choice. In lines 33-43, he tries to address the people politely about the accommodations made for the country when he leaves, but he calls the responsibility of being king a “labor” (36), rather than an honor, and the duties that a king must perform “common” (40). Such words pale in comparison to phrases that paint adventures as actions that “follow knowledge like a sinking star,/ Beyond the utmost bound of human thought” (31-32) and those who seek such quests as “One equal temper of heroic hearts” (78). Such contrasts strive to make the listener glad that Ulysses will continue his escapades, rather than being left to waste away at home.
Telemachus
Ulysses’ comments about his son, Telemachus, also leave something to be desired. He says that Telemachus will use “slow prudence to make mild/ A rugged people” (36-37) and “through soft degrees/ Subdue them to the useful and the good” (37-38). While such words might be admirable to modern sensibilities, Ulysses makes it clear in the rest of the poem that “slow prudence” and softness do not rank among the qualities that he values most in a man.
The adjectives that Ulysses uses to describe Telemachus later on in the passage reveal his feelings simply through his lack of enthusiasm for him. His son is “Most blameless” (39), “decent not to fail” (40), and able to “pay/ Meet adoration to” Ulysses’ household gods (41-42). These phrases hardly praise Telemachus, especially when compared to Ulysses’ references to his fellow warriors as “men that strove with Gods” (53). One cannot help but think that Ulysses must be disappointed that his only son prefers ruling quietly to battle, even though those desires on the part of the son make it possible for the father to pursue his own aspirations.
The Brief Caesura
Perhaps the most telling clue to Ulysses’ true feelings lies in the brevity of this particular passage. Ulysses devotes only ten of the poem’s seventy lines to addressing the plans for rule in his absence. The plans serve as a caesura in the poem, a brief afterthought, perhaps because his political advisors tell him he should mention it. He spends line after line detailing his past and potential future adventures, but with the most pressing matters he presents them quickly and concisely. It becomes clear that such trivial issues do not capture his imagination in the same way as the voyages he will take.
When readers think of the name Ulysses, they imagine a man full of bravery and a sense of adventure. But in lines 33 through 43 of Alfred Tennyson’s poem, quite a different picture emerges. Through the lens of Tennyson’s subtle devices, Ulysses emerges as a man with a secret. This valiant warrior does, after all, possess fear, and of the most important duty of a leader: ruling.
