“Ulysses” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson as a Farewell Speech Anonymous College

The legend of Ulysses is one which has been told and retold many times. In fact the truth of Ulysses is largely unknown in that there are too many accounts to distinguish what is fact and what is fiction. Homer’s The Odyssey is perhaps the most famous-- and fantastical-- account of the life of Ulysses. The Odyssey lays claim to much of the story of Ulysses and many of the events alluded to within the poem “Ulysses” find their origins in Homer’s The Odyssey. When read shallowly, the poem “Ulysses” serves to chronicle the past life of legend and Greek hero Ulysses, and to lament on the sorrows of getting older. However, upon deeper analysis one can conclude that among this story of conquest and old age lies a deeper truth. Through the use of figurative language Alfred, Lord Tennyson suggests that Ulysses knows his time of death is coming. Furthermore there is a certain acceptance and even excitement for this death, in that the poem alludes to even more travel and exploration through and after death.

The language most indicative of a farewell occurs in the second stanza. When we think of death and family we consider inheritance. The middle stanza is dedicated to Telemachus. Telemachus is Ulysses’ son and his only living heir....