Questions & Answers
Q1: What is the message of the poem?
The message of
the poem is that old age is no reason for regret. We may weak physically. But
we are strong in will and determination. And where there is a will, there is a
way.
Q2: Explain
the assertion that Ulysses symbolizes the human sprit at its bravest and
strongest.
There
is no doubt that the old Ulysses is symbol of an ideal hero. The way is urges
his old companions to precede on one more journey of exploration and discovery,
shows his courage and will power. He is a symbol for all humanity, at its
bravest and strongest.
Q3: What does
the part mean by, “My purpose holds, to sail beyond the sun set and the bath”?
Ulysses in this
line, gives a clear message to his companions that he intends to sail beyond
the horizon, where the sun setting. Or till the point (endless) where he could
see the reflection of the stars, bathing in the sea.
Q4: What does
the line, “Come my friends, this not too late to seek a newer world”, means?
Summary
Introduction of the Poet
Lord Alfred Tennyson occupies a
very important and prominent position in the domain of English Literature. He
is the representative poet of Victorian era. He is a prolific poet and has
composed a number of poems. Tennyson’s poetry is rich in imagery as that of
keats but it lacks the romantic fine of Words Worth and Coleridge.
Introduction of the Poem
Ulysses is a long, magnificent,
symbolical and moral boosting poem. The poem is written in the dramatic monologues
of the powerful blank verse and tells the story of the most prudent and bravest
of the Greek heroes, Ulysses of Homer’s Odyssey. He is the symbol of
adventurous spirit, indomitable courage, inexhaustible zeal; unflinching faith;
unshakable determination and unquenchable thirst for knowledge. Ulysses wants
to set out on a journey of discovery because he believes that it is not too
late to find a New World.
Summary
Ulysses was a Greek hero and the
King of Ithaca. He had spent most of his life in voyages and was always filled
with the spirit of ventures and courage. His life was based on the principle of
struggle and courage.
In this speech, Ulysses pays
high tribute to his mariners who laboured and worked with him. He reminded them
of the past endeavors and motivated them to get prepared for another voyage.
Ulysses believed that struggle should continue as long as they lived. They had
to prove their eagerness, enthusiasm and the ability to fight even with deities
Ulysses invited his sailors to set off for another voyage in the hope of
discovering new land in the far west. He was conscious of the dangers and
hazards involved in such an exploitation but he was prepared to meet all the
challenges.
Ulysses admitted that with the
passage of time, the major part of their lives and much of their energies have
been used up and they had grown weaker. But their determination was as strong
as ever and they do not find them selves lacking in strength and vitality. They
find themselves still a force to reckon with. They are always bent upon making
ceaseless efforts to discover new lands, and under no circumstances, giving up
their struggle until ultimate success is achieved.
Moral
“Struggle is the father of all
things … it is not by the principles of humanity that man lives or is able to
preserve himself above the animal world, but solely by means of the most brutal
struggle.”
- Adolf Hitler 