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Ulysses -- originally Odysseus -- was the hero of Homer's epic of a ship blown off course after the battle
of Troy and then the sailors being subject to many amazing adventures.
This poem takes up the story many years later, when Ulysses is now the ruler of the Greek island of
Ithaca. It is a boring and unprofitable existence and our hero wishes to return once more to a life of
adventure.
He decides to leave his island under the care of his son, Telemachus, and to set off once again with his
trusted crew.
A QUESTION OF IMAGERY
"By this still hearth, among these barren crags,
Match'd with an aged wife"
Ulysses refers to the sterility of life about him. He is king but everything is frozen: the fireplace cold, the
cliffs harsh and lifeless, even his wife has lost her sensual appetite and is quite useless to him.
"I mete and dole
Unequal laws unto a savage race,
That hoard, and sleep, and feed, and know not me."
His people over whom he rules are not up to his level. Their lives are basic -- they eat, sleep and
jealously collect useless things. Not only have they forgotten who the great Ulysses is, but they cannot
even appreciate his magnanimous laws which are far beyond their understanding.
"On shore, and when
Thro' scudding drifts the rainy Hyades
Vext the dim sea."
Ulysses loves life, even when it is harsh. He provides an example of how he was once confronted with
winds and rain at sea that was so severe that visibility was zero. Note: the Hyades is a constellation of
stars believed to have been responsible for the onset of rain.
"How dull it is to pause, to make an end,
To rust unburnish'd, not to shine in use!"
Ulysses uses the metaphor of the sword. Swords were made of iron and they rusted when not in use.
The active soldier would spend much time polishing and sharpening the blade to keep the rust at bay.
"And this gray spirit yearning in desire
To follow knowledge like a sinking star."
The old man, still full of enthusiasm, seeking knowledge -- just like the sailing ship seeking the stars to
chart its progress.
"And pay
Meet adoration to my household gods,
When I am gone."
The Greek gods were a malevolent bunch of spirits. If they were not given sufficient adoration by the
people, they would retaliate by inflicting dire punishment by sinking their ships, allowing victory to the
enemy, etc.
Each household had its own gods too, and it was critically important to appease them so as to fend off
calamity. There was certainly no love in this pantheon of gods!
"Death closes all: but something ere the end,
Some work of noble note, may yet be done."
Death is final but, before that happens, there is always something else to accomplish that is noble.
"Push off, and sitting well in order smite
The sounding furrows."
The sailing vessels of ancient Greece had to be rowed out of harbour and out to sea till such time as the
wind could fill their sails. The "sounding furrows" refers to the deep troughs between the waves
which the oars would strike.
"To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths
Of all the western stars, until I die.
It may be that the gulfs will wash us down:
It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles,
And see the great Achilles, whom we knew."
The ancient Greeks knew little of what lay beyond the Straits of Gibraltar. They were aware that there was
a great ocean beyond but the rest of their wisdom lay in legends.
It seemed to them that the sun set into the ocean but, beyond the sunset, there was a world of magic and
superstition.
Somewhere were the baths which washed the stars so that they always shone brightly. Perhaps they
would reach the edge of the world and fall off -- "the gulfs will wash us down".
Perhaps they would reach Heaven itself -- "the Happy Isles" -- where they would meet the great
Achilles whom they had all once known but who had perished on the battlefields of Troy.
Have you looked at the questions in the right column?
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TEST YOURSELF!
Read the left column and then answer the following questions:
Why should Ulysses, a great king, have become so bored with life? (4)
[Need help?]
Just think of it. Ulysses has the immense experience of many adventures. He is obviously a philosopher
and an intelligent person.
The people over whom he rules, on the other hand, are uncouth and boorish.
This is a very difficult situation for a ruler, where his wise laws are all beyond the understanding of his
people.
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"An idle king,
By this still hearth, among these barren crags,
Match'd with an aged wife."
- What do these images have in common? (4)
[Need help?]
Have you noticed all the similarities of these words? There's a barrenness in each of them, isn't there?
- An idle king who is bored with life;
- A fireplace with no fire;
- Rocky cliffs that are sterile;
- An old wife whose flame of passion is now quite dead.
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"Thro' scudding drifts the rainy Hyades
Vext the dim sea."
- Comment on the speaker's choice of words in these lines. (4)
[Need help?]
The Hyades is a distant constellation of stars which looks very dim and misty in the night sky. It has
always been associated with rain.
If you've ever been at sea, or been at a coastal town -- like Cape Town in the winter -- and watched the
rain sweep across the ocean, you will have noticed how it "scuds" across the water, dimming or
obliterating -- vexing or troubling -- the horizon.
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I am become a name;
For always roaming with a hungry heart"
- Is this statement true? (4)
[Need help?]
Yes, it is true. But it is so because of Homer's poetic writings which told of Ulysses' adventures -- Homer
called him "Odysseus" -- which poetry every intelligent high school child was forced to read!
The poet then uses this fame and casts this plot about Ulysses. Or am I just being cynical?
What would your answer be?
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"Yet all experience is an arch wherethro'
Gleams that untravell'd world, whose margin fades
For ever and for ever when I move."
- Explain the poet's image in your own words. (4)
[Need help?]
The poet is using the tried and trusted image of life being a river, flowing ever onward.
In this case, there is a series of arches over that river through which the traveller must pass.
Once the traveller has succeeded in passing through one arch, however, another one appears, and
another, and another . . . on and on to the end of life.
And, of course, beyond each arch lies the future.
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" The deep
Moans round with many voices."
- Comment on how the speaker's choice of words provides the reader with a deeply rich
impression. (4)
[Need help?]
The speaker appears to be using a combination of onomatopoeia and personification.
He compares the sea to a person who is moaning from a deep and everlasting sadness --
personification.
At the same time, the word "moaning" captures the sound made by the waves --
onomatopoeia.
Furthermore, the "many voices" applies to the many waves, lapping and moaning in different tones
-- another example of onomatopoeia.
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"You and I are old;
Old age hath yet his honor and his toil.
Death closes all."
- What very important message does the speaker propose here? (4)
[Need help?]
It is one of the tragedies of modern life that elderly people are forced to give up work and retire -- some
as young as 55 -- and then to live in retirement for many, many years till they die of boredom.
It's a strange fact that many people die just a few years after retirement simply because their new life is
no longer a challenge to their minds.
Ulysses, however, claims here that there is still honour in old age, and there is still work to be done. There
will always be work to be done. Only death will bring it all to an end.
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Was it a good idea for Ulysses to leave his household gods in the care of his son, Telemachus? Explain
carefully. (4)
[Need help?]
The ancient peoples had many gods. There were gods everywhere: gods in the mountains, gods in the
plains, gods in the cities, river gods, fruit gods and gods of the harvest.
There were also gods for every occasion. Each city and town had its own gods, and so too did each
household.
These gods were fairly mean spirited and malicious beings who might take revenge if not appeased with
ample offerings.
It was therefore dangerous for Ulysses to set sail while leaving his own household gods unappeased. They
might, for example, decide to sink his ship!
It was therefore a relief for him that he could trust Telemachus to make offerings to his gods for him. His
journey might then be a safe one.
But would you trust to fate in this fashion?
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"Ulysses" is described as an epic.
- What is an epic? Why should this poem be described as one? (4)
[Need help?]
An EPIC is a long poem which deals with great and heroic events.
"Ulysses" is the story of the legendary Greek adventurer who, having become bored with a settled
life amongst an inferior people, decides to relinquish his throne and set sail once more in search of further
excitement.
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- "Ulysses" also fits the category of a dramatic monologue. What is a dramatic
monologue and explain how "Ulysses" is an example of one. (4)
[Need help?]
A dramatic monologue is a drama told in poetic form where the entire action is spoken by a single
person.
In this particular poem, Ulysses tells not only of his feelings but also provides a narrative of his actions and
his future actions.
It is therefore a drama or a story that unfolds in the space of a single poem -- and the entire drama is
narrated by Ulysses.
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