Figures of Speech Know What These Are. (What This Means)

Ulysses Before You Begin

Figures of Speech – Know what these are. (What this means) Metaphor – Know what this is. Dramatic monologue - a single person, not the poet speaks at a critical moment - this person addresses another person, or other people, who do not speak. It is rather like hearing one end of a telephone conversation. - The main focus of the monologue is on the interesting character or temperament revealed by the speaker. It gives an insight into the personality of the speaker.

Punctuation – Observe punctuation when reading the poem. If a line does not have punctuation at the end of it, do not pause. Meaning – To understand poetry, think about the whole sentence, not each line. Vocabulary – Know what the words mean. Compression – Think of a poem as a zipped file on a computer. There is a lot of meaning in very few words. Each word might be very powerful, weighted with inference. The Poem:

Ulysses - Alfred Tennyson

It little profits that an idle king, By this still hearth, among these barren crags, Match'd with an aged wife, I mete and dole Unequal laws unto a savage race, That hoard, and sleep, and feed, and know not me. 5 I cannot rest from travel; I will drink Life to the lees. All times I have enjoy'd Greatly, have suffer'd greatly, both with those That loved me, and alone; on shore, and when Thro' scudding drifts the rainy Hyades 10 Vext the dim sea. I am become a name; For always roaming with a hungry heart Much have I seen and known,-- cities of men And manners, climates, councils, governments, Myself not least, but honor'd of them all,-- 15 And drunk delight of battle with my peers, Far on the ringing plains of windy Troy. I am a part of all that I have met; Yet all experience is an arch wherethro' Gleams that untravell'd world whose margin fades 20 For ever and for ever when I move. How dull it is to pause, to make an end, To rust unburnish'd, not to shine in use! As tho' to breathe were life! Life piled on life Were all too little, and of one to me 25 Little remains; but every hour is saved From that eternal silence, something more, A bringer of new things; and vile it were For some three suns to store and hoard myself, And this gray spirit yearning in desire 30 To follow knowledge like a sinking star, Beyond the utmost bound of human thought.

This is my son, mine own Telemachus, to whom I leave the sceptre and the isle,-- Well-loved of me, discerning to fulfill 35 This labor, by slow prudence to make mild A rugged people, and thro' soft degrees Subdue them to the useful and the good. Most blameless is he, centred in the sphere Of common duties, decent not to fail 40 In offices of tenderness, and pay Meet adoration to my household gods, When I am gone. He works his work, I mine.

There lies the port; the vessel puffs her sail; There gloom the dark, broad seas. My mariners, 45 Souls that have toil'd, and wrought, and thought with me,-- That ever with a frolic welcome took The thunder and the sunshine, and opposed Free hearts, free foreheads,-- you and I are old; Old age hath yet his honor and his toil. 50 Death closes all; but something ere the end, Some work of noble note, may yet be done, Not unbecoming men that strove with Gods. The lights begin to twinkle from the rocks; The long day wanes; the slow moon climbs; the deep 55 Moans round with many voices. Come, my friends. 'T is not too late to seek a newer world. Push off, and sitting well in order smite The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths 60 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. Tho' much is taken, much abides; and tho' 65 We are not now that strength which in old days Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are,-- One equal temper of heroic hearts, Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield. 70 Interpreting “Ulysses” English 11

As the poem starts, Ulysses is speaking to his family (his wife and son) and his subjects. He has remained in Ithaca governing his people since returning from his travels after the Trojan War. Now he is ready to leave because he has had enough of such an idle life and he knows his life is nearly over. In this dramatic monologue, he tells his subjects his reasons for leaving. To help you interpret “Ulysses”, below is a line-by-line exploration of the poem. Any words or mythological references you may not know are explained below. Discuss the metaphors used and expand on the meaning of the various lines of the poem.

READ LINES UNFAMILIAR MEANING? LANGUAGE

1-5 Idle-doing little or nothing *How does Ulysses feel Barren crags- the rough about his present life? and rocky nature of his island Mete and dole- deal out, give out Hoard- gather possessions 6-middle 11 Lees-sediment in the *Explain the metaphor “I bottom of a cask of wine will drink life to the lees” Scudding-the appearance of and how does this apply to clouds/shower of rain his life? driven by a strong wind Hyades-a constellation of stars noted for rain Vext(vexed)- annoyaed, caused trouble for 11-17 Manners-the behaviour of *What has resulted from a polite society Ulysses wide travels? Troy-the city in Asia Minor that the Greeks destroyed

18-21 No unfamiliar language *What is meant by “I am a here part of all that I have met?

22-24 Unburnish’d- unpolished *How do these lines express the restless discontent Ulysses experiences? What does Ulysses compare himself to in the metaphor? 24-middle 26 No unfamiliar language “Life piled on life” What is here meant by this? 26-32 Eternal silence- death How does Ulysses regard Vile- horrible, evil his years at home? Three suns- the three years he has been home Yearning-strongly wishing

33-38 Sceptre-wand of office What does Ulysses think of Discerning-perspective his son? enough Prudence-wisdom Rugged-uncivilized

39-43 Meet-appropriate, suitable How else does he describe Adoration-worship his son? What kind of work is Ulysses best suited for? 44-45 No unfamiliar language What does Ulysses turn his here attention to? What is awaiting him? 45-53 Mariners-sailors Ulysses addresses his Toiled-worked hard sailors. What things does Wrought-worked he say to them? Strove-fought with

54-56 Wanes-fades, comes to an Ulysses turns his attention end to the fading day. What Deep-the sea could this also be a metaphor for? 56-61 Smite-hit He invites his companions Furrows-waves to come. How does he try to convince them to go? (lines 56-end) 62-64 Happy Isles-the Isles of the Blest, Elysium, a place of happiness in the afterworld Achilles-a great Greek hero of the Trojan War 64-end Abides-remains “ Ulysses” Questions

Lines Meaning?

1.5 How does Ulysses feel about his present life?

6-middle 11 Explain the metaphor; ”I will drink life to the lees” and how does this apply to his life?

11.17 What has resulted from Ulysses wide travels?

18.21 What is meant by “I am a part of all that I have met? 22-24 How do these lines express the discontent Ulysses experiences? What does he mean when he says “rust unburnish’d”?

24-middle 26 “Life piled on life”, what is meant by this?

26.32 How does Ulysses regard the years he spent at home?

33.38 What does Ulysses think of his son? 39.43 How else does he describe his son? What kind of work is Ulysses best suited for?

44.45 What does Ulysses turn his attention to? What is awaiting him?

45.53 Ulysses addresses his sailors. What things does he say to them?

54.56 Ulysses turns his attention to the fading day. What could this also be a metaphor for?

56-end He invites his companions to come. How does he try to convince them to go?