Ulysses : Summary and Analysis

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Tennyson wrote “Ulysses” in 1833, shortly after the death of his close friend Arthur Hallam. The poem is inspired by the classical character Ulysses (Greek: Odysseus) from Homer’s Odyssey. Unlike Homer’s Ulysses who returns home and resumes family life, Tennyson presents him as restless and dissatisfied, yearning for more adventures even in old age.

Stanza 1: 

Text Lines:

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.
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
Vex'd 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 honour'd of them all;
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
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 though to breathe were life! Life piled on life
Were all too little, and of one to me
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
To follow knowledge like a sinking star,
Beyond the utmost bound of human thought.

Summary of Stanza 1:

Ulysses, now an old king, feels unsatisfied with his quiet life ruling over a simple, ignorant people. He finds no joy in giving out laws or living with his aging wife. He misses the excitement of travel and adventure, which once defined his life. He's lived through much – love, pain, battle, and discovery – and he feels shaped by those experiences. To him, life is meant to be lived actively, not wasted in idleness. He compares himself to a sword that loses its shine if unused. He longs to seek knowledge and explore the unknown, pushing beyond the limits of human understanding.

Stanza 2: 

Text Lines:

This is my son, mine own Telemachus,
To whom I leave the sceptre and the isle—
Well-loved of me, discerning to fulfil
This labour, 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
In offices of tenderness, and pay
Meet adoration to my household gods,
When I am gone. He works his work, I mine.

Summary of Stanza 2:

Ulysses speaks about his son, Telemachus. He trusts him to rule the kingdom after he's gone. Telemachus is wise, responsible, and gentle – the right kind of person to guide the people with patience and kindness. Ulysses respects his son's nature and sees him as a dutiful man who will keep family traditions alive. But Telemachus is different from Ulysses. Where Ulysses longs for adventure, Telemachus is content with everyday duties.

Stanza 3: 

Text Lines:

There lies the port; the vessel puffs her sail:
There gloom the dark broad seas. My mariners,
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 honour and his toil;
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
Moans round with many voices. Come, my friends,
'Tis 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
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 though
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.

Summary of Stanza 3:

Ulysses turns to his old comrades, his fellow sailors. Together, they've faced joy and danger, and he praises their courage. Even in old age, he says, there is dignity and work to do. Before they die, they can still achieve something heroic. He encourages them to set sail again — to leave behind the known world and search for new adventures. They may die in the process, or they may reach paradise ("the Happy Isles") and reunite with the legendary warrior Achilles. He admits they are not as strong as they once were, but they still have brave hearts and strong wills. The final message is inspiring: they will continue to strive, seek, discover, and never give up.

Stanza-by-Stanza Analysis

Stanza 1: 

“It little profits that an idle king...”

  • Ulysses feels it is pointless to just sit idly as king.
  • He despises the dull life of ruling a “savage race” who don’t understand or connect with him.
  • He contrasts this with his past adventures—storms at sea, battles at Troy, foreign lands.
  • He believes every experience has shaped him ("I am a part of all that I have met").
  • Experience for him is a gateway to more unknown worlds. He feels it’s dull “to rust unburnish’d”—a metaphor showing that like a sword, a person should be used, not kept idle.
  • He craves to "follow knowledge like a sinking star”—knowledge that forever moves ahead.

Interpretation:
Ulysses feels wasted in domestic life. He defines life by action, learning, and experience—not by duties or comforts.

Stanza 2: 

“This is my son, mine own Telemachus...”

  • Ulysses recognizes that his son Telemachus is better suited for ruling Ithaca.
  • Telemachus is wise, calm, respectful, and dutiful.
  • Ulysses admires these qualities but subtly distances himself—"He works his work, I mine."

Interpretation:
This stanza contrasts two kinds of greatness—practical vs. heroic. Telemachus is the perfect king, but Ulysses sees his own purpose as something different—more adventurous, more eternal.

Stanza 3: 

“There lies the port; the vessel puffs her sail...”

  • Ulysses addresses his old comrades.
  • He reminds them of past glories and calls them to one last journey.
  • He acknowledges they are old, but insists they still have the will to achieve something great.
  • The mission may fail (“It may be that the gulfs will wash us down”) or succeed (“we shall touch the Happy Isles”).
  • He ends with the powerful lines:

    “To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.”

Interpretation:
This stanza is a celebration of human courage and will. Even with death near, Ulysses believes in pushing boundaries. The poem ends with one of the most famous lines in English poetry—a call to never give up.

Literary Devices

  • Metaphor:

    • “To rust unburnish’d” – compares idleness to a sword losing its shine.
    • “Experience is an arch” – portrays knowledge as a gateway to endless discovery.

  • Alliteration:

    • “Souls that have toil’d, and wrought, and thought with me”

  • Symbolism:

    • “The Happy Isles” symbolize paradise or the afterlife.
    • “Sinking star” represents endless pursuit of knowledge.

  • Irony:

    • Ulysses has achieved all a man could, yet feels unfulfilled.

Themes in “Ulysses”

  1. Restlessness and Discontent
    Ulysses is discontented with his current life. Despite his achievements, he yearns for more. He believes life without action and exploration is meaningless.

  2. The Call to Adventure
    The poem glorifies the idea of seeking new knowledge and experiences, even when one is old and worn.

  3. The Passage of Time and Aging
    Time has weakened Ulysses physically, but it hasn’t broken his spirit. The poem is a reflection on aging, but also a resistance to its limitations.

  4. Heroism and Glory
    Ulysses seeks noble work, something worthy of the great legends, even in the twilight of life.

  5. Individualism and Identity
    Ulysses refuses to live a conventional life. He defines his identity not by what society expects of him, but by what he desires—to explore and learn.

Structure and Form

  • Form: Dramatic Monologue
  • Meter: Mostly iambic pentameter
  • Rhyme: Blank verse (unrhymed iambic pentameter)
  • Tone: Reflective, inspiring, noble, determined
  • Voice: First-person, giving the poem a personal and emotional depth

Final Message

The poem is about the human spirit’s eternal quest—to grow, to learn, to challenge, and to live fully. Tennyson's Ulysses refuses to give in to time, fate, or age. His message is clear: Live fully, even in the face of death.

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