Close Read of "Ulysses"

The poem “Ulysses,” by Tennyson, appeals to its reader through the use of a dramatic monologue, the personification of nature, similes, metaphors, and even plot. However, the main intrigue of this poem is the irresolute message received through Tennyson’s unsteady use of iambic pentameter.

The irony of Ulysseus’ situation is that he spent ten years trying to make his way home to Ithaca, and upon returning all he longs for is adventure and travel. This is exemplified through Ulysseus’ periodic breaks in meter. Ulysseus speaks in iambic pentameter for most of the poem but in lines 19-21 when he says “yet all experience is an arch wherethro’ gleams that untravell’d world whose margin fades for ever and forever when I move,” he uses a spondee. These stressed syllables next to each other dramatically slow down the movement of the poem. He also uses a spondee when he says “there lies the port…there gloom the dark, broad seas” and “moved earth and heaven, that which we are…made weak by time and fate.” The breaks in meter contribute to a more profound conclusion about the poem, which is that when he is speaking about travel and adventures, he gets lost in his own thoughts. The poem's movement slows down because these breaks in meter lead him to have a deeper reflection upon his life and allow him time to try to gather his indecisive thoughts. The parts where he does speak in iambic pentameter seem to be resolute thoughts. He acknowledges that he is old and despite this he wants to keep traveling even if his exploration eventually kills him. This is exemplified by Ulysseus’ last spondee in line 69, which gives him a few last fleeting moments to determine that the rest of his life he will “strive, seek, find” but not “yield.”