The poem “Ulysses” is written in exactly seventy lines and in these seventy lines the poet uses synecdoche, personification, meter, and metaphors. All of these are used in hope of making the last line climatic. The last line is a quotable ending phrase “to strive, to seek, to find and not to yield.”(4, 70) The indecisiveness of the speaker when struggling to decide whether to stay or leave Ithaca to voyage to the “untraveled world” (2, 20) summarizes the poem. Throughout the poem it is obvious which stance Odysseus’ heart heavily sways towards but it is not till the last line is his decision made clear.
Lord Tennyson’s “Ulysses” is written in iambic pentameter but makes use of trochees and spondees. As a result, the poem reads not like a poem but a speech from Odysseus. Odysseus then delivers his speech as a dramatic monologue addressing those in his court with insult. Odysseus distains his people simply because they live only to satisfy their primary needs. Odysseus is debasing his people naming them as a savage race: “That hoard, and sleep, and feed”. He contrasts this imagery with a metaphor of himself as a lion: “roaming with a hungry heart”. Although, this dehumanizes Odysseus comparing himself to a lion he tries: “to strive, to seek, to find” (4,70); therefore, he is better than the savage race he is king to. It leads to the idea that whatever Odysseus argues as the right decision is right because everyone in his presence is less than he is. He acknowledges his superiority first as king in the opening line of the poem and then in intelligence in the twelfth line.
The poem is a speech and is meant to be read out loud and the crowd is to visualize themselves as the citizens of Ithaca being addressed by Odysseus. With that...
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... 57) a synecdoche for all the new things they will encounter. Odysseus names all the negative things that evoke fear before stating simply why they are leaving in a perfect iambic pentameter: “To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield” (4, 70).
The last line is poignant to the meaning of the rest of the poem. The poet structures an argument as to why Odysseus should leave Ithaca. The audience determines whether the grounds are founded and decides on whether the decision was just. By using personification, synecdoche, metaphors and meter Tennyson tries to sway his audience to agree with Odysseus. To agree with Odysseus’ decision leads to the idea that Odysseus can inspire society to be equally as active. The last line therefore summarizes not only the poem but Tennyson’s message to society one must try: “To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield” (4, 70).
In this long narrative poem, Odysseus changes from being disrespectful to the gods by explicitly saying that he doesn’t need them, to longing forgiveness later by stating that he is nothing without them. After the success with the Trojan Horse, Odysseus considered himself higher than the gods because he, a mortal, was able to accomplish something even the gods couldn’t. He boasted to Poseidon and the others about how he is overpowering, and how his power and abilities were far beyond their limits. His epic boasting to the gods had lead him to create his own obstacles as, he is one who essentially was the cause. This disrespectful attitude is the personality which shows how Odysseus behaved at the beginning of the story. It not only demonstrates what he was once like, but how his obstacles get much more precarious. As this is the attitude in the beginning, by the end of this epic, Odysseus understands the value of gods and their power, even if it’s for good or bad. At the end of book twenty-two, page 1160, on lines 107-109, Odysseus finally accepts the fact that he is not the biggest thing
Of all the heroic traits such as honor and glory, given to the reader through Homer’s epic poems loyalty seems to be the strongest, as with Patroclus in the Iliad, so it is with Penelope, Telemachus, and Eumaeus in the Odyssey. Through the use of these characters loyalty is demonstrated to Odysseus, the hero if the poem. Their undying loyalty and devotion to the warring hero gives perfect examples of how humans should act to those they claim to be faithful too.
An epic hero is almost overwhelmed with difficulty, often beyond that which a normal man could withstand. Not only is he confronted occasionally by danger or hopelessness; it is the entire premise of the poem. “Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns driven time and again off course, once he had plundered the hallowed heights of Troy” (Fagles 77). This it the first line of the whole poem, summing up what is going to happen as the speaker prays to the Muses, goddesses of stories. There is in fact, no other person, fictional or otherwise, in all of history, ever so besieged with difficulty, as Odysseus. Women and goddesses often tempt epic heroes, and Odysseus is tempted too. The goddess Circe is one of the many people who tempt him, “Come, sheath your sword, lets go to bed together, mount my bed and mix in the magic work of love-we’ll breed deep trust between us” (Fagles 240). Though Odysseus does bed with her, he never loses sight of his hope of coming home to his wife, Penelope.
"Odysseus often hesitates before acting, because he uses his reason and gift to evaluate things. This patience is one of his most important additional attributes"(library.thinkquest.org/19300/data/Odyssey/odysseus.html). It saved him and his men many times. "When the poem opens, it is the tenth year since the fall of Troy, and Odysseus has not yet returned to his home in the island of Ithaca, but is detained in Ogygia, an island in the west, by the nymph Calypso" (bartleby.com/22/1001.html
This tale coincides with the times in Greece. This was a time that art and Philosophy were extremely important and respected by the people. Odysseus was a new type of hero that didn’t win by overpowering his opponents, but by using his mind to outwit them. Manners also seemed to play an important role to Odysseus, as he was learned to be polite and generous to strangers and in the end punished those who weren’t.
In the beginning Odysseus is a careless, foolish and immature warrior who seems to care only about battle. But in the end we see a completely different person who has seen the error of his ways and realizes the evil in being only a prideful warrior.
Atop her stands our seamark, / Mount Neriton’s leafy ridges shimmering in the wind. / Around her a ring of islands circle side-by-side, / Dulichion, Same, wooded Zacynthus too, but mine/ lies low and away, the farthest out to sea,” Odysseus states he is from place named Ithaca, an island that is part of a circle of islands. Ithaca was a mountain that is leafy which you can infer that is green all time because he describes Ithaca as being sunny. One could also infer that when he is using the word sunny it reminds him of happier times because the color yellow related to psychological could represent cowardice, deceit, sunlight, optimism, happiness and/or warmth. Because Odysseus use the word sunny reminds us of sunlight which in reminds us of yellow it throws out the psychologic association of cowardice and deceit. He also states that his island is farthest out to sea then the other island which are Dulichion, Same and Zacynthus. In lines 28-29, he is describing how the sun rise at the other kingdom compared to his kingdom. This could be because Odysseus would like to see the sunset at his kingdom and know that his long journey is over. Then Odysseus states “Mine is a rugged land but good for raising sons— / and I myself, I know no sweeter sight on earth/ than a man’s own native country.”(30-33). He is saying even though Ithaca is a little rugged it is great for raising sons. He goes
As a wayfarer in life, The Odyssey focuses on life’s greater purpose through the fulfillment of destiny, perseverance, and loyalty. These three themes recur continuously throughout Odysseus’ journey, molding life’s greater vision. Odysseus comes to understand his purpose in life by remaining true to these major themes as he faces and conquers each obstacle in his journey.
...ally some men were killed and how the disloyal maids had died as well. This may just be because the writing style of that time was different, but it showed a darker side to Odysseus and those that fought with him.
This shows the value of bravery. As Odysseus and his crew row toward two fearsome monsters, Odysseus shows no fear. He reminds the men of the monsters they have already faced, and this inspires them. Death looks him in the eye, and, in response, Odysseus laughs in its face.
“The Odyssey” is an epic poem that tells the story of Odysseus and the story of his many travels and adventures. The Odyssey tells the main character’s tale of his journey home to the island of Ithaca after spending ten years fighting in the Trojan War, and his adventures when he returns home and he is reunited with his family and close friends. This literary analysis will examine the story and its characters, relationships, major events, symbols and motifs, and literary devices.
Returning to the quotation “… the great leveler, Death: not even the gods/ can defend a man, not even one they love, that day/ when fate takes hold and lays him out at last’” (Homer 3.269-271). Death is a power that surpasses the gods. In The Odyssey we are introduced to gods who control the water, the wind, and the decisions of men. They can bring peace and war, but the one thing they cannot do is prevent a mortal’s fated death. This alone shows how central death is to The Odyssey. The power that death holds rivals no others in this story, there is “… no escape from death” (Homer 12.483). Death is a constant threat for Odysseus throughout this story, and the future foretold for Odysseus by Tiresias is not one of his life being a good one but of “…your own death will steal upon you…/ a gentle, painless death, far from the sea it comes to take you down…” (Homer 11.153-154). His fortune ends not with his happy life, but with his eventual death. This scene is crucial because it draws the reader back not to the life that Odysseus will have once he has successfully returned home and killed the suitors but the death that he will experience. It draws it back to when and where Odysseus will die and take his place among the
In this Epic Poem the value of loyalty is expressed by many characters. First of all, Odysseus, a Trojan War hero, shows his loyalty by never replacing his wife, Penelope, for someone else. Odysseus is stuck on the island of Kalypso, who is a beautiful sea nymph, when he is tempted to fall in love with her. Odysseus is loyal enough to Penelope and focuses on getting home to see her. Without this value, Odysseus would have fallen in love with everyone on his journey home. Odysseus shows how loyalty is a value that everyone needs in life. In addition, Eumaios and Philoitios, residents of Ithaka, display their loyalty by fighting for Odysseus not against him. Odysseus is disguised as a beggar and tests the faithfulness of Eumaios and Philoitios. He wants to see if they are still loyal to him so he asks them if they would fight for Odysseus if he comes back. They answer by saying, “You’d see the fight in me!” showing how they still care for their leader (20.260). In the end, their loyalty pays off because Odysseus knows of their trustworthiness, so he does not kill them in battle. Eumaios and Philoitios’ integrity is something that Odysseus and others honor. Finally, Penelope’s faithfulness to Odysseus plays an important part in this novel. If Penelope did ...
Odysseus and Ulysses have differences, but also similarities. The man's role in his son's life shifts once Telemachus matures. However, Odysseus and Ulysses portray similar characteristics - their love for their crew and their determination in achieving goals. The man is a born leader; he shows leadership in raising his son, caring for his crew, and ultimately, in taking charge of his life. The poets acclaim men who have direction in life to strive and attain goals.