Noble

In Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem, “Ulysses”, the speaker and main character is

a King dreaming of a life consisting of travel and adventure. To be true to himself, to

be true to his kingdom, Ithaca, he decided to leave and pursue his desires to roam

and see what else is out in the world; however, following his dreams called into

question whether or not it was noble of him to leave Ithaca. It is obvious throughout

the poem that he has a complete disregard for his position as a ruler, father, and

husband; as well as the disturbing fact he is willing to throw all his responsibilities

out the window just for the feeling he is craving.

In the poem there is some evidence to support the King’s decision to leave

and it even may seem to commend him for his apparently heroic choice. He makes

the idea of leaving so inviting; it is difficult to see his actions as anything but noble.

He tries to convince the readers, as well as himself, that he “…cannot rest from

travel: I will drink, / Life to the lees…” (ll. 7-8). In the attempt to persuade the idea

that he is trying to live life to the fullest, the man makes it appear as though he is

being deprived by saying, “How dull is it to pause, to make an end, / To rust

unburnish’d, not to shine in use,” (ll. 22-23). In his defense, there is some room for

the opinion that it was noble for him to leave Ithaca for himself; however, there is

more to support the fact he is just weaseling out of his duties.

Upon further evaluation into the writing and rereading to understand more

thoroughly, it is the influential way of speaking that promotes his view on the

subject. By trying so desperately in making his choice seem honorable, it sounds

more and more as though he is making excuses for his decisions; as if he is trying to

cover up his