Ulysses

Ulysses, also known as Odysseus in ancient Greek, is a character from Homer’s epics. Tennyson’s poem “Ulysses” relies on Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, but also departs from these earlier sources. The poem relies on Homer since readers should already understand who Ulysses is and what he’s been through. That understanding comes from Homer’s epics as well as the cultural awareness and importance of Homer’s work. Tennyson’s poem is a continuation of Homer’s pics since Tennyson begins where The Odyssey ends, with Ulysses back home in Ithaca and reunited with his wife, Penelope, and his now grown son, Telemachus. However, the nuance of the poem relies on the reader being familiar with all the strife, challenges, and tragedy Ulysses and his men experience in the Iliad and the Odyssey. Knowing Ulysses and his men experienced great losses in the Iliad and experienced a distinct homesickness is the Odyssey paints Tennyson’s poem with an ironic and almost sad light that implies that Ulysses finds happiness elusive no matter where he might be.