"Of Great Pitch And Moment"

“Ulysses” - Alfred Lord Tennyson

Tennyson creates the image of a man who is driven by a duty that soon turns to desire. Such stories are often characteristic of adventurers of all types. My mind instantly turns to Ernest Shackleton, who despite failed voyages, near death experiences, pain beyond all tolerance, and a loving family back in Great Britain, pursued Antarctica time and time again. In fact I believe that Shackleton read Lord Tennyson, and even “Ulysses” on numerous occasions. The same holds true for T.E. Lawrence, drawn by duty to kill, then compelled by desire. Forced to go at the start, Odysseus soon needed to go, because it was all he knew, or could be fond of. At one time his only longing was to return to his wife and child, but the journey home took him captive as his blood turned to adrenaline. When Tennyson speaks of Telemachus bearing the burden of his father's fame, he references that of his generation, constantly striving to live up to past crusades. Tennyson's use of The Odyssey, and more specifically Odysseus, reflects popular support of imperialist efforts internationally, especially those of Great Britain, in the 19th century. In this era the world seems to be getting increasingly small. Few lands are yet to be discovered. The explorers of the mid-1800s grew up hearing stories of legendary proportions about their grandfathers and great-grandfathers, provoking them to regain the esteem that seemed lost. Soon drugged by the exhilaration of conquering foreign lands, many could not let go of their wanderings. Tennyson employs The Odyssey to magnify the desire he sees about him. He witnessed on a daily basis men signing up for the Royal Army, with the sole desire to obtain that renown status as a soldier, and for king and country. Whose enterprises are more famed or emulated than that of the classic hero Odysseus? Through the use of Greek literature, “Ulysses” explains the nature and patterns of male obsession, to define social and political tendencies of the period.