Concetti Chiave
- Tennyson's poetry is influenced by Romantic poets like Shelley and Keats, marked by a sense of melancholy due to the tension between Romanticism and Victorian values.
- His technical prowess is evident, though his works may seem distant to contemporary audiences, reflecting a reconciliation of individual freedom with social duty.
- In "Ulysses," Tennyson portrays the titular character as yearning for adventure despite old age, highlighting a desire for new experiences and knowledge.
- The poem captures Ulysses' internal conflict between his kingly responsibilities and the desire for personal glory and heroism.
- Heroism in Ulysses is aligned with Victorian moral values, emphasizing the era's tension between progress, exploration, and the anxiety brought by scientific advancements.
Poetic Influences and Depression
He was influenced by Romantic poets (Shelly and Keats). He had a depression after the death of a schoolmate, and he wrote a poem about him. In the last part of his life he became a laureate poet and the spoken man of his time. In his poetry we can see an attempt of reconciliation between Romanticism and Victorian values, between individual freedom and social duty, between feelings and personal responsibility. Because this attempt of reconciliation is difficult to realize, his poetry is pervaded by a sense of melancholy. He has great technical abilities, but his poems can appear remote to the modern reader.
1. Odysseus of Homer: the voyage to coming back to Ithaca
2. 26th canto of Hell of Dante: he tells the story of his last voyage
Ulysses and the Desire for Adventure
Tennyson chose the situation in the middle: Ulysses is in Ithaca and planes his last voyage. Ulysses is old but he is bored by his life in Ithaca, he is in a state of torpor and he always thinks of the triumphs of the past and he wishes new experiences and knowledge. He also feels the burden of being a king and the responsibility towards his son Telemacus. He is old age and he is aware that death is coming near but he wants to do a last voyage in order to be again glorious and heroic.
1.
Heroism and Victorian Values
Heroism, because the voyage is finalized to the heroism; it is connected with the moral values of Victorian Age. Heroism in the sense of honourable way of behaving.
2. The anxiety of Ulysses reflected the unsatisfaction of the Victorians under the general optimism.
3. The desire of the “new” as the Victorians had the desire to discover new lands and the desire of renewal in a period of mechanisation and social problems.
4. The death, as the end of all doubts also the Victorian Age was an age of doubts about man and life originated by scientific theory like Darwinism (sense of melancholy and sadness)
Domande da interrogazione
- How did Romantic poets influence the poet's work and personal life?
- What themes are explored in Tennyson's portrayal of Ulysses?
- How does the poet's work reflect the broader anxieties of the Victorian era?
The poet was influenced by Romantic poets like Shelley and Keats, which is evident in his attempt to reconcile Romanticism with Victorian values in his poetry. This struggle, combined with personal experiences such as the depression following a schoolmate's death, infused his work with a sense of melancholy.
Tennyson's portrayal of Ulysses explores themes of heroism, the desire for adventure, and the tension between personal freedom and social duty. Ulysses' longing for new experiences reflects the Victorian desire for discovery and renewal amidst societal changes and mechanization.
The poet's work reflects Victorian anxieties through themes of doubt and melancholy, paralleling the era's uncertainties brought on by scientific theories like Darwinism. Ulysses' dissatisfaction and yearning for adventure mirror the Victorians' quest for new frontiers and the struggle with societal and existential doubts.
Accedi a tutti gli appunti
Tutor AI: studia meglio e in meno tempo
