Essay.

I   can   see   that   this   poem   captures   the   feelings   of   someone   old   enough   to   have   had exciting   experiences,   but   still   young   enough   to   have   energy   and   desire   to   have   more. When   I   was   young   I   "shook   earth   and   heaven"   along   with   my   peers   in   whatever   we   did. Be   it   the various   childhood   acts   mischievousness   or   the   silly   competitions at   the   school.
      In   the   past,   critics   often   regarded   Ulysses   as   a   determined   and   brave   hero,   admiring him   for   his   perseverance   "To   strive,   to   seek,   to   find,   and   not   to   yield."   It   seems   as   if Tennyson   meant   to   describe   a   hero   because   this   is   how   he   has   written   about   it elsewhere,   mentioning   that   the   death   of   a   dear   friend   inspired   him.  
      The   speaker   tells   how   he   has safely   arrived   back   in   his   own   kingdom of   Ithaca,   after a   long   hazardous   voyage   back   to   his   family   after   fighting   in   the   Trojan   Wars.   Home   life seems   dull   and   safe   by   comparison   and   instead   of   being   grateful   for   victory   and   safe deliverance   home, Ulysses   tells   of   his   restlessness,   and   his   discontentment   with   the "savage   race"    that   he   leads.   The   glories   and   honors   of   his   fighting   past   seem   far   away as   he   considers   his   aging   and   looming   death.
        Ulysses   accomplished   so   much,   and   spent   so   much   of   his   energy   and   youth   in   doing so. He   learned   things   that   no   one   else   had   ever   seen,   and   he   and   his   men   pushed   themselves   to   the limit   in   accomplishing   their goals.   Once   you   have   done   things   like   that, once   you   have   pushed   yourself   to   the   limit,   finding   your   limits,   and   still   pushing,   finding yourself   no   longer   needing   to   do   so   is   like   becoming   a   rubber   band   no   longer   being stretched. The   sense   of   let-down   is   fierce,   and   can   be   depressing.   Ulysses   shows   signs   of this,   but   his   inner   strength,   the   strength...