Ulysses’ Definition of Home

Home is a place that someone likes to come back to. A place where one has his family and friends, his roots. But for Ulysses it was quite different. His home was the sea. He rather spends his time with his fellow warriors in battle than with his family in Ithaca. In the poem "Ulysses" Tennyson has him talk to his fellow warriors about being home and about being away from home. Ulysses talks about his relation to his wife, his son and about his longing for the sea and the adventures.

Ulysses does not waste much time talking about his wife. He sees himself as being "Matched with an aged wife", by saying this and no more he is implying that he does not care much about their relationship. The word "aged" is the only one he uses to describe his wife, showing how he really feels about her. After being away for so long that it should not surprise him that he and his wife have changed in the meantime. Ulysses knows that "[he is] a part of all [he has] met". All the adventures have changed him and his point of view. He has been away for very long and even though he knew that he had changed in the meantime he must have believed that thing would be the away before he left. Perhaps he expected that time did not pass on in Ithaca while he was gone. Proof for that can be found in the fact that he came back and that he did not have more words to describe his wife. If he would have thought that their relationship would be so much different, he would not have come back in the first place. The fact that he uses only five words to describe his wife implies that he is shocked about his change and her change. He obviously seems to be surprised about the outcome of their relationship, even though his wife was faithful, which should show him how important their relationship is to her. But he must not have gotten the message.

Ulysses devotes his son a whole stanza, even though he does not really know him. When he left his son, Telemachus, must have been very young. Having returned to Ithaca makes Ulysses feel unused or unable to "shine in use". He feels the same way about his son and the people in Ithaca, "That hoard, and sleep, and feed", considering that Telemachus is his son, Ulysses does not give him much credit for what he achieved while Ulysses was gone. He sees his son as "decent not to fail". Even though his son is "most blameless" for how things turned out to be, I believe Ulysses is still blaming him. Maybe Ulysses is just focusing his blame on Telemachus, but really means to blame society as a whole. Ulysses, however, accepts the fact of how things turned out and "leave[s] the scepter and the isle" with his son. Ulysses is comfortable knowing that "When [he is] gone. [Telemachus] works his work, [Ulysses his]". In a way Ulysses gives up believing that his son will be like him eventually. Ulysses feels old and unused. He sees his son as being young and strong. But in the eyes of Ulysses, Telemachus wastes his strength. Ulysses "became a name" "with a hungry heart," and as every father does he want his son to be just like him. But his son turned out to lead "through soft degrees" which Ulysses considers "useful". Ulysses is disappointed in his son and the way he turned out. Like his wife did his son change and both are now further away from Ulysses than they have ever been. But there is nobody else to blame besides Ulysses himself, because he has never been a father. Penelope, who of course had a very big influence on him, raised Telemachus. This is the total opposite of Ulysses’ believe. But it was probably better for Telemachus and the people in Ithaca.

The greater part of this poem is devoted to Ulysses’ wish to be on the sea again with his fellow warriors, fighting Cyclops and listening to singing sirens. All he sees is that "There lies the port, the vessel puffs her sail". Something deep within him makes him want to leave. Nothing is left after the big disappointments with his son and his wife. "Free hearts, free foreheads" drive him. The independence of the life at sea outweighs, in his opinion, the security of a home and a family. Even thou Ulysses might consider his fellow warriors as his family and his ship as his home. "To sail beyond the sunset,…,until [he]dies" is his purpose. He truly enjoys life and "all time [he has] enjoyed" it. He says about himself that "[he] cannot rest from travel". Even though he is "Made weak by time and fate" he is still "strong in will". Ulysses says about himself that "[he] will drink Life to the lees" but living with his family is not the bitter pill he is willing to take in the end. Realizing his age makes him even stronger, and he sees that "old age hath yet his honor and his toil". For Ulysses the uncertainty "that the gulfs will wash [them] away" or "[they] will touch the happy isles" is more valuable than a calm retirement with his family. He knows about himself and his people "that which we are we are". There is no question about it for him. Ulysses cheers his friends to "seek another world…until [they] die". The desire to live an adventurous life will always be within Ulysses. He does not care much about a family life. While on his last journey he realized his desire to be with his family after all those years. But as soon as he came home, he knew he could not be happy there. He gathered his men, "That loved [him]", around him and asked them to leave with him for new adventures. What a terrible message he is giving his wife by doing so. The first thing after he comes home he wants to leave. After all these years in which she had sacrificed for their love, something he has most likely not done, he just tells her it is all over.

Home for Ulysses is the sea. He cannot live without it. It became his family after a while. The independence that comes with life at the sea is very attractive to him. In the end Ulysses goes back to the sea. In a way he goes back home, where he belongs. The difference to others is that he has never really been away. Penelope and Telemachus could not have lived together with Ulysses, after all the time that has passed and especially after he had let her know how he really feels. The wisest decision Ulysses could have made was to hand over the kingdom to his son and to leave both of them. That way all of them are more or less happy. One could describe Ulysses as a very selfish person, because he has fulfilled his dream, but everybody around him has to suffer the consequences, Especially his wife, who was faithful all those years, in which he probably wasn't. Penelope was waiting all her life for Ulysses to come back home and when he finally came, all he had to say to her is that she is old and that he wants to leave again.