What is a Dramatic Monologue? Explain Ulysses as a dramatic monologue.
Introduction: “Ulysses” is a dramatic monologue written by Alfred Lord Tennyson, first published in 1842. The poem is spoken by the Greek hero Odysseus, also known as Ulysses. In the poem, he describes his life and his desire for adventure.
Dramatic monologue: A dramatic monologue is a type of poem or performance where a character speaks directly to the audience, revealing his or her thoughts and feelings. It is a one-sided conversational poem in which the speaker expresses his experiences, emotions, and beliefs to the audience and the audience listens in silence. From such poems, the audience gets a good idea about the main character of the speaker, the characteristics of his speech, and the nature of human life.
In other words, A dramatic monologue is a sort of poem in which a single speaker talks to an audience and reveals his thoughts and feelings about a particular situation or event. The speaker can be a fictional character or a real person, and they often express emotions, opinions, and experiences related to a specific moment in their lives.
The most common theme of the dramatic monologue is love, loss, power, death, betrayal, guilt, redemption, and the nature of human relationships. It helps the speaker to reveal their inner thoughts and feelings.
“Ulysses” is a dramatic monologue: “Ulysses” is a classic example of a dramatic monologue. It is written by Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) representative of the Victorian age in poetry. In the poem, Ulysses is the main character who speaks throughout the poem. He tells what he thinks and feels. Let’s look at how “Ulysses” is a dramatic monologue.
Single Speaker: The first feature of “Ulysses” as a dramatic monologue is the single speaker, who is Ulysses himself. Throughout the poem, Ulysses speaks to an imagined listener, who is not explicitly identified but is most likely his son, Telemachus.
Characterization: The second feature of the poem is characterization. Ulysses’ words and actions reveal his personality, motives, and beliefs. He is presented as a restless, adventurous spirit. He is a restless and ambitious hero. He is unsatisfied with the peaceful life of retirement he has found. His words suggest that he yearns for adventure and glory.
Abrupt beginning: A dramatic monologue usually starts off in a casual way. People get a taste of the whole poem right from the start. The poem “Ulysses” starts suddenly so it is nothing but a dramatic monologue. It starts like these:
“It little profits that an idle king by this still hearth, among these barren crags,”
The Desire for Adventure: Throughout the poem, Ulysses longs to go on an adventure. He talks about how unhappy he is with his life at the moment. Although he is old, he feels that he has many responsibilities as a king. He wants to travel again and learn new things. Ulysses knows death is inevitable and wants to make the most of his remaining life. He says:
“I cannot rest from travel; I will drink
Lyricism: Lyricism is a distinctive feature of theatrical monologue poetry. Lyrics can be found throughout Ulysses, written in blank verse.
Silent listener: The silent audience is an important feature of Dramatic monologue. Although the fictional audience of the monologue is not specifically identified in the poem Ulysses, it is likely that he is someone close to Ulysses, such as his wife Penelope or his son Telemachus.
Besides, narrative style, Setting, Tone, and Themes all things suggest that” Ulysses” is a dramatic monologue. So, “Ulysses” is a dramatic monologue where Ulysses, the Greek hero, reflects on his past adventures and expresses his yearning for new challenges and experiences.
Conclusion: Now it is clear that “Ulysses” is a classic example of Dramatic monologue. Through the voice of Ulysses, Tennyson’s speech describes the themes of death and the desire for adventure. Through this poem, the poet calls on the readers to live well with their own desires and ambitions.
