How does Ulysses regard his son's approach to life? Which character would you consider the most effective ruler: Ulysses or Telemachus?

In
Tennyson's "," the second stanza is devoted to Ulysses' description of his son,
Telemachus. To get an idea of what the king thinks of his son, it helps to look at the second
stanza in full:

This is my son, mine own
Telemachus, 

To whom I leave the sceptre and the isle, 

Well-loved of me, discerning to fulfil 

This labour, by slow
prudence to make mild 

A rugged people, and thro' soft
degrees 

Subdue them to the useful and the good. 

Most blameless is he, centred in the sphere 

Of common duties,
decent not to fail 

In offices of tenderness, and pay 

Meet adoration to my household gods, 

When I am gone. He works
his work, I mine. (33-43)

By reading this stanza,
it's possible to ascertain that Ulysses regards his son's approach to life with a great deal of
respect. Ulysses obviously loves his son, and he assumes that Telemachus will be able to
effectively rule (and potentially improve) the subjects and citizens of Ithaca with wisdom. As
such, Ulysses sees Telemachus' approach to life as wise and just, as he has faith that his son
will be able to rule well in his place.

 

Since
Telemachus appears to be such an ideal leader, it would also appear that he is a more effective
ruler than Ulysses. While Ulysses is undoubtedly a great hero and an adventurous soul, he also
shows himself to be an irresponsible ruler. He regards his kingly duties as a burden and seems
eager to run away from them. Telemachus, on the other hand, appears to be a wise ruler, one who
is determined to faithfully serve his subjects. Based on this comparison, it seems fair to say
that Telemachus is a more effective leader than his father.  href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45392/ulysses">https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45392/ulysses