In Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem "Ulysses," what do the title character's references to his wife and son suggest about his underlying feelings toward...

In s poem ,
the title character makes comments about his wife and son that seem a bit surprising. Thus, in
line 3 of the poem he mentions that he is Matched with an ag¨d wife. This, ironically, is his
only reference to the woman from whom he suffered an enforced absence of twenty years! Penelope
was (and is) usually considered the ideal wife €“ emotionally loyal, sexually faithful, wise,
clever, and supremely determined to resist the blandishments of the many men who tried to court
her while Ulysses was away for two decades. The fact that Ulyssses thus dismisses her with one
word €“ ag¨dseems somewhat shocking. Perhaps he means to suggest that she has lost her
youthful spirit. Perhaps he is regretting that he did not take better advantage of his erotic
opportunities when he was younger. The fact that he expresses no regrets about leaving his loyal
wife also seems unusual. Even more unusual is the fact that he apparently takes no time to bid
her farewell or even to explain to her the reasons for his leaving. Surely he cannot be
addressing her in this poem; if that were the case, he would be a true cad. Thus Tennysons poem
gets off to a surprising start, to say the least.

Ulysses comments on his
loyal, brave, resilient son, Telemachus, can also seem unexpected:

This 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 through 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.

Ulysses acknowledges the political skills of Telemachus as well as
his moral virtues, but there seems a bit of a tone of condescension in his remarks. This is
especially true when he refers to common duties. It is as if Ulysses is more than willing to
let his son do the everyday job of ruling the kingdom while he, the father, goes off in pursuit
of new adventures. This is the son, by the way, who was merely a small boy when Ulysses left to
go off and fight at Troy. This is the son who essentially grew up without a father. This is the
son who also had to deal with scores of greedy potential stepfathers while his real father was
absent.

In short, by contemporary standards, Ulyssess behavior and attitudes
seem hard to comprehend.