compare the character of ulysses with tithonus

1. Essay Topic:
Compare the character of Ulysses with that of Tithonus with reference to
“Ulysses” & “Tithonus”.
Tithonus and Ulysses both poems were written by a famous poet Alfred Lord Tennyson. Both
poems indicate similar object (death) and structure and both are written in the first person with
the subject of the poem’s narrator. Both poems begin in similar form. In this discussion, we will
see the comparison of these two characters Ulysses and Tithonus.
At first, we can say that ‘Ulysses’ is a Greek hero who had to battle through rival of all types in
order to return home to Ithaca after his achievement in the Trojan War. After comes back home
Ulysses realizes that he cannot be content with a life of domesticity. He cannot exist without
idolizing and action: ‘I cannot rest from travel’ and ‘for always roaming with a hungry heart’.
Ulysses’ boredom is the greatest factor in his desire to travel. He desperately wants to free
himself from the bind of responsibility: ‘to whom I leave this sceptre’ and ‘tis not to late seek a
newer world’, the ironic fact of his childish negligence of his responsibilities is the fact that he
places his own child , Telemachus, in charge of what he sees as boring unexciting tasks: ‘of
common duties’ and ‘by slow prudence to make mild’.
Ulysses continues his irony by starting ‘well-loved of me’ before announcing that he is to handle
a task that Ulysses sees as to dull for himself. He sees responsibility as a chain, prevent his
ability to continue his wastes and his desire to travel: ‘I will drink life to less’, this statement
directly disagree with Tithonus’ wish to die, because Ulysses wants to continue in his
impossible journey to find happiness as a nomad, shown by Tennyson to be unobtainable: ‘to
follow knowledge like a sinking star’ and ‘beyond the utmost bound of human thought’.
Tithonus was the king of Troy. He was the lover of Aurora, Goddess of the Dawn. He was a
handsome man in his youth and this got him the love of a goddess Dawn. This drove him to ask
her to grant him the gift of immortality. However, Tithonus was casual in his demands and forgot
to ask for eternal youth, the thing he really craved. Tithonus thought he was special and wanted
to be different from other people and continue to have Aurora’s love. By the Tithonus has grown
old he cannot feel her love anymore and wishes to be the same as the people he desires. He just
wants to get back the power to die like any other human. He questions ‘why should a man desire
in any way to vary from the kindly race of men’.
Tithonus like all mortals, began to age. Aurora noticed the wrinkles upon his brow, and as the
years passed, his muscles began to grow weak. His arms and legs grew narrow. His hair grew
gray and thin. Tithonus tells Aurora that she would be better off somewhere else. However,
questions of selfishness do creep into this. He is still thinking of himself and he is not prepared to

2. except the consequences of his extensive requests. He is looking for the quick way out, without
considering the feelings that might arise in others. Ulysses on the other hand is completely
selfish towards everyone. At home he has a devoted wife and a son, yet all he years for is a
daring life at sea. He does not reflect on the past and all the things his wife has done for him.
Ulysses ignores his all kind of domestic responsibilities.
In the end of this discussion we can say that, Tithonus simply wants to die and rest eternally. On
the other hand, Ulysses wants the reverse. He wishes to cast off mortality and death and to
continue to travel. He makes it clear he feels it is never too late to stop broadening oneself: 'the
long day wanes'. However, it becomes apparent he doesn't know exactly what he wants to do:
'to strive, to seek, to find and not to yield'; he simply wants to abandon responsibility and
experience excitement and adventure before his death. Both of these poems are similar
characteristics in terms of both structures. However, Ulysses, exhibits the desire to abandon all
that makes him normal, he seeks fame, fortune, adulation and an escape from mortality and
responsibility. Tithonus seeks the antithesis to Ulysses; he wants to abandon all that make him
unconventional. His lack of human contact and above all, his immortality.