The role of the myth in poetry

The role of the myth in poetry is to give the poem structural focus and thematic direction. Myth may be integrated into the poem to give it logic and pattern. A mythic structure creates a framework in which the character, mood, or imagery may be established quickly. More than any other form of communication, poetry depends on the ability of the words, form, and structure to convey feelings. In conveying feelings, poetry deals with matters which concern the ordinary person. Communicating the essential and integral parts of the meaning of a poem to the reader is easier when a familiar pattern, such as a myth, provides the framework or background.

Ulysses is a well-known mythical figure from Homer's Odyssey and Dante's Inferno. "Ulysses," written by Lord Alfred Tennyson, was published in 1842, following a 10-year hiatus, as part of a group of poems. In Tennyson's "Ulysses," the structure and historical background provided by the myth established the attitude and imagery of his poem. "Ulysses" is a dramatic soliloquy. Within this work, the soliloquy is a powerful poetic form. Also, the thoughts expressed by Tennyson's Ulysses are consistent with the thoughts and feelings ascribed to the mythical hero described by Homer. The reader is not surprised that Ulysses is restless and seeking one final voyage.

In "Ulysses," Tennyson treats the monologue as part of the continuing story implied by the original myth. Using the mythical monologue, Tennyson is able to de

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restlessness is easy now. In Homer's version of the original myth, conflict was direct and adversarial. Ulysses was a strong and resourceful leader. He and his men either fought or resisted temptation in a number of exciting situations. In contrast to the myth, the life of Tennyson's "Ulysses" is boring, unexciting, and without challenge. He believes that his people do not know him. He is just a name and a title to them. The wife he fought to keep in the original myth, he now finds old. This Ulysses is complex and full of conflicts. In these contradictions, the poem introduces an expanded Ulysses. His personal feelings urge him to action; his restlessness cannot be contained. Ulysses is a man well past his prime in this work. He is planning to set sail and seek a new adventure as if he were still a young man with his life before him. The imagery of "this gray spirit yearning in desire/To follow knowledge like a sinking star," (1068) is noble, but also sad. The original myth did not provide much detail on Ulysses' son, Telemachus. In this relationship between Ulysses and his son, Tennyson has reversed the personalities one might expect of father and son. The old man rather than the young one is restless an

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