Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- If you were at war for ten years, and then spent another ten years trying to get home, would you ever want to leave home again?
- If you were an adventurous person, would you feel guilty leaving behind your spouse and child? Does Ulysses?
- In Dante's Inferno (Canto XXVI), Ulysses is placed in Hell for eternity. Why does Dante think Ulysses deserves to be punished? Does Tennyson share Dante's opinion?
- Why can't Ulysses just relax? Why do he feel the need for more and more adventure? What would Dr. Phil say to Ulysses?
- Is Ulysses serious in this poem? Does he really plan to leave? Could this all be in his head, like in a movie when you find out that a whole series of events has just been a character's daydream?
- Was Ulysses was a real person? Did the Trojan War really happen?