What is the main idea of Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s Ulysses?

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Lithograph portrait of Alfred, Lord Tennyson with wavy hair, a full beard, and a serious expression, shown in three-quarter view wearing a dark coat. — Alfred, Lord Tennyson Portrait of Alfred, Lord Tennyson, lithograph published in *The Modern Portrait Gallery*, 1890.

The main idea of Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s Ulysses centers on the restless desire of an aging hero to abandon his mundane life in Ithaca to pursue one final, heroic adventure.1

Written as a dramatic monologue, the poem explores the tension between duty and the human drive for discovery. The narrative presents an ambiguous portrait of the title character: while he expresses a noble resolve "to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield," his decision to leave his kingdom and responsibilities behind can also be interpreted as an act of selfish abandonment.1

Tennyson composed this work following the death of his friend Arthur Henry Hallam, infusing the text with a complex, two-sided perspective on whether Ulysses is reclaiming his lost glory or embarking on a potentially futile and fatal journey.1