Dramatic Monologues

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Dramatic Monologues
Introduction
A dramatic monologue is a poetry written in the form of a speech of an individual character. A dramatic monologue has the following features: First it comprises of a single person who is not necessarily the poet. The person gives the speech that summarises the whole poem in a particular situation at a critical moment. Second the person addresses and gets to interact with one or more other people. However, we are familiar with the present auditors and their input in the poem through the clues in the revelation of the single speaker (Samyuktha, 1). Third the key principle in charge of the poet's choice and formulation of what the lyric speaker says is to reveal the reader. Revelation is done to enhance the poet’s interest, the speaker’s character and temperament.
Tennyson’s "Ulysses Dramatic monologue
Tennyson just like Robert Browning is an expert in composing dramatic monologues. His well-known piece of work on poetry Ulysses is a perfect example of dramatic monologue in which he chooses a classical hero Ulysses as the main character for his work. Here he focuses on the adventurous and knowledge seeking attitude of Ulysses (Samyuktha, 2). But the philosophy of life given through the mouth of Ulysses is Tennyson's Philosophy. Of all the monologues I have come across Tennyson's "Ulysses is the most psychologically credible and most troubling monologue compared to others such as Browning's "My last Duchess" and Eliot's "Prufrock", or authentic. Ulysses poem was written by Tennyson in 1833 and later published in 1842 and is well known for illustrating the dramatic monologue form.
Struggling with old age, Ulysses the mythical hero explains how he is discontented and restless on embarking to his kingdom, Ithaca after travelling for long. Even after reuniting with his son Telemachus and his dear wife Penelope, Ulysses has the desire to continue with exploration life (Samyuktha, 3). That clearly describes how he is psychologically troubled; many would expect him to be relaxed and enjoy staying with his family but he acts the opposite.
The speaker’s language is forceful to express Ulysses conflicting moods in search for continuity between the past and the future. There exists a contrast between Ulysses sentiments from Ulysses’ words and the sounds expressing them. For example, the poem’s insistent iambic pentameter faces constant interruption from (metrical feet consisting of two long syllables), which reduces the pace of the poem movement (Samyuktha, 4). Furthermore, the reliability of Ulysses' sentiments is cast into doubt by the labouring language used.
Throughout the poem, Ulysses is expected to speak and express his thoughts and feelings to the silent listeners. He stands before the royal palace of Ithaca and speaks before the Mariners, who had been travelling with him during his long journey to Troy (Samyuktha, 4). His cynical remarks towards life mark the beginning of monologue in the poem.
It is of less benefit that an idle king
By this still hearth, among these barren crags,
That hoards and sleeps and feed and does not know me.
Ulysses, the courageous man, is uncontended with his life to a great extent that he does not want to live among his subjects, who have no idea concerning his heroic mould. That is very disturbing since a king under normal circumstances is expected to live with his subjects and help them deal with social issues in the society (Samyuktha, 4). The monologue raises a serious psychological concern on the role of a leader who cannot be reached by those he claims to lead. In any case, the king should be troubled about spending long days away from his people. The monologue reveals that leadership in not about having titles but rather the actions of a leader matter most. In the monologue, there is no difference between King Ulysses and an ordinary citizen since he is unable to discharge his responsibilities.
The monologue further reveals a responsible king should lead a united family to act as an example to the rest of the society. The community thrives on morally upright families raised based on strong family morals (Samyuktha, 5). However, Ulysses, the king, fails in acting as a role model by abandoning his family to explore the world. The irresponsible actions by Ulysses surprise not only his subjects but also his aged wife (Penelope) who cannot understand his heroic soul. His intention becomes apparent when he speaks out.
I cannot rest from travel, I will drink
Life to the lees.
Ulysses used the word ‘travel' to refer to the journey that he made with the purpose of rescuing Helen from Paris and the perilous journey after the destruction of Troy. The monologue reveals how Ulysses can sacrifice his time for other people at the expense of his family. He spends more time attending to issues affecting distant friends in the society and abandons those related to him by blood (Samyuktha, 5). The act would display Ulysses as a selfless man but psychologically it is disturbing how a man can lack commitment to his only family that would be there for him in case the world turns against him. The monologue raises the concern on whether Ulysses’ mind is in the right state or he has some psychological issues affecting him.
The speech also reveals how Ulysses declines to take rest and is determined to make a life of adventure to the very end. That is psychologically troubling because one is expected to take breaks in life and reflect his life journey to determine whether he is moving on the right track or not. The monologue, therefore, describes Ulysses as a senseless person who is not keen in measuring his levels of achievements in life (Samyuktha, 6). It is difficult for Ulysses to understand himself because he lacks the parameters he can use to gauge his capabilities. Ulysses is expected to use certain parameters to carry out a consistent assessment of his life so as to live a purposeful life.
Through the monologue, Ulysses compares life to a cup of wine. That describes how a man can drink till he has reached the sediment at the bottom. The speech is symbolic to show how Ulysses is keen on tasting all aspects of life without leaving anything behind. The statement brings out Ulysses as an idle person who lacks priorities in life. Generally in life one is expected to specialise in a particular area of interest and dwell in it. However, Ulysses seems not keen to obey such an important principle in life. By testing everything in life, the monologue describes Ulysses as a confused person who has nothing to offer ...