Death closes all: but something ere the end,
Some work of noble note, may yet be done,
Not unbecoming men that strove with Gods.
Ulysses speaks these lines in Tennyson's famous dramatic monologue, "Ulysses". In these lines Ulysses inspires his old comrades to undertake a new adventure in search of new experience.
After twenty years of battle with men and gods, Ulysses returned to his own kingdom, Ithaca. He became old. His wife also became old. But the blissful family life failed to satisfy his adventurous spirit. Now he wants to set out for a new journey knowing well its hardship. He calls his old companions and encourages them in a new adventure. He argues that death is the end of life. So before their death they should make proper use of the time still left. He reminds them that, in the past, they fought not only with human beings but also with gods and goddesses. He refers to the Trojan War and the battles he had to fight against Poseidon and his allies on the sea on his way back. He says that the heroes who fought with man and super natural powers should not sit idle. They are fit for undertaking any difficult exploration. Here, through Ulysses, Tennyson encourages the Victorian people to know the unknown.
