I cannot rest from travel;
I will drink Life to the lees.
These lines have been quoted from a famous dramatic monologue. "Ulysses", composed by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, the Poet Laureate of Victorian age. In these lines, Ulysses, the speaker suggests his earnest desire to enjoy life to the maximum limit. Here the poet suggests Victorian spirit.
After the battle of Troy. Ulysses returned home and passed sometime with his wife and son. But soon he got bored with it because of inaction. He was the king of Ithaca. He found charm in ruling his uncivilized people. His experience in the battle of Troy and his return journey to Ithaca taught him the charm of adventures. For this reason, a calm and peaceful life was dull to him. He became old but his adventurous spirit was still young. In these lines, he says that he will explore all the pleasures of life. He will feed his youthful heart with all the pleasures and pains of life. In other words, he expresses the desire to enjoy life as much as possible. Ulysses' desire reflects the spirit of Tennyson's age. In the Victorian period, most of the people were ambitious. Geographical explorations, industrial development and thriving economy led them to look for unlimited power and pleasure. Thus, Ulysses' desire in these lines reflects the desire of the Victorian people.
