The Function of Character in Poetry

In the last unit, we learned that characters are essential in short fiction; in this lesson, we will learn that characters also function in poetry. We learned that characters reveal their perspectives and biases through the words they use, the details they provide in the text, the organization of their thinking, the decisions they make, and the actions they take. These principles about characters and characterization can apply to poetry as well.

Image note: the image to the right is a painting by J.M.W. Turner called Ulysses Deriding Polyphemus. It was painted in 1829.

Characters and Characterization

As you read poetry, you can use the same skills that you have developed with Short Fiction to understand characters. Remember that characters are developed by the following:

What the author directly says about the character
How the character speaks and acts
How other characters interact with the character

As you read poetry, ask yourself what this person is like. As always, look for complexity or multiple personality traits and layers.

Alfred Lord Tennyson's "Ulysses" - Character Analysis

The following exercise is to work toward a better understanding of characterization in poetry. Read the following excerpt from Alfred Lord Tennyson’s “Ulysses.” As you read consider what kind of man the speaker is.

There lies the port; the vessel puffs her sail:
There gloom the dark, broad seas. My mariners,
Souls that have toil'd, and wrought, and thought with me—
That ever with a frolic welcome took
The thunder and the sunshine, and opposed
Free hearts, free foreheads—you and I are old;
Old age hath yet his honour and his toil;
Death closes all: but something ere the end,
Some work of noble note, may yet be done,
Not unbecoming men that strove with Gods.
The lights begin to twinkle from the rocks:
The long day wanes: the slow moon climbs: the deep
Moans round with many voices. Come, my friends,
'T is not too late to seek a newer world.
Push off, and sitting well in order smite
The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds
To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths
Of all the western stars, until I die.
It may be that the gulfs will wash us down:
It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles,
And see the great Achilles, whom we knew.
Tho' much is taken, much abides; and tho'
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

Alfred Lord Tennyson's "Ulysses" - Self-Check

Alfred Lord Tennyson's "Ulysses" - Formulating Questions

Once you have read and comprehended a text, one of the best ways to engage with literature is to formulate questions about the text. The following examples are ways to question the text to heighten your sense of engagement. After contemplating your own response to each question, select each one to reveal a sample answer.

What kind of individual is this man?

Consider “My Mariners”. This suggests that he is in some position of power or command as he sees the sailors as his.

Are there specific physical traits conveyed in his description?

Consider “you and I are old.” He directly states that he and the audience are older individuals - perhaps they are past their prime.

Are there specific psychological traits conveyed in his descriptions?

Consider “Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will/ To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.” These last two lines suggest that he is away and that he is past his prime; however, he still wants to have one last adventure and is meeting it with a sense of triumph.

How do these character traits relate and help convey overall meaning?

This poem can be seen as a call for one last adventure; perhaps something like individuals can meet old age heroically, or that we don’t have to resign ourselves mentally to being old.

Final Reflection

With poetry, you can start with terms that you are familiar with from short fiction, especially characterization and speaker. However, poetry is also different from prose and these aspects will form the basis of the subsequent lessons in this unit.

[CC BY-NC-SA 4.0] UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED | IMAGES: LICENSED AND USED ACCORDING TO TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION - INTENDED ONLY FOR USE WITHIN LESSON.