My husband claims that he yearns to travel the world again as he used to in the past, but he is elderly. I do not think that he will ever return from battle alive if he goes back. He thinks that the people of Ithaca are a savage race, stupid and uncivilized (Kiernan 131). But is it not Ulysses who is ridiculous, for how can a man of his age conquer the worlds? He thinks that our people’s hoarding culture is uncalled for; he doesn’t realize that this is how we prepare ourselves for future uncertainties. He is our king; if he sees us uncivilized, he should show us the new ways and lead us into civilization. He ought to lead us to become wise people instead of looking down on us.
My husband thinks that our people ought to know him, but why should we honor a leader that left us for years. A leader who does not take pleasure in ruling us and only thinks of going to foreign lands. Ulysses might be famous in the rest of the world, but our people will never see him in this light because he neglects us and demeans us (Kiernan 131). I am old, and my time is almost up; he should stay here and let us grow older together. My husband speaks of how idle he is because he only doles out rewards and judgment to his people, but this is his responsibility as our king. Maintaining law and order is his responsibility to our people.
My husband believes that his life is pointless without adventure. He would rather spend his last days out in unknown lands rather than at my side. Ulysses claims that he has become famous through his travels (Kiernan 131). He should be content with the fame that he has acquired in his earlier life rather than seeking adventure now considering he lacks the strength to fight. The fame he seeks is not worth abandoning the people of Ithaca. My husband found joy in battle alongside his fellow warriors in the Trojan War, but now he is weak. He does not have the strength to fight in any other war; unless death he seeks. At this rate, he will never rule our people well as every experience in his travels has given him even more desire to travel; all he thinks about is travel.
My husband, Ulysses, is confident in the ability of my son Telemachus to rule our people. It is apparent that my son is hardworking, dedicated to his work, and devoted to the gods. Therefore, he will make a great successor for my husband because of his apt abilities (Kiernan 131). However, my son’s abilities do not mean that Ulysses should desert us again, searching for adventure. My husband should rule his people until the gods decide to take him away from us. Only then should he leave this responsibility to our son.
Ulysses is seeking out his former crew to go back to travel to achieve something noble. What can be more dignified than taking care of his people and his family? He seeks to neglect my son and me once again. He and his crew are all elderly meaning they cannot travel the world at their age because exploring the world requires a lot more than a strong will (Kiernan 131). He wants to seek a newer world; where does this leave us? He wants to desert me for an adventure once again.
Work Cited
Kiernan, Victor. “Tennyson, King Arthur, and Imperialism.” Culture, Ideology, and Politics: Essays for Eric Hobsbawm (2016): 126-148.