A Poem by Samuel Daniel (1562?-1619) A Study Guide | ||||||||||||||
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Study Guide Prepared by Michael J. Cummings..© 2011 Type of Work and Date of Publication ......."Ulysses and the Siren" is a poem that presents a dialogue between the title characters. One may categorize the work as a dramatic poem in that it resembles a scene in a stage drama. G. Eld printed the poem in London in 1605 for publisher Simon Waterson as part of Certaine Small Poems Lately Printed: With the Tragedie of Philotas. Background on Ulysses (Odysseus) and the Sirens .......Ulysses
was the name used by the ancient Romans, as well as by many writers of
later times, to refer to the Greek hero Odysseus. Readers of The
Illiad and The Odyssey
will remember that it was Odysseus who designed the gigantic wooden horse
that brought about the fall of Troy and the end of the Trojan War. While
sailing home to Greece as a conquering hero, Odysseus and his men encountered
many perils at sea, including the sirens.
Oh cease thy course, and listen to our lay!.......When Odysseus struggled to free himself, his men further secured him to the mast. Later, after the island was far behind them, the men released Odysseus and unplugged their ears. .......In another myth, the sirens attempted to lure the crew of the Argo—the ship carrying Jason and the Golden Fleece. But one crewman, the highly skilled musician Orpheus, played his lyre so beautifully that the others aboard listened to his music rather than the sirens' song. Consequently, the ship sailed on without incident. .......In the tales about the sirens, storytellers sometimes described them as part woman and part bird. However, writers interpreting the tales frequently depicted the sirens as mermaids or young women. Samuel Daniel presents them as seductive sea nymphs. ....... According to one myth, the sirens killed themselves because of their failure to attract Odysseus, as well as Orpheus, Jason, and the crew of the Argo. .......
A siren tries to persuade Ulysses to come to her island for a respite from
the dangers of the sea. Ulysses declines, saying he cannot win fame and
honor in leisure. He must keep to his course. The siren scorns honor, saying
it was conceived only as a barrier to achieving the real prize: peace and
contentment.
SIREN Come, worthy Greek! Ulysses,
come,
ULYSSES Fair nymph! if fame or honor
were
SIREN Ulysses, O be not deceiv'd
ULYSSES Delicious Nymph, suppose
there were
SIREN Then pleasure, likewise,
seems the shore
ULYSSES But natures of the noblest
frame
SIREN That doth Opinion only cause,
ULYSSES But yet the state of things
require
SIREN Well, well, Ulysses, then
I see
1...report:
fame.
End Rhyme .......The rhyme scheme of the poem is ababcdcd, as the first stanza demonstrates. Come, worthy Greek! Ulysses, come, .......The poem also contains internal rhyme, as in the following lines. And here we may be free! (line 4)Verse Format The verse format alternates between iambic tetrameter and iambic trimeter, as the first four lines demonstrate. ........1......................2...............3...............4 Quest for Fame and Honor .......In Daniel's poem, Ulysses' desire for fame and honor—twin prizes of great adventurers—is so strong that he is able to withstand the lure of the siren's song. Temptation .......Temptation is ever present in life to entice people away from their tasks and goals. For example, temptation may appear in the form of a drug that, like the siren, promises pleasure and happiness but actually leads only to ruin. Alliteration The winds and seas are troublesome (line 3)Metaphor Then pleasure, likewise, seems the shoreParadox Then pleasure, likewise, seems the shorePersonification manliness would scorn to wear (line 27) Study Questions and Essay Topics 1...Write
an essay that explains who Ulysses (Greek: Odysseus) was. Be sure to include
references to The Iliad and The
Odyssey.
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