Ulysses
mit.edu
mit.edu
I very much identify with the poem’s depiction of the wear of time and it’s resistance by impervious optimism and dare (as said here by jandrewrogers) and I want to make it more part of myself.
I can recite about a third so far, from the start and the end. I started with the end because that’s what I first heard in Skyfall.
http://filmreadings.com/2015/12/23/skyfall/
"The authoritarian tendencies of the agency are also underlined by the film’s portrayal of MI6 as a monarchical structure, where M rules as the flesh-eating “king rat” from Silva’s parable. Through such small touches as her flag-draped coffins or the recurring tune of “God Save the Queen” which plays to her grim skull-visage, M is repeatedly surrounded by iconography suggestive of her role as a murderous Queen. The connection is also reinforced by her lengthy quote from Tennyson’s Ulysses midway through the film. For although the poem in question is often read as commenting on Bond or the aging 007 franchise, it is on a deeper level the interior monologue of an aging monarch, and serves both as a comment on M’s weakening grasp on power, as well as her outright rejection of the principle of democratic oversight:"
It uniquely captures a very particular spirit.
To whomever posted it: thank you for reminding me of an old friend.
Much shakspear in this.
Short but sweet.
This is my favorite poem.
I looked at the annotated one your shared, thanks but the annotations were distracting. Missed the emotion.
Good for analyzing, but i just wanted to enjoy it. Other people did too. So this link was the best ;p :) xx