Home at last after the Trojan War, the aging king Ulysses refuses to sit still. Tennyson's dramatic monologue ends with one of the most quoted lines in English: "To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield." This free worksheet has the full poem with numbered lines, vocabulary, five discussion questions, a writing prompt and an answer key. No signup needed.
Grades 10–12 · Common Core RL.11-12.4, RL.11-12.2, RL.11-12.5 · US Letter PDF, with an answer key on the last page
What’s on the worksheet
Written in 1833 after the death of his close friend Arthur Hallam and published in 1842, "Ulysses" is a 70-line dramatic monologue in blank verse (unrhymed iambic pentameter). The hero, Odysseus in Greek, speaks to his people and then to his old sailors.
Vocabulary
- mete and dole: measure out and hand out
- lees: the dregs at the bottom of a wine cup
- Hyades: a star cluster linked with rainy weather
- prudence: careful good sense
- Happy Isles: in Greek myth, the paradise of heroes
- abides: remains
- temper: character, makeup
Discussion questions
- How does Ulysses feel about his life as king in the opening lines? Quote a phrase that shows it.
- What does he mean by "I will drink / Life to the lees"?
- How does he describe his son Telemachus, and why do you think he is happy to leave the kingdom to him?
- Who is Ulysses speaking to in the final section, and what is he asking them to do?
- The poem ends "To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield." Is Ulysses brave, selfish, or both? Support your answer.
Writing prompt
Write a short dramatic monologue (12–16 lines) in the voice of someone at the end of a long career or adventure who refuses to stop. Address it to a specific listener.
The answer key is included in the PDF, on its own page for teachers.