This shows how courageous and fearless he is. It also shows he does not fear death and takes pleasure fighting in battles. All his experiences have led to him having a huge impact on the people. He ha given the impression that he is a very brave, fearless and a well educated person, "I am a part of al that I have met". This again shows that he has a very high reputation.
He does not want to waste his time doing nothing, he does not want to be left to decay, "How dull it is to pause, to make an end, to rust unburnished, not to shine in use!" He thinks the life he has isn't good enough for him and that he is getting old. He needs more excitement. Yet he still believes that he can be saved by not even letting an hour got to waist, "We are too little, and of one to me little remains; but every hour is saved from that eternal silence.
Ulysses has a son called Telemachus, who Ulysses is planning on leaving his palace to. Ulysses gives the impression that Telemachus is a gentle, calm and careful person. Ulysses thinks that he can leave his throne to Telemachus, but he thinks that he is not as strong to become a King, "This labour, by slow prudence to make mild a rugged people, and through soft degrees subdue them to the useful and the good." Telemachus is the complete opposite to Ulysses. Telemachus likes to attend Ulysses boring duties of the government while Ulysses makes up excuses to try and escape from his responsibilities and go on his adventures instead. Now that he is going on his adventure he thinks that something noble can be done before he dies. He wants to go down in history for doing something so great that people will remember him for a long time. He only cares about his reputation, "Death closes all: but something ere the end, some work of noble note, may yet be done". He is so obsessed with his adventures that he wants to die while sailing, "sail beyond the sunset, and the baths of all the western stars, until I die".
