# Calypso explained — Ulysses

> Chapter companion for Ulysses by James Joyce.

## What happens

Leopold Bloom begins his day, preparing breakfast for his wife Molly, reading a letter from their daughter Milly, and reflecting on themes of mortality, reincarnation, and the mundane details of daily life. He visits the butcher, buys a kidney, and contemplates his own existence and the world around him.

## Themes in this chapter

### Mortality and Grief

Bloom's thoughts on Paddy Dignam's funeral, the tolling bells, and reflections on the soul after death underscore the theme of mortality.

### The Ordinary and the Epic

Bloom's mundane morning routine—preparing breakfast, buying a kidney—is juxtaposed with profound musings on reincarnation and life after death.

### Identity and Selfhood

Bloom's contemplation of metempsychosis and past lives touches on the fluidity of identity and selfhood.

## Character check-ins

### Leopold Bloom

Bloom wakes, prepares breakfast, reads a letter from Milly, visits the butcher, and muses on metempsychosis and mortality.

### Molly Bloom

Molly is in bed, receives breakfast and the letter from Milly, and discusses reincarnation with Bloom.

### Milly Bloom

Milly's letter to her father is read, detailing her birthday, photography work, and a young student named Bannon.

## Key lines

> He tore away half the prize story sharply and wiped himself with it.

Bloom used a piece of a story from a prize competition as toilet paper.

_This moment highlights Bloom's practical, unglamorous morning routine._

> Metempsychosis, he said, is what the ancient Greeks called it. They used to believe you could be changed into an animal or a tree, for instance.

Bloom explains to Molly that the ancient Greeks believed in metempsychosis, the transmigration of souls into other forms.

_This introduces the theme of reincarnation and Bloom's intellectual curiosity._

> Dearest Papli, Thanks ever so much for the lovely birthday present. It suits me splendid.

Milly writes to her father, thanking him for her birthday gift and describing her new tam.

_The letter reveals Milly's affectionate relationship with Bloom and her life away from home._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/ulysses_se/chapters/iv
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/ulysses_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/ulysses_se/chapters