Analysis Of Homer 's ' The Odyssey '

The Odyssey is one of two epic poems written in the late eighth century BC by the Greek poet, Homer. It encompasses the lives of many characters, including: Athene, the goddess of wisdom, Penelope, wife to Odysseus, and Telemachus, the son of both Odysseus and Penelope. With these and many others comes one major, most important character, son to Laertes and King of Ithaca, Odysseus. In reading, The Odyssey portrays Odysseus to meet the many requirements of being an epic hero: strength, courage, intelligence, and loyalty.

Prince Telemachus of Ithaca was living in a world of greed and disrespect during his father's twenty-year hiatus. His father, King Odysseus, had set off to fight along with fellow Greeks in the Trojan War. After the war, all the Greeks who did not perish during the battles had made it back to their homelands, with the exception of Odysseus. During this time suitors had taken over Odysseus' palace and were courting his wife. It was time for Telemachus to take action against the crude suitors and become a mature adult. In "The Odyssey" by Homer, a young prince sets off to learn news about his father. At the same time Telemachus meets influential people who introduce him to a whole new world, which propels him to become a mature and

Three traits that Odysseus and Telemakhos share are clear-headedness, eloquence, and showing strong emotion. They are portrayed with these traits in the Odyssey, composed by Homer. Odysseus is a renowned military strategist, warrior, and the King of Ithaca. He was forced to go to war against Troy twenty years ago, and since then has traveled all over the Aegean trying to find a way back home. Meanwhile, his son, Telemakhos, has developed into a full-grown man from the mere infant he was when his father left for war. He has searched far and wide for news of his father, still hoping, along with his mother, Penelope, that Odysseus is still alive somewhere and somehow, even though most have assumed he is dead. Through his ventures, Telemakhos

  The Odyssey was a great book in which many characters were brought out and developed.  The most significant development that occured in the epic was the development of Telemachus.  Telemachus is a very complex character that Homer develops from beginning to end.  From the beginning when is a mere shadow of his father to near the end in which he is considered just as courageous.  Many factors influence Telemachus as he matures into a man.

In the Epic, “The Odyssey", spoken by Homer, conveys a heroic tale of an epic hero named, Odysseus, who faces many challenges as he sails to get home. One of the tasks Odysseus faces is, "The Sirens", who challenge Odysseus 's will power. Another challenge Odysseus encounters is, “The Cyclops", who torments and slaughters some of Odysseus 's men due to his curiosity. One of the hardest threats he had to confront was, “The Land of Dead" which tested his self-restraint, and revealed his human weaknesses of sorrow. The Epic Hero, Odysseus, struggles with many challenges such as, the taunting Sirens, the brutish and cruel Cyclops, and one of the arduous territories Odysseus has ever crossed, The Land of the Dead.

In the beginning of The Odyssey, Telemachus is not yet a man and not sure of himself yet. Embarking on a mission to find his father, he matures from a child to a strong, single-minded adult. Throughout the poem, Telemachus finds his place in the world and becomes a more well-rounded person. Although Telemachus never quite matches his father Odysseus in terms of wit, strength, agility, his resilience does develop throughout the text. In the epic, The Odyssey, by Homer, the young boy Telemachus changes from an insecure teen into a confident and poised young man as he travels the seas in search for his father, whose bravery and intelligence proves to be comparable to his own.

In the first four books of novel, The Odyssey, translated by Robert Fagles, Homer depicts the change in character in Telemachus. At the beginning, Telemachus was this helpless, weak, ignorant boy, who is supposed to be the prince of Ithaca and the son of the great Odysseus, however, Telemachus is rather “sitting among the suitors”. Homer’s word choice of “among”, stands out, as it makes Telemachus appear weak and not partaking because as a prince, he should be having control over his father’s palace, yet Telemachus isn’t able to act like a prince nor does he live to the high standards and expectations of one. Homer ends the sentence with “heart obsessed with grief”, the word “obsessed” has a negative connotation, which portrays Telemachus’

The Hero’s Journey is never an easy one. This particular journey, as detailed in Homer’s The Odyssey, is one of struggle, loss, heartache, pain, growth and triumph. It is comprised of many steps that Odysseus has to overcome and battle through in order to achieve his final goal of reaching his home and his loved ones. From the Call to Adventure to the Freedom or Gift of living, Odysseus conquered them all. The story begins in the middle of the story, as many of the oral Greek traditions did, with the Journey of Telemachus to find his father. Although Telemachus has not yet met his father, it is almost as if they are journeying together, where the end of both of their journeys results in being reunited. Telemachus journeys from being a

The epic, The Odyssey by Homer begins in medias res, meaning in the midst of things, creating a sense of urgency. The scene that is set in the first several books is quite chaotic; Odysseus has not returned to his estate since the end of the Trojan War and since then suitors have presented themselves to Odysseus’s wife, Penelope. Telemachus is essentially the main character in the first four books since the theme of the first books is his struggles to take control of the chaotic situation in his home. Telemachus has called an assembly to plea with the elder people of the community to drive the suitors out of the estate of his father. With the guidance of Athena and the chaotic scene that his home is in Telemachus is driven to mature into a strong young man that resembles his father.

Showing signs of masculinity while a male matures from a boy into a man is held to high regard. In the familial retrospect, it is the duty of a boy’s father to help him learn the ways of life and the ways of the house. A boy’s dad teaches him to fight, hunt, and earn respect, as they grow older. In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus has missed his son’s entire life to the point where his son, Telemachus, has no knowledge of Odysseus’ current existence. Telemachus believes his father is dead and has been raised by his mother and his nanny, which resulted in his soft, feminine-like behavior. The first few books in Homer’s Odyssey portray Telemachus’ character to be weak and powerless but through the journey to find his father, he matures and develops into the man he thinks his father would be proud of. This quest to find Odysseus assists Telemachus in his coming of age as well as the education he

“You must not cling to your boyhood any longer- It’s time you were a man.” (I: 341-42). The Odyssey is not only a story of the great Odysseus, but also a story of a young boy who finally gets to take a journey to find his inner self. Everyone goes through a stage in life where they feel lost, however, what differentiates people are the people who make changes verses the people who blame others for there misfortunes. Telemachus, Odysseus’ son, is a young boy going through this problem. Since he never had the father figure in his life, he blames that for his failures of never growing up or taking power. “ He could almost see his magnificent father, here… in the mind’s eye- if only he might drop from the

Throughout the last few books of the Odyssey, Homer explains to the reader how Odysseus reestablishes his relationships with his family and friends of Ithaka. It’s possible the restoration of his relationship with his son, Telemachus, is the most significant event of all. This reconnection carries out three main purposes. First, it serves to characterize Telemachus' likeness to his father in the virtues of wisdom, humility, patience, and organization. Secondly, it enables Odysseus a chance to coach Telemachus on how to be a powerful ruler like he is. Lastly, Homer uses the reconnection to highlight the importance of a healthy family structure to a society. To be able to understand

The Odyssey has been and will, most likely, continue to be one of the most prevalent examples of a deep character conflict. In the case of the Odyssey, Homer is able to illustrate a vivid picture of two characters who are shown to go head to head with each other on several occasions due to not only their vastly different ideals, but also because of their contrasting strengths and weaknesses. The first of these characters is Prince Telemachus, son of Odysseus, and a protagonist of the story. Throughout the Odyssey it becomes clear that Telemachus possesses a strong moral fiber along with a large dose of stubbornness. Along with those two distinguishable character traits, Telemachus’s also showcases his unwavering loyalty to his father in the

The Odyssey is a remarkable piece of the ancient writing that provides a great insight into numerous matters in regard to the past as well as to the present. This poem is greatly appreciated for being a rich source of knowledge about the ancient Greek mundane life: the customs, the hierarchy, the polytheistic religious traditions and rituals. Nevertheless, it would be a great mistake to underestimate the Odyssey in respect to the study of the worldview of the ancient people: the Western literary and art traditions of nowadays borrowed and adjusted indeed a lot from the ancient Greek thought and beliefs about life. Considering those two main aspects of the study of the Odyssey, it would be fruitful to explore and to compare the two major journeys depicted in the epic poem – the one of the principal hero Odysseus and the one of his son, Telemachus. These journeys are of great importance both in regard to the composition of the poem as well as in regard to the metaphorical meaning represented by them.

Homer’s first four books of the epic poem The Odyssey, translated by Robert Fagles, introduces a seemingly weak boy struggling with his identity, who goes on a journey to find his missing father. During his 20 year absence, the legendary Greek king of Ithaca, Odysseus, is absent in parenting his son Telemachus. The young prince is deeply affected by his fatherless upbringing, and thus suitors take advantage of Odysseus’s absence, infesting Odysseus’ home, eating away his legacy, all while attempting to steal away his wife, Penelope. Telemachus fails to act upon his authoritative responsibilities on his father's behalf. Telemachus was never raised with the proper skills to become a leader, leaving him helpless in the face of danger of his kingdom.