Character Analysis of Telemachus and The Odyssey by Homer Essay

(2) Another outcome of Athena’s encouragement is Telemachus’ development of eloquence. At first, he is tentative and inexperienced at using his loquaciousness on the suitors and Ithacans, but he soon becomes an expert orator when speaking to Menelaus. After Athena’s inspiration, Telemachus finally confronts the courters and complains about their insolence. He delivers a scolding speech, which prompts them to be “amazed that [he] can speak with so much daring” (1. 439). His loquaciousness surprises the suitors, as they have never heard him audaciously advocate for his beliefs. However, his complaints do not leave a lasting effect on the courters, as they immediately begin to “dance and s[ing]” (1. 480). Telemachus then becomes tentative, and eventually succumbs and does not reprimand them again. Thus, his hesitation and amateurism prohibits him from completely inducing them to leave. Moreover, he is unsuccessful in rousing the Ithacans to retaliate against the suitors. Telemachus attempts to make an inspiring speech to persuade the Ithacans to fight against the courters, but instead, he provokes “pity [to] seize [the Ithacans]” (2. 88). The response is the opposite of what the young prince desired, and this failure proves Telemachus is still a neophyte at utilizing his eloquence. At Menelaus’ house, Telemachus matures and becomes an effective and influential speaker. Menelaus offers three magnificent stallions to Telemachus, but he

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

Your topic of gaining courage is a fitting description for Telemachus, as he develops more confidence in his role in adulthood. Initially, Athena’s words set forth words of familial responsibility in lines 300-304 with, “Telemachus, you’ll lack neither courage nor sense from this day on, not if your father’s spirit courses through your veins-now there was a man, I’d say, in words and action both!” (Homer, trans. 1996). Athena’s advice and encouragement to him remind him that because of his birthright Telemachus is destined to take the reigns of courage and not to live in fear amongst his mother’s suitors, but to claim his authority in his home. You also brought up important points regarding how the suitors insulted and taunted him, which led to his decision to venture off and look for his father.

His name is Telemachus and he grew up as a young man, who could never overcome the shadow from his father, Odysseus, which is why he could never gain the respect of, or kick out, the suitors, “There’s nothing I can do about them!” (Homer 2.85). Such great expectations and ideas for his manhood that he could never become one. As he grew up, he was never able to mature because that meant getting ahead of his father. In turn, he had to change to become a man, and a great leader. The journey he went on was to save the man everyone had thought he was meant to be. In the public eye, this originally meant nothing. But, once his trip had ended, Telemachus had brought about a clear change to himself. He had matured, and become a man, by escaping the shadow and saving his

Prince Telemachus, from Homer’s The Odyssey, is not a weak character. Although he may seem like a bit of a vulnerable hero, the absence of his father plays a large role in that version of his character. The Trojan War had just ended, and Ithaca’s King, Odysseus is missing. His son Telemachus, who was just a baby when his father left for war, is now a young adult, with his father nowhere to be found.

"Be careful to leave your sons well instructed rather than rich, for the hopes of the instructed are better than the wealth of the ignorant." This quote, stated by Epictetus, is an ideal depiction of the importance of father-son relationships in Homer’s ancient Greek epic, The Odyssey. The protagonist of The Odyssey, Odysseus, fights among the other Greek heroes at Troy and struggles to return to his kingdom in Ithaca where his loyal wife, Penelope, and his loving son, Telemachus await. Telemachus is an infant when Odysseus leaves for Troy, leaving him alone with his concerned mother and her arrogant suitors. In father-son relationships, both fathers and sons provide and learn from each other while

For example, Telemachus’ speaking capabilities are very desirable and rare so they are well respected. Even King Menelaus of Sparta compliments Telemachus and says, “Not even an older man could speak and do as well. Your father’s son you are—your words have all his wisdom” (4.228-229). Menelaus saying this implies that being a diligent speaker with wisdom is something that Greek men aspire to achieve, though not many actually do achieve it. Also, Telemachus starts to handle situations more conscientiously and with more understanding so as to not offend anyone.

Children often have troubles with coming of age because they are unprepared for adult actions such as, making hard decisions and being independent. Telemachus is the Ithacan prince who longed for his father Odysseus’s return, hoping that it would stop the outrages that were being committed by the suitors of his mother during his absence. In the book, The Odyssey, Odysseus was viewed as a hero by most people in his community. He had a very close relationship with his son, Telemachus and wife Penelope. When Odysseus went on an adventure, his wife and son were being tormented by the suitors, causing Telemachus to come of age and protected his mother. To come of age is a person's transition from childhood to adulthood, it means you start making rational and logical decisions. To handle yourself in a tough situation. Telemachus partially comes of age because he doesn't let people feel sorry for him or make him feel like a child. However, throughout the beginning of the book, Telemachus was being youthful because when he heard that his father Odysseus has not returned, he was concerned

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

In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, Telemakhos goes from an immature young man to a more mature young man in just a few days. Early on in the story, Telemakhos does not show much maturity. After talking out against the suitors at the assembly, Telemakhos ends his tantrum in a way he shouldn’t: “And in hot anger he threw the staff to the ground,/ his eyes grown bright with tears” (I. 86-87). Telemakhos seems very immature by crying after trying to tell the suitors of their wrongdoings. Acting like a child a little kid will not help his case and will have the suitors treat him more like an immature child. After a few days and some travel, he finally shows more maturity. When Telemakhos first tells Nestor who he is, Nestor makes some observations

“Even so, you and your crew may still reach home, suffering all the way, if you only have the power to curb their wild desire and curb your own”. This was said by Tiresias. The odyssey is an epic poem in 24 books. It’s a poem about Odysseus, king of Ithaca who gets lost for more than 10 years where he is trying to return to Ithaca after the Trojan war. There were a lot of people who played a important role in Odysseus returning back to Ithaca. Some of them helped Odysseus and some tried to stop him from going back to Ithaca. Three of them are Telemachus, Tiresias and Poseidon

Reasons I would feel compassion for Telemachus is because Telemachus had to teach himself loyalty. He had the perfect family until his father had left for the Trojan War. Leaving his mother, Penelope, to watch over him waiting for his father to return. After twenty years of never seeing his father hoping for his return, he had to be the man and step up. Soon later his mother had left him leaving him alone. Nestor agrees to help Telemachus in hope to finally find his

In Homer’s The Odyssey, Telemachus is characterized as sophisticated, both in speech and in physique. As Telemachus asks King Nestor for news concerning the whereabouts of his father, Telemachus’ voice [blew away] the king. He was thus swayed to state, “Your way with words – it’s just like [Odysseus’] – I’d swear no youngster could ever speak like you, so apt, so telling” (Homer 111). The fact that even the wise king Nestor was able to recognize the eloquent speech of Telemachus indirectly characterizes Telemachus as knowledgeable and refined. In addition, the connection of Telemachus’ fluency to Odysseus demonstrates the development of Telemachus’ character, which is further cultivated by the fearlessness that Telemachus exhibits when he breaks

The Odyssey is mainly about Odysseus and his hardships on his journey back home; however, the main character in the first four books is Telemachus, Odysseus’s son. Since the first four books are about Telemachus, they are called the Telemachy. During the Telemachy, Telemachus grows as a person and learns more about himself and his capabilities. With his motivation to find his father and with the assistance of Athena during his journey, Telemachus learns that he is not a child anymore, but an adult with responsibility and authority. Telemachus first shows the reader that he is not a child anymore with his actions when Athena visits him disguised as Lord Mentes.

I. SUMMARY The Odyssey began on introducing Odysseus, the foremost actor within this novel. In the first book, it occurred at the house of Odysseus. Penelopeia as the wife of Odysseus was having many vigorous suitors. They thought that Odysseus was dead.