Telemachus In Homer's Odyssey

Telemakhos is a reasonable person and he realizes that he is in no position for dominance, hence why he gives in to the suitors during the beginning of the book. However, as soon as Telemakhos gains the support of Athena and the balance of power in Ithaca is tipped, he initiates quite a bold move: calling an assembly in which he denounces the suitors in order to gain influence for himself. Clearly, Telemakhos only gave in to the suitors because the circumstance was not fit for dominance, and he shows himself to be quite assertive in the beginning of the book once the circumstance is in his favor. Odysseus, however, blinds a poor one-eyed man suffering from gigantism after the man caught Odysseus invading his property, and then proceeded to yell his name due to no other reason than his pride. Due to his pride, law enforcement was able to track down Odysseus using his information and he was imprisoned for a decade, showing himself to be an unreasonable person unfit to

Telemachus exhibits both mature and immature behaviors towards King Menelaus. For example, Telemachus exhibits mature behavior when he goes with Psististratus, without Athena, to visit Menelaus. Before this point, Telemachus has needed Athena’s guidance to behave properly. This is the first time Telemachus has done something independent of Athena. Although Telemachus is nervous to speak to Menelaus, he musters up enough courage to ask Menelaus about his father.

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’

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

  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.

(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

Homer’s The Odyssey tells the story of young Telemachus with the task of finding his father, Odysseus while also finding himself. As the hero of this journey, Telemachus develops into a noble, brave, and strong man, through complications inflicted by others’ mental endurance. By overcoming these obstacles Telemachus develops into the universally known stereotypical hero. However, the same cannot be said for the heroes of William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying and Lewis Carol’s Alice in Wonderland. At the end of their journeys, Jewel and Alice become different kinds of heroes; instead of becoming a stereotypical plucky adventurer, they each develop different traits to benefit themselves along their journey.

Telemachus is brave enough to do what he believes is right for him and his family them and do what he believes is right for himself and his family, although the odds are against him. Telemachus shows that he is determined to resist their demands when he tells the suitors, “I’ll stop at nothing to hurl destruction at your heads, whether I go to Pylos or sit right here at home” (2. 351-352). Telemachus’ warning to the suitors makes it clear that he will stop at nothing to force them out of his home. His determination shows his courage and bravery, two traits which are continually illustrated throughout the epic

The epic poem The Odyssey is an intriguing story about a determined and witty man Odysseus who is on a journey back home to his island Ithaca to his wife and son, who he has not seen for twenty miserable years. There are a few detrimental characters in this tale, and Telemachus is one of them. This prince goes on his own journey of becoming a man. He transitions from a doubting, push-over, child-like being, to a fighting, independent-thinking man. But why was Telemachus not always this strong beast of a Man before his father’s arrival?

In The Odyssey, the reader is easily able to distinguish that Odysseus is a hero in the story. He is a god-like figure. Odysseus’s wife, Penelope, is a hero and seen by many readers as such especially females. Both possess characteristics of heroes and they deserve to be considered such but that does not mean that they are the true hero of the story. Their son Telemachus is the true hero in The Odyssey. The reader should be able to identify with him the most and realize everything that has happened in his life and he deals with it with extreme heroism. He handles the situation in his life the way every human being should.

Telemachus was the son of Odysseus, mighty king of Ithaca and hero of Athena. Telemachus was a mere infant when Odysseus set sail for Troy where he helped to conquer the Trojans and retrieve Menelaus’ wife Helen. Despite emerging victorious from the Trojan war, Odysseus hadn't succeeded in returning home to Ithaca, and so twenty-one years after his departure for Troy, his family and kingdom believed him to be dead. Telemachus had lived his entire life without his father and as the Odyssey begins, although twenty-one years of age, Telemachus seems to be a child and not a powerful young man. Telemachus was first portrayed as a somber young lad who's heart was stricken with grief for the loss of his father. He was daydreaming and keeping to himself

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.

Telemachus’ maturing nature reaches life in various ways, one being xenia (hospitality). The first book describes Telemachus’ first meeting with Athena in disguise as Mentor.  He automatically treats her well and invites her in to feast, not knowing who she even is. Telemachus is already bothered by the suitors and Mentor adds to that fire. She says, “The way this rowdy crowd is carrying on all through the house. Any decent man would be outraged if he saw this behavior.” Here, Mentor is pointing towards Telemachus’ maturity, building his anger against the suitors.  She is trying to make it known to him that what the suitors are doing is culturally unacceptable and he cannot let it go on. After, Telemachus offers Mentor to bathe and relax before

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

Telemachus’s coming of age, however, is incomplete because he lacks the most important masculine influence: a father. He is unable to fully become a man without Odysseus present; he cannot kill the suitors on his own, and feels abandoned and weak without his father. He says of Odysseus, “He’s vanished, gone, and left me pain and sorrow...All of the nobles who rule the islands...are courting my mother and ruining our house. She refuses to make a marriage she hates but can’t stop it either” (Homer 8). The reason Telemachus’s life is so out of control is because his only parental figure is his mother, Penelope. The text portrays Penelope, untempered by the presence of a husband, as the cause of disorder in the home of Odysseus; she refuses to choose a husband, but is too weak to stop the suitors’ advances. A father figure, Odysseus, is needed to create order in young Telemachus’s life, because only a man can impose such order.