Telemachus has finally completed his death-defying, long-enduring expedition, and has returned to Ithaca. In Homer’s The Odyssey, the house of Eumaeus is the first place Telemachus approaches, once he arrives on shore. Two interpretations put forth by Robert Fitzgerald and Robert Fagles lead to different portrayals of Eumaeus. Fagles’ translation initially lays out the idea that Eumaeus is the father figure Telemachus never had for the first two decades of his life, whereas Fitzgerald’s sets the undertone to a Eumaeus that is an incredibly loyal and loving servant. However, there is an interesting twist, as we simultaneously see these initial ideas flip. Fitzgerald’s Eumaeus expresses his emotions in a more endearing manner—seeming evermore like the father, and Fagles’ Eumaeus becomes more distant, and turns his attention towards the suitors’ and Penelope—seeming evermore like a servant. This is explicitly seen throughout the passage as both translations use forms of imagery, syntax, enjambments/end-stopped lines, diction, and a few smaller devices intermittent throughout such as a polysyndeton and a metaphorical synecdoche to focus on the interaction between Eumaeus and Telemachus. Fitzgerald’s translation continuously leaves fingerprints of evidence throughout the epic that Eumaeus was vital to Telemachus’ upbringing, ultimately leading to a transformation of son into father; whereas Fagles indicates that Eumaeus had no part in the upbringing of Telemachus, giving us
Gorgeous women, vengeful gods, helpful gods, numerous riches, ugly monsters, and a hero with his crew. The Odyssey of Homer, translated by Allen Mandelbaum, tells of the hero Odysseus' journey home from Troy. At his home in Ithaca, Odysseus' estate and wife, Penelope, have being overtaken by suitors. Odysseus' son, Telemachus, begins a journey to discover news of his father. After being away from home for numerous years, Odysseus' main goal is to reach home and regain his wife and estate. Along the way Odysseus learns many lessons about life as he grows from an immature lout to a humble, mature man.
Telemachus, in the Odyssey by Homer, is a young man who has disregarded his responsibilities as a god and son. He is to take on the land that his father, Odysseus, left behind when he supposedly died after the journey back from the Trojan War. He learns later on that his father may not even be dead, and that he may be captured by the people of Calypso. Soon as he hears the news, Telemachus begins to recognize his obligation and then accepts the qualities it takes to become a hero that the people of Ithaca and other countries are looking for. He also learns about gaining respect from these countries takes treating others with admiration. Close to the end of Book IV, the audience sees a character who has taking initiative in his life, shifting towards maturity, and
The Odyssey is an epic poem written in 24 chapters, traditionally attributed to the ancient Greek poet Homer. It narrates the story of Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, who faces a ten-year-long struggle to return home after the Trojan War. Although many characters appear throughout the epic, Telemachus stands out as one of the most intriguing ones. In Book 1, Telemachus is depicted as feeling dejected and vulnerable due to his father's prolonged absence. The presence of unwanted guests in his home adds to his distress, making him too intimidated to confront them.
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 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 Odyssey, Homer shows the transition of Telemachus from a childish and a passive young man to a man worthy of being Odysseus’ son. Through the help of Athena, he learns different character traits and qualities such as bravery and cunning that helps him to mature into a man worth the title of a prince of Ithaca. Telemachus learns how to be authoritative, mature, display pious and exhibit humility. He is also influenced by the return of his father. Telemachus’ transition from a young man to a man worthy enough to be Odysseus’s son is shown as he acquires these traits.
Greek Gods are known for, helping and fighting others, but is that really true, and do we really know their stories? In the book “Theseus” by Bernard Evslin, Theseus is a young man that lives a boring life, until one day, a seagull told him that Poseidon was Theseus’s father, and he wanted to find him. Theseus overcomes various obstacles, he finally reaches Athen and finds his father king Aegeus. Later on Aegeus ask Theseus’s to go on an important journey. Meanwhile, another, epic poem is The Odyssey by Homer. After ten years of the Fall of Troy, Odysseus was disregarding to the gods, and the gods were flustered that they set Odysseus and his men off course to where the cyclops lived. But luckily, Odyssey trick the cyclops into being
The Odyssey is an epic poem written into twenty-four chapters, traditionally said to have been written by the ancient Greek poet Homer. The poem tells the story of Odysseus, King of Ithaca, who wanders for ten years trying to get home after the Trojan War. The epic is filled with a multitude of characters, but none quite so interesting as Telemachus. Although some readers may say Telemachus can be seen as cowardly, Telemachus can truly be seen to be courageous because he stands up to the suitors after years of being intimidated by them, He then goes on a dangerous mission to find out the news of his father, and he listens to Athena’s orders even though he felt nervous about it. Imagine not seeing your father for years
The Odyssey and The Penelopiad’s storyline are both based off the same social context as Homer recorded the epic poem during Homeric society (when he was alive) however when the story was composed the literary context is completely different in comparison to Atwood, as Atwood wrote her novella - The Penelopiad, in the 21’st century and homer recorded the epic poem during 8th C BCE. The difference between each time period meant there were societal differences which had different impacts on each of the stories literary context. The odyssey is a historical epic poem that was verbally told by bards around ancient Greece and recorded by homer in 8thC BCE, following the dark ages. During this time there was no real sense of freedom or self expression and people were not very opinionated.This was because during this time, Homeric society was overruled by patriarchal views and a hierarchy within their time, meaning some people were seen as much less than others. In contrast to Margaret Atwood where her fictional Novella the Penelopiad was crafted in 2005, during a modern society where freedom of speech was more or less accepted than in Homeric society. The Odyssey has a major influence on Margaret Atwood’s novella the Penelopiad, as she based her opinions and perspective off the facts and historical content from the Odyssey. The Penelopiad’s central theme consists of the double standards that occurred against the women within the Odyssey such as the maids and Penelope. Margaret
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.
It can start a war or end one. Give you the strength of heroes or leave you powerless. It can be snared with a glance but no force can compel it to stay. Love. It was the downfall of Troy and the triumph of Odysseus. The dual nature of love in Greek myth as both destruction and salvation may have led to Plato’s unique conceptualization of love. In The Symposium he speaks of two Aphrodites: Common and Heavenly. The first has domain over physical attachments and is considered vulgar. The second, being divine is concerned with the soul, not the body. It is a heavenly love, a love of the mind, the spirit. It is also exclusively for same-sex partners. Although Plato’s conception of love may not have been the prevailing notion of the time, it is
Thus far in The Odyssey, Homer has introduced several characters. The Gods discussed what they should do about Odysseus’ struggles as he attempts to get home to his wife and son. Athena then appears to Telemachus as Mentor, an old friend of Odysseus’. She convinces him that he should set sail in order to find out if his father is dead or alive and to take back control of his father’s kingdom from his mother, Penelope’s, suitors. Antinous, one of her suitors, then tells Telemachus of Penelope’s deception toward them. After hearing this, they exchanged more words, and then he set sail to find his father. He goes to see King Nester who remembers what it was like during the Trojan War and tells Telemachus to be strong and brave. The Gods met again and discussed Odysseus’ capture by Calypso. Zeus sent his son Hermes, the messenger of the Gods, to tell Calypso that she must release Odysseus. Calypso reacts vividly to this, stating that the gods are unfair in their treatment of gods and goddesses. Calypso then begins to speak to Odysseus. During this conversation in book 5, Homer reveals to us the importance of a person’s wit and the deception of others in order to help yourself, as well as the importance of one’s will power.
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
In the Odyssey Telemachus has varying relationships with his mother, Penelope, the suitors, and his nurse, Eurycleia; a mother and son but also head of household and subordinate member of the household, a young boy and superior men, and a son and mother but also a master and servant. In the poem, Telemachus must find out what became of his father, Odysseus, who never returned home from the Trojan war. Meanwhile suitors from various places try to force his mother, Penelope, into marriage while they deplete all of Odysseus’ resources and destroy his house. With all of these complicated situations, Telemachus must take on a variety of different roles depending on who he’s interacting with. Based on the text, Telemachus has superior, strained, and complex relationships with his mother, the suitors, and Eurycleia.
Andrei Konchalovsky did a great job making the epic poem, The Odyssey, into a movie. While it was good, there were some differences. There were some things that were only in the movie while some things that were only in the book. Other than a couple things, everything was spot-on, and a great visual tale that I would recommend to a friend. Just as long as they are not hardcore Odyssey fan, that always say “That wasn’t the book.”