Development Of Telemachus In The Odyssey

Odysseus’ and Telemachus’ journeys or nostos were both very similar and different. They parallel each other in some ways but they are also completely different at other times. Telemachus starts as a younger, less mature boy, and without the presence of his father during his childhood, he becomes a timid, shy and spineless boy who is greatly pampered by his mother. He has even more to achieve, being the son of a world-famous father, and this is a very difficult reputation to live up to. His journey, and after that the killing of the suitors who took advantage of him really show how his journeys and problems throughout the book mature him from being a shy, timid boy into a mature man. Odysseus’ journey also taught him about many things

This shows how Telemachus understands the suitors are trying to provoke them and he is protecting his friend from increasing the stakes of a meaningless conversation. Telemachus shows he is a loyal friend by not letting Eumaeus get in a fight with someone who will just die in the future. This next quote takes place during the rampage of Odysseus as he kills all the suitors. As Odysseus is stuck in his senseless rage, he almost kills a herald. Telemachus stands in front of them and stops Odysseus by saying “He’s innocent, don’t kill him”.

Telemachus sees his father as a

      During the book it seems that even a goddess, such as Athene, does not know what to do with somebody as incompetent, and inexperienced as Telemachus.  Athene toys with some ideas and then finally decides to get Telemachus to go to Sparta.  Perhaps it is this journey that finally gives Telemachus a chance to mature and see the world.  Through this journey, Telemachus' first, he sees many new sights and encounters new situations. He is humbled when he sees the palace of Menelaos and his most beautiful

He simply wants the man who is supposed to be one of the shaping forces in his life to come back and be that shaping force. As Telemachus grows up without his father, he was forced to deal quite often with the suitors, whom he dislikes. This irritation, coupled with the longing for his father, is a very large part of how Telemachus is shaped into the man he becomes. Furthermore, Minerva happens to be a person that shapes Telemachus quite a bit, as she is the person who encourages and directs

Throughout the course of Homer’s epic The Odyssey, Odysseus and his son Telémakhos both share a passion for each other and courage, yet also differ in that Odysseus has a seemingly higher intellect and is not as careless as his child. The term “Like father, like son” paints an accurate portrayal of the relationship between Odysseus and Telémakhos. The devotion they have for glory and their family is shown constantly. They also share a distain for the suitors that have invaded their home. However, Telémakhos lacks his father’s wit and cunning and is prone to mistakes, showing that he is yet to develop fully as an adult. Their relationship is still a very strong one though, because as soon as Telémakhos realizes the beggar’s true identity,

Leaving Telemachus to grow up without a father. In book 16 it says, “Think of a man who’s dear and only son, born to him in exile, reared with labor, has lived ten years abroad and now returns; How would that man embrace his son!” (Homer, 16, 19-22). Odysseus left Telemachus without a father for many years while he was at sea. Which would probably cause tension and doubtfulness in Telemachus when his father return. Due to the fact his has been gone for so many years. Another example of the father-son conflict is when Odysseus confronts Telemachus after Athena changes his clothes, “‘No god. Why take me for a god? No, no. I am that father whom your boyhood lacked and suffered pain for lack of. I am he.’ Held back for too long, the tears an down his cheeks as he embraced his son... ‘You cannot be my father Odysseus...’” (Homer, 16, 77-84). Because Telemachus has never really been with his father because he has been gone for so many years, it would make sense that he has doubts wether this man that just showed up is his father. Why should Telemachus beleive this man that just showed up and claimed to be his father? After all the men that have tried to be with Penelope in Odysseus’ absence he has the common sense to think that maybe someone is playing a cruel trick on him to be with Penelope.

This statement is very telling as it defines not only the appearance of the great Odysseus, but also the son he left behind. Furthermore, it begins to develop a timeline of actions by announcing that Odysseus left home when Telemachus was only a baby. Nestor recognizes that Odysseus ' appearance, vivacity, and personality are apparent in his progeny, Telemachus. This is encouraging to Telemachus as he hears that he resembles the great king Odysseus. As Telemachus presses for news of what has become of his father, Telemachus learns that his father may yet be alive and held captive by a goddess-nymph named Calypso. He then glorifies the strong will of Orestes and encourages Telemachus to do the same: "And you, my friend - / how tall and handsome I see you now - be brave, you too, / so men to come will sing your praises down the years." (3, 226 - 227).

Athena states, “But you, I urge you, think how to drive these suitors from your halls. Come now, listen closely. Take my words to heart. At daybreak summon the island’s lords to full assembly, give your orders to all and call the gods to witness: tell the suitors to scatter, each to his own place” (Line312-316). Of course, Telemachus takes Athena’s advice, and this truly shows him making big time plans. Only a man can make such tremendous plans, and try to rid his home of the over bearing suitors. Also, he actually impresses the leaders of Ithaca, and this shows confidence. Confidence is present in a man that knows he can be successful no matter the size of the obstacles ahead of him. Telemachus had to appear as a man, even grab the attention of the leaders. Although, this first meeting was unsuccessful, this marked the first sign of Telemachus becoming a man, and a strong potential king of

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

Telemachus shows signs of confidence, he is becoming more independent. Telemachus says to the suitors, “ctesippus, you can thank your lucky stars my sharp in your bowels-you father would have been busy with your funels not your wedding here!” Telemachus is standing up for Penelope, The suitors want to marry her. Telemachus threatening them says he wouldn’t mind killing them. Even though it’s a odd number of suitors and then its just Telemachus, he is manning up to the suitors and gaining more strength to fight back.

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.

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.

When Telemachus sees this, he tells his mother that the bards are here for entertainment not to dishearten anyone. He then sends his mother off to her room so he could address the crude suitors. After these two events the suitors were in awe that Telemachus had the poise to stand in front of them and tell them to leave. The suitors did not think much of his actions and went back to dancing and singing.