ipl-logo

Significance Of Kleos In The Odyssey

407 Words2 Pages

Kleos is a trait that can be passed on through generations. Laertes passed his Kleos down to his son, Odysseus, who in which proved his own Kleos by being a better warrior. Therefore, Odysseus’ son, Telemachus’ must in turn demonstrate that he is in fact Odysseus’ son, by proving the legacy will go on. Within The Odyssey, Books 1-4 represent the start of Telemachus’ legacy. It begins by the quest for his father, the Kleos, which in a sense is also the quest for his father’s Nostos. He is influenced by mentors throughout his journey to find his father: Athena, Nestor, and Menelaus. Athena inspires Telemachus to stand up to the suitors and to not let them take advantage of his home, as well as to find out more information on his father. She rather encourages him to do what is necessary for himself, to receive the Kleos, and what is necessary for his father, his return …show more content…

His first step of Kleos was being able to stand up to the council, although not completely successful, he makes a start. Although hospitality is highly regarded in this Greek culture, when Telemachus went to speak to Nestor and Menelaus, who are clearly great warriors and have higher stature than Telemachus, he was treated as equals with them, as he presented himself like a grown up, especially for being a 15 year old boy. This is where he begins to earn his Kleos as he reminds Nestor and Menelaus of his father, Odysseus. They recall the Kleos of Odysseus, which is where Telemachus is beginning to learn the meaning of the legacy of his father and the importance of earning Kleos for himself. Menelaus exclaimed, “That man [Odysseus] who performed a hundred feats of arm for me…why, I’d have settled a city in Argos for him…your father’s son you are – your words have

Show More
Related

  • The Heroic Qualities Of Telemakhus In Homer's Odyssey

    342 Words  | 2 Pages

    Telemakhus The Odyssey, written by Homer, tells the story of the adventures of Odysseus's journey. During his return, Odysseus encounters treacherous waters, horrifying beasts, and angry gods. The story also focuses on his family and friends that wait for his return back home in Ithaca. One character that shows the qualities of a hero is Odysseus's son, Telemakhus.

    Read More

  • Relationship Between Telemachus And Odysseus

    160 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Relationship between Telemachus and Odysseus his father is very different. First off, Telemachus has really never met his father but there is still some relation there. Telemachus longs to meet his father and have a relationship. It is very clear that Telemachus struggles to come to the fact that his father has been away for so long and questions at the beginning of the books if he will every come home. Once Telemachus is told by Athena in disguise that his father is still alive ( lines 220-228 in Fagles) he longs on a journey to try and find his dad to see if he is alive.

    Read More

  • What Is Telemachus Suffering In The Odyssey

    839 Words  | 4 Pages

    Basically, everyone has had a family they have had to worry about protecting them in some way as Telemachus. Times have changed, but basis of the story is still around over decades. People still have the responsibility to protect and take care of their family with or without a father. When Telemachus did finally return and his father returned they still protected their family and took revenge on the suitors by killing them all. This is an example of loyalty Odysseus and Telemachus had to their family.

    Read More

  • Character Analysis Of Telémakhos In Homer's Odyssey

    1318 Words  | 6 Pages

    Before Athena appearing as a Mentor, Homer shows Telémakhos as a shy boy who is having difficulties to live up to his father’s legendary reputation. He is shown as detached, lost and confused. Rather than taking an action, Telémakhos kept on complaining about the suitors’ manipulation of Xenia. In order to reach manhood, Athena calls him to action through making him undergo a journey. This journey, through Homer’s words, is not only meant to pave the way for him to mature by the time Odysseus is back, but also to save him from the suitor’s plot to kill him.

    Read More

  • Fatherly Influences In Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey

    1203 Words  | 5 Pages

    During Book II, Telemakhos straightens up and sets up a resolution to get rid of the suitors. He starts by telling the suitors his resolution to rid them from his house, as they are consuming his supplies and suiting his mother. One time, instead of shaking the hands of the suitors and going back with them, he refuses to shake it, symbolizing his objection to their influence. He begins by assuming a commanding attitude and acting as the true ruler of Odysseus’ home. He affirms his position in power like a prince although many suitors laugh and ignore him.

    Read More

  • Telemachus Character Analysis Essay

    1524 Words  | 7 Pages

    Telemachus Growing into a Strong Mature Man Samuel Ullman, an American businessman and poet, once said, “Maturity is the ability to think, speak, and act your feelings within the bounds of dignity.” Samuel’s words hold true in Homer 's The Odyssey. In this extraordinary poem, Telemachus, the Son of Penelope, queen of Ithaca, and Odysseus, king of Ithaca. While Odysseus is at war fighting, Telemachus losing fait about his father coming home. He soon starts to question that he could be dead or alive.

    Read More

  • Odysseus And Greed In Homer's The Odyssey

    1277 Words  | 6 Pages

    Odysseus’s son, Telemakhos discussed the problem of the suitors to Athena. The suitors believed Odysseus to be dead, and decided to try and marry Penelope so they can inherit Odysseus’s wealth and kingdom. Telemakhos realized the suitors intents and the nuisance they have become, when he converses with Athena. “‘... Ithaka’s young lords as

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay: The Odyssey

    1474 Words  | 6 Pages

    All through The Odyssey, the characters develop in a certain way that interchanges the outcome of the book. Odysseus is able to develop knowledge and wisdom to deal with his men during the battle and the suitors who were frustrating his wife. In addition, he came back home as a hero after the Trojan War. Telemachus developed into a mature man who could deal with any problem in his father’s absence. However, based on the story, it is evident that, Telemachus demonstrates a great change basing upon the times the characters were away from Ithaca.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Telemachus Speech In The Odyssey

    555 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the novel, The Odyssey translated by Robert Fitzgerald, Telemachus gives a speech to Ithaca. He argues to the suitors about disrespecting his father Odysseus’ home even though they think Odysseus is dead and will never come home. Courageously, from the heart, Telemachus goes up against the suitors to state control over the key social practices of marriage hospitality. Telemachus’ speech was effective because it showed pathos, logos, and ethos. Telemachus looks and acts the part of his father, astonishing those who presumably knew him as a boy.

    Read More

  • Telemachus Coming Of Age Analysis

    712 Words  | 3 Pages

    Athena disguises herself and reveals to Telemachus that his father is alive but tells him to sail in search of more information, “Do you hear me: As a goddess, yesterday/ you came to us, command me to sail/ across the shadowed sea, that I might learn/ about my long-gone father’s coming home” (32). Athena has Telemachus best interest at heart and by commanding him to find his father she played a big role in helping him shape himself and grow into the man he was destined to be. He takes Athenas’ advice and finally comes to the realization that he needs to stand up to the suitors, “Throughout all those years/ when I was still a boy, you suitors squandered/ the riches that were mine. But I am grown;/ and listening to the words of others, I/ can understand…” (33). Telemachus then sets off to find more information on his father and his possible whereabouts “I’ll come fetch what you’ve prepared.

    Read More

  • Athena Disguise In The Odyssey

    677 Words  | 3 Pages

    She instructs him to “sail in quest of news of your long-lost father.” (86). Using her disguise, Athena reaches Telemachus and offers him wisdom. Telemachus takes this advice to heart and sets out to find his father. By offering this information about Odysseus, Athena inspires Telemachus.

    Read More

  • Telemachus Journey To Maturity In Homer's Odyssey

    948 Words  | 4 Pages

    As Athena assists him, he listens attentively and becomes driven in his actions. Telemachus first visits King Nestor. The first stop did not give Telemachus the answer he was looking for, but being the new eager and strived person Telemachus has become, he continues his journey by going to see Menelaus. Telemachus insists Menelaus to be truthful and exclaims, “Spare me no part of kindness’ sake; be harsh; but put the scene before me as you saw it” (Homer IV. 351-352).

    Read More

  • Lessons Learned From The Telemachus In Homer's Odyssey

    402 Words  | 2 Pages

    There is an important lesson that Telemachus stands to learn from the Telemachy. That lesson would be the transition from boyhood, to manhood. The Telemachy helps provoke much thought on this particular lesson that Telemachus stands to learn throughout the journey of books 1 through 4 of The Odyssey of Homer. Beginning in book 1, Telemachus is unhappy about what is happening in his home. His mother, Penelope, is under force to become remarried due to the disappearance and/or death, of her husband, Odysseus.

    Read More

  • Father-Son Relationships In The Odyssey

    1701 Words  | 7 Pages

    Throughout all of human history, various pieces of literature usually reflect the nature of people and the current culture of the time it was written. A topic that was frequently written about in Greek Mythology were family dynamics and relationships between family members. More specifically, father-son relationships were an extremely prevalent topic in Greek Mythology. In particular, The Odyssey touched upon this topic greatly. The basic structure of father-son relationships have stayed the same like how the parent are supposed to take care of the children.

    Read More

  • How Are Telemachus And Orestes Alike

    1281 Words  | 6 Pages

    Orestes is, by the ideal standards of family, a devoted son to his father. He is extremely loyal to his father in many of the same ways that Telemachus is, such as speaking with reverence about his father by referring to some of his great deeds, such as his “sacrifice” and how he has “…paid [Zeus] great honor,” (Aeschylus, The Libation Bearers, 254). Both Telemachus and Orestes longed dearly for their fathers in their absence, and Orestes describes the, “great sorrow I feel for my father…” (Aeschylus, The Libation Bearers, 300). Orestes, most of all is a model son to his father, because he swears to take revenge on his father’s murderers.

    Read More

More about Significance Of Kleos In The Odyssey

Open Document