Meadowlands is an extremely personal collection, detailing a marriage falling apart and the impending divorce. Louise Glück, however, puts in the perspectives of other characters such as Penelope, Odysseus and Telemachus (all characters from the Iliad or Odyssey. Telemachus’ addition, in particular, not only makes the reader consider more sides and views of the marriage but it also shows the other people generally effected by divorce, such as a child of two people getting a divorce. Telemachus’ role within the book is to be an outside perspective of this marriage, but a constantly changing one, as the character of Telemachus has clear growth and a character arc in a way that the narrator and other characters mentioned do not. When introduced …show more content…
(At this point in time Odysseus had returned.) “Compensations/for perceived/absences and omissions,” shows that Telemachus had grown to a point of not needing his father. This is evident not because there are compensation for absences and omissions (a clear reference to a missing father) but because they are “perceived;” the supposed absences and omission are only thought to exist but do not actually exist in a way that many would expect Telemachus to feel. “My mother/was the sort of woman/who let you know she was suffering and then/denied that suffering since in her view/suffering was what slaves did;” These five lines mark a very clear change in opinion of Penelope in the eyes of Telemachus. He used to smile when she wept (see “Telemachus’ Guilt”) but recognized her suffering and also that she didn’t want to show that she was suffering. He went from trying everything to get a reaction out of his mother in previous poems to trying to “console her,/to relieve her misery.” This marks a clear change in Telemachus’ character. In addition, he didn’t have the same negative reaction that he would have had in previous poems when she rejected him. He simply realized it was in her nature to not want to exhibit her suffering. In the poem he calls her a Stoic and a Stoic is someone who’s, according to Hellenistic philosophy of the Ancient Roman and Greek world, ethics are informed by logic and that happiness can be achieved by accepting what they had been given in life and by not allowing themselves to be controlled by their desires and fears. Essentially,
Telemachus and Penelope must take on many challenges with Odysseus gone, such as being a source of moral support for each other and taking on more tasks. With one less person in the family, there is one less shoulder to cry on and absence in moral support is definitely a great loss. Penelope and Telemachus must have a special bond to be able to get through the absence of Odysseus. They must always be there for each other for moral support. Though the man of the house back in Ancient Greece did not do much housework, there are many important jobs that Telemachus and Penelope must fill in for in Odysseus's absence.
When Odysseus was arriving home Athena sets out to Sparta to tell Telemachus about his father's arrival, as well as the awful plan the suitors were planing for him. When she arrived in Sparta she finds Telemachus talking with his friend which is the son of Nestor. Athena tells Telemachus that he must go back home because the suitors were trying to persuade his mother to marry one of them, but something she did not tell him was that his father was home. She also warns him about how the suitors were trying to ambush and kill him. She tells him to avoid going the regular path that he would normally go through because some suitors were “staying in the strait of Ithaca”, ready to attack him (114).
This shows how Telemachus is no longer hesitant to take charge of his own life and stand up for himself. Through his journey, Telemachus demonstrates how he overcomes obstacles and becomes the kind of leader his father would be proud of. In conclusion, although accomplishing goals can be difficult, Telemachus successfully fulfills this leads into another goal of hers that is becoming more independent. This is shown when Telemachus develops a sense of self-awareness and realizes his potential to mature and become more like his father. This is evident when he says, "Who has known, after all?
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.
When Telemakhos found out that his father was home, he was overjoyed. Odysseus had been gone for over a decade but that did not matter to Telemakhos. He was so happy that his father was home, so he didn’t care that he had been gone for so long. It reminded me of the story The Prodigal Son from the bible. He welcomed his father home so lovingly even when he hadn’t seen his father since he was a baby.
273-275). This shows Telemachus being weak, because he has lost all hope for his father and his return and he also holds belief that his father, Odysseus is dead. This proves that Telemachus is still a boy in the beginning because, he is showing weakness by giving up and believing that Odysseus is dead and will never return. Another example of Telemachus being weak in the beginning is that he continues to lose hope and doubt his father 's return to Ithaca. Telemachus says, “Eurymachus, clearly my father 's journey home is lost forever/
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
At the end of the story, it is evident that, the character of Telemachus is fully developed. He is no longer the young powerless and weak boy who his mother’s suitors took advantage of in his father’s absence. At the end of the text, he depicts a character with great change after leaving Ithaca and in his own odyssey; he was able to prove his worth. Telemachus is a character who undergoes constant transformation and development throughout The Odyssey. His expedition was an initiation into the heroic world of his father, and a voyage that managed to endow him with the familiarity and essential virtues needed to become a future monarch.
The main character during the first four books of the epic, is, contrary to the title of the epic, Telemachus instead of Odysseus. In fact, Odysseus is entirely absent from what is known as the Telemachia. It is here that we see the first guise, Odysseus the Deserter. Like in the Telemachia, Odysseus has been absent from his family and his country over the course of several years, and chaos has ensued as a result. We know that the Akhaians are a very social people, so when Aigyptios declares, “Hear me, Ithakans!
In lines (86-88), when he threw his sword and burst in to tears, it showed that he was weak and could not hold his ground. However, he put his foot down and let the suitors know that their recklessness is bad behavior. He also stood up for his mother Penelope to prevent her from marrying a suitor. Even though Telemakhos grew up without his father (Odysseus), he stuck up for his dad in front of the suiters for ruining the house, although growing up, his father was not there to teach him how to be a
Although he is young, Telemachus is technically the "man of the house" and by Greek gender standards has control over his mother. The suitors know this as they suggest that Telemachus is prolonging the situation by not "sending his mother away with orders to marry" (124). Somehow this is a credible argument to the suitors and they vow to "eat you [him] out of the house" (134) essentially squandering all their resources until Penelope decides to marry one of the suitors. Furthermore, they disrespect Telemachus by saying "your inheritance is going down the drain and will never be restored" (223) and "you've got some nerve laying the blame on us when the suitors aren't at fault it's your mother" (93-95). The suitors try to convince Telemachus that he has no right to be angry and that he's in this situation because of his mother.
As a result, Telemachus embarks on the search for his father and brings him home, ultimately preventing his mother from marrying one of her
In his journey, he gets help from Athena and wise knowledge from Menelaus. He takes risks, shows strength, confidence, and responsibility towards the end as he fights alongside his father. After enduring hardships and overcoming obstacles, Telemachus evidently matured into a man who made his father
Telemachus learns and appreciates the ways of his father, and so decides to follow the story of Orestes, and kill the suitors to take back his father’s home (3.52). Lastly, in book 4, Telemachus visits Menelaus in Sparta. In this part of the journey, we learn more details of the Trojan War, and also that Odysseus is still alive but captured by Calypso (4.71). Menelaus continues, talking of tales about Odysseus’ bravery and cunningness, educating Telemachus about the heroism is father had, which he believes he should also
It is made clear by Homer in numerous occasions throughout the books. In the first few books, Homer depicts Penelope as the mother that depends highly on her son’s devotion. That is when Telemachus initially attested his