The Importance Of Telemachus Speech In The Odyssey

555 Words3 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. In book two, Telemakhos’ argument caused confusion. Telemakhos’ believes that his father is lost while; the suitors believe that his father is dead. In lines (49-52), Telemachus states “My distinguished …show more content…

I might as well–see my treasure and livestock taken over by you all; then if you feed on them, I’d have some remedy, and when we met in public, in the town, I’d press my claim; you might make restitution. This way you hurt me when my hands are tied.” In this quote, Telemakhos shows that he is hurt, he wishes that the suiters would have ruined his home in front of him so that he could’ve exacted his revenge against them. He felt like his hands were tied. In lines (86-87), an example of Pathos is after Telemakos finishes his speech. He throws the sword on the ground and bursts in to tears. All hushed; wave of sympathy ran through the crowd. The persona that Telemachus adopts in his speech is honesty and bravery. 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

Open Document