Lessons Learned From The Telemachus In Homer's Odyssey

It relates in the way how military children today have to deal with their parents being away and have to grow up without them being there. Not knowing if they are safe where they are. They have to wonder if they are coming home, when and if they are still alive. He has had to become the man of the house like most kids today have to make up for the fact that a parent is missing and has to do the things they would normally help with. Telemachus has struggled to do that because he has been without a father for so long and he was so young when Odysseus left. Telemachus trusted in his mother and believed he was still alive and wanted to get rid of the suitors so he left with the help of Athena in disguise to find out if his father was still alive to bring him back to protect his family. “But Telemachus as he lay covered with a woolen fleece kept thinking all night through of his intended voyage and of the counsel that Athena had given him” (Homer 1.

The first 4 books of the Odyssey are void of Odysseus’ presence. It is because of this that some refer to the first 4 books of the Odyssey as the “Telemachy”- as it focuses primarily on Telemachus. Homer has utilised this absence to create tension and wonder within the plot- as Telemachus searches for the truth of his father (Books 3 and 4), as does the reader/audience. To the unknowing reader, this tale may simply be a coming of age story where Telemachus learns of his fathers death and so must become strong enough to fight off the suitors and take claim to his father’s household. In Book 2 (p. 13) the idea of Telemachus as a weak character is highlighted by his inability to control his emotions when confronting the suitors of their misdeeds within his household. However, it is quickly revealed to Telemachus in Book 4 (p.48) that his father is in fact alive- last seen by Menelaus, as he (Odysseus) wept on Calypso’s island, longing for home.

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/ I no longer trust in rumors from the blue/ nor bother with any prophecy, when mother calls/ some wizard into the house to ask him questions” (1. 470-473). This shows that Telemachus is weak because Telemachus continues to say that Odysseus is not returning and that he should just give up and lose all hope. This proves that Telemachus is a boy still, because he will not trust no man that returns rumors from the blue even if they might be true and that Odysseus is not coming back. A final example of Telemachus being weak in the beginning is he is just as weak as his mother,

After the warm and touching union father and son embraced, Odysseus directs Telemachus to go home and not speak a work of his return. Odysseus plans on defeating the suitors and gaining back his kingdom, and in order to do so, he conducted a detailed plan that needs to be followed to the word. He strictly orders Telemachus to go back home. Odysseus wil go back home too, however, dressed as a beggar, with the swine herder. Once in the castle, the suitors will mock and abuse of him, however, Telemachus needs to remain and stay calm and guard his temper. «…no matter what I suffer, no matter if they pull me by the heals or practice shots at me, to drive me out. Look on, hold down your anger. You may even plead with them by heaven. » (Epic Homer,

Odysseus encounters many monsters and immortals throughout his homecoming journey. He faces everything from Sea Nymphs to Sirens, from Lotus Eaters to Cyclopes, and from Enchantresses to even the Gods themselves. Because Odysseus stuck through and pursued on, he finally returned to his wife and child. When Odysseus arrives in his homeland, Athena directs him to Eumaeus’ hut where he meets his son. At first, his son refuses to believe his father has come back, but eventually convinces himself his father has truly returned. After Telemachus and his father share a reunion, he leads his father to his house. Upon arrival, Odysseus disguises himself as a beggar and finds that the house has been taken over by sires trying to court his wife as a result of his actions. After completing Athena’s task, Odysseus reveals himself to his wife. However, Odysseus finds it very difficult to convince his wife that he has truly come back. When Odysseus reveals something no one else knows, Penelope runs to him and throws her arms around him. This sets off many emotions in Odysseus all at once, causing him to weep due to the euphoria of finally holding his wife once again. Odysseus’ persistence in returning home throughout a period of twenty years fulfilled his longing for love and to be reunified with his

The Odyssey is an epic by Homer. It is a story about Odysseus journey back to Ithaca after the Trojan War. All the Greek heroes had returned home after the Trojan War except for Odysseus who was an important hero in Ithaca. Odysseus was absent in his son’s life and Telemachus decided that, it was time to find his father and bring him back home to his wife Penelope. Odysseus was trapped in Calypso Island for ten years and this made his son Telemachus to embark on a journey to find him after he learnt that he was not dead. The story is filled with mysterious and supernatural forces and happenings, but they still keep the characters going on in their expeditions. The Odyssey is an epic whereby the characters are developed

The foolish boy sleeps; and a wise man awakens. During Telemachus’s journey he grows up into someone that is wise and resembles his father. Telemachus, a prince who did nothing but whine and complain wakes up with the help from the goddess Pallas Athena, Athena gives Telemachus confidence on his journey. In The Odyssey, Odysseus did not return home to Ithaca after the Trojan war, leaving Ithaca kingless. Back home in Ithaca Odysseus’s wife Penelope and son Telemachus grief his misery.

Heroism, tends to be difficult to define and remarkably ambiguous in literary works. In the Odyssey, however, Homer clearly defines a hero as a humble, determined, and loyal individual; thus, according to Homer, it is not enough to claim to be a hero, but it is also important to exhibit those qualities that Homer values as heroism. Odysseus, despite claiming heroism, upholds these traits inconsistently, as seen in his taunting of Polyphemus. In contrast, Telemachus, Odysseus’ overlooked son, dramatically grows up over the course of the epic and ultimately reveals his truly heroic qualities by the end of the poem. Thus, because Odysseus claims to be a hero, but fails to remain humble, determined, and loyal throughout the epic, he is not a hero.

The odyssey, an epic told by Homer in ancient greece, has many major themes following odysseus’s adventures. While Odysseus is sentenced to never return home after the Trojan War. He is overcoming challenges to return home to his wife penelope and his son Telemachus. Throughout the story major themes of loyalty, hospitality and vengeance are hidden within the plot. The story continues to show his heroic side with three major traits. His first trait is being exceptionally skilled continued with cleverness and bravery. Despite Odysseus’s challenges he proves himself a hero because of the actions that show him as skilled, clever and brave.

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. From the other side Odysseus is very caring towards his own son. Some evidence of this is when Ms. Shank came to talk to the class and said that Odysseus wouldn’t run

The Odyssey is one of the greatest works of human history. It is a story told for a point and is about a man who endures harsh tasks to find his way home after the Trojan War. He has a son, Telemachus, who struggles at home while he waits for his father to return. The first four books of The Odyssey is called the Telemachy. They are named this way because it is about Telemachus as he journeys from home for the first time in search of news about his missing father. Now, what if Telemachus could pick up the Odyssey and read his very own Telemachy? The most important lesson Telemachus can learn is the progression of his maturity is and it is provoked when he mourns about his father and shows respect to the Kings of the other countries.

If you have ever read The Odyssey before you know Telemachus grew up without a dad. In today's society children have grown up with their parents in the military which is just like growing up without a dad. This relates to Telemachus having to grow up with his dad being gone for most of his life.The struggle of being without a father is the same struggle Telemachus felt when his dad was fighting in the trojan war. It is also the same feeling you get when your dad is out there fighting for your country and having the fear he might not come back. The Odyssey is an great way of showing these feelings.The Odyssey is and epic poem that was written by Homer and then later translated by Robert Fitzgerald and a nother version by Samuel Butler.

Secondly, Telemachus saves his mother from the impending bloodbath that is soon to happen. He orders Penelope with his newfound authority and power that she go to her room “and take care of [her] work” (lines 374-375). Penelope is astonished, and as a result of Telemachus’ authority and eminence, follows his orders and goes to her room with no objection. When a mother listens to her son it shows that he has matured and this is definitely the case in this passage. This proves to the audience that his newfound traits are indeed genuine and representative of his

For if Athena knew of Odysseus’s plight and imminent return, it seems illogical, at first, that she would send Telemachus on such a risky trip. While Telemachus’s journey proves instrumental in the maturation already under way in Books 1 and 2, Athena states that the purpose of his going to Pylos and Sparta was for him to “make his name by sailing there” (13.482). She is more interested in how performing great deeds in faraway lands will elevate his reputation than in his inner, more personal growth. Throughout the Odyssey, Athena shows a steadfast devotion to Odysseus and the traits that he embodies; in risking his life to find his father, Telemachus stands to gain a measure of that same renown for which Odysseus and other Greek heroes risked their lives at

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. This passage is supposed to make the young boy possess control over his decisions and over others. To be a man in Homer’s Odyssey is not only for Telémakhos to make decisions and step