Telemachus Mature In The Odyssey

The first four books of Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey are known as The Telemachy because they focus on the maturing and evolution of Telemachus, the Greek hero Odysseus son. The story takes places in Greece 3,000 years ago and especially the island of Ithaca to which Odysseus is king. Due to the king’s long absence, suitors of Telemachus mother Penelope have been driving them “Out of house and home”(book 1,l.269). At first, Telemachus is an unconfident immature boy, then in books 1 through 4 he matures by becoming more assertive and king-like which is a good change because it allows him to stand up to the suitors, conduct himself nobly and express himself eloquently, finally this suggests that a worthy Greek man 3,000 years ago was someone,

As a first sign of maturity, Telemachus holds his own against the suitors, calling them, “arrogant pigs”(book 1, l.388) and telling them to, “get out of my house”(book 1,l.394). This passage lets on that he has grown in confidence and decided to take the realization of “his reveries”(book 1, l.127) of “Telemachus...respected at last”(book 1,l.126) into his own hands. We see another sign of Telemachus maturity when he calls an assembly for the first time since Odysseus left and, “The elders made way as he took his father’s seat”(book 2, l.14), which means he is starting to accept his responsibilities as prince and take decisive action. Finally, he shows his maturity is a good change on Pylos when, “Telemachus felt a sudden surge of courage”(book 3, l.82). Even though he was scared and stressed at first, Telemachus learn how to surpass his fears and speak with tact to Nestor and behaves himself in a noble manner just as his father would, which is a positive outcome of his

After Athena leaves, Penelope asks Pemuis to stop singing a song, Telemachus tells her, “You’ll just have to endure it and listen”(book 1,l.372) and refers to himself as “the master of this house”(book 1, l.379). This suggests that a worthy greek man 3,000 years was in control of the house and its affairs. We see another trait of a worthy greek man 3000 years ago when Telemachus and Pisistratus visit king Menelaus in Sparta, as the subject of Odysseus is brought up, “Telemachus wept.../Menelaus wept.../Nor could Nestor’s son keep his eyes dry”(Book 4, l.194-196). This means that worthy greek men, such as the king of Sparta and princes of Ithaca and Pylos 3,000 years ago were not afraid to publically display their emotions, which means they did not see it as a sign of