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Critical essays major themes in the odyssey
Critical essays major themes in the odyssey
The odyssey telemachus character development I-IV
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Since the beginning of time, people have traveled to interesting places learning new information and gaining knowledge about foreign cultures. They have encountered unexpected predicaments obtaining more experience, knowledge, and maturity from the difficulties they faced. As this frequently occurs in real life and art often mirrors life, these same situations are commonly featured in literature. One such piece of literature is the epic entitled The Odyssey, which was written by the Greek minstrel Homer. In the work, the story of Odysseus who is the king of Ithaca and his son Telemachus is illustrated. To learn more about his absent father, Telemachus goes on a journey. On his travels, Odysseus encounters many different situations and people …show more content…
Furthermore, she tells him to send his mother to her father, so he can handle the question of her remarrying. Moreover, she informs him that he should call a meeting of Ithaca’s council to tell the suitors to leave, assemble a ship with a crew and twenty oars, and sail to Pylos in order to question King Nestor. Telemachus follows her instructions almost exactly except for sending his mother away. Athena’s instructions influence all of Telemachus’s actions from that point on. Therefore, in the first book, Telemachus meets Athena and gains the instruction he follows on the rest of his literal and educational journey. By traveling to the island of Pylos, Telemachus encounters King Nestor who gives him crucial advice. King Nestor had fought with Telemachus’s father in the Trojan War. With his father being absent for approximately twenty years, Telemachus did not have any idea where his father could be or if he was even alive. On Athena’s instructions, Telemachus’s “ship pulled into Pylos, Neleus’ storied citadel, / where the people lined the beaches, / sacrificing sleek black bulls to Poseidon (3.4-6). To learn more information about Odysseus, Telemachus visits Pylos where King Nestor lives. As was reputed, Odysseus and King Nestor both fought together on behalf of the Greeks during the Trojan War. After they defeated the Trojans, they attempted tried to return home. However, Odysseus and King Nestor were separated on …show more content…
(3.353-355)
This was incredibly sound advice considering how Penelope’s suitors had been draining Telemachus’s fortune and, in his absence, had been planning his demise. In addition to not stay away for too long, Nestor told him the story of Orestes who murders his father’s killer in hopes of galvanizing and inspiring him. He also told him to travel to see Menelaus on the island of Sparta where he would finally get the information he needs to find his father. Therefore, Telemachus sails to the island of Pylos meeting King Nestor and gaining critical advice that would influence the rest of his journey and
Telemachus's initiation is slightly different, but quite like the initiation high schoolers go through to college. With Telemachus, he had started out as a slightly awkward, measly,shy, and powerless young adult. Originally Telemachus self doubted himself quite a lot whether it was verbal or internal thinking. “Mother has always told me I’m his son, it’s true, but I am not so certain,”Telemachus had said (The Odyssey 1.249-250). In this instance Telemachus does not seem too sure if he is even the true son of his almighty father, Odysseus. He did not know the man well and had nothing to base who he was off of so he had immense doubt in his future and who he was and who he would become. That gradually changes once Athena met him in disguise and gave him guidance. Eventually through her guidance he grew more confident and assertive. Athena gave him the instructions he needed to hear to realize what he needed to do. He went from a lowly, depressed, and self doubting young man to a more confidently glowing assertive being. Telemachus had said once meeting Nestor, “ That’s why I’ve come to p...
In the time period of The Odyssey, the people of Greece worshipped the gods for advice and guidance. The gods then decided if they were going to help or ignore their people. This is seen in The Odyssey where Athena decides that she will help save Odysseus. To help save Odysseus, she first decides to talk to his son, Telemachus. Athena, the goddess of wisdom, gives advice to Telemachus. As of this point on, the reader observes a change in Telemachus. From a shy and timid boy now becomes a confident and self-assured man. Telemachus then takes immediate actions and surprises everyone, even his own mother because of his superiority. However Telemachus wouldn't have been responsible for his actions if one individual didn't give advice to him, Athena. Therefore Athena, or the gods in general were responsible for Telemachus' actions by setting up a crew for him to travel and also telling Telemachus to drive away the suitors and to seek information about Odysseus.
My lion hearted husband, lost, long years ago”(4.810-816). As you can see, she is dwelling on the loss of Odysseus and can not seem to move on, she has hit her breakdown point. There is a unique relationship between Telemachus and Athena because of how Athena acts like a mother and father, in The Odyssey. Athena, the daughter of Zeus, is a close friend of Odysseus and because of their relationship decides it is time to help Telemachus, as his mother, Penelope is having difficulties functioning without Odysseus. As it states in the text “As for the ties between your father and myself, we’ve been friends forever, i’m proud to say, and he would bear me out”(1.2161-218) Athena was the goddess who made the initial decision to send Telemachus on the journey to find his father. “Athena, her eyes flashing bright, exulted, Father, son of Cronus, our high and mighty
Telemachus has many experiences on his journey to manhood. In Ithaca while Odysseus is gone Penelope is being plagued with suitors asking for her hand in marriage. Telemachus sees what a nuisance they are to his mother, and how much they are taking from his father’s palace. He wants to put a stop to this and comes to the conclusion that he must find his father, or at least some information
Although Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, is thought to revolve around Odysseus’s adventures, the first four books solely revolve around his son, Telemachus, and his coming of age story. Within Books I-IV, Telemachus displays character progression that is characterized by the celestial work of Athena as Athena encourages Telemachus to break free of his stagnant behavioral pattern, and fulfill the heroic mold left behind by his father. This is shown through the immediate change in confidence Telemachus displays after his first interaction with the goddess, and the commitment to his journey overseas.
To begin with, Telemachus was afraid to even approach the suitors of his mother about his yearning for them to be gone. He has also lost hope that his father is still alive, because he truly does not know him. “My mother says indeed I am his. I for my part do not know. Nobody really knows his own father.” (32. 215-216) He speaks these words to Athena who in turn tells Telemachus about his father, and what he should do to find out some information about his father’s whereabouts. According to Solon, Telemachos should be at his mental and physical prowess but instead he is simply a boy who cannot even lead his own house. He needs the push and advice of a stranger for him to decide what to do.
In Homer’s epic poem Odyssey, Telemachus learns how to mature from a young boy to a wise man with Athena’s help. Telemachus was a boy who did not know how to do anything. “Long before anyone else, the prince Telemachus now caught sight of Athena-for he, too, was sitting there, unhappy among the suitors, a boy, daydreaming. What if his great father came from the unknown world and drove these men like dead leaves through the place,” (Line 18-23). Telemachus is wanting his daddy to come and make all these disgusting men leave. He is just too immature and young to realize that he can try. If he had a good model who he is able to follow and learn from, he would have been a great prince. But since there is not a single person he can look up to, Telemachus
Telemachus has drastically changed towards the end of the novel, for in the beginning it is blatantly obvious that he us disengaged from everyone and everything. He is often unaware and unbothered by his surrounding environment. This is proven through the quote, “ Prince Telemachus/ sitting among the suitors, heart obsessed with grief,/he could almost see his magnificent father, here…” (I.132-134). Here Homer illustrates the suitors searching through Telemachus’s house, eating all of his food, and drinking all of his wine, and he remains silent and still. He is internally struggling for he cannot shake what is eating him from the inside. He doesn’t know anything about his other half, for he was left as an infant. This is proven when he says, “ I’ll try my friend, to give you a frank answer,/ Mother has always told me I’m his son, it’s true,/ but I am not so certain” (I.248-250). He misses his father and is constantly surrounded by men trying to marry his mother and taking advantage of his father’s absence. He internalizes his sorrow and so he cannot react to anything. He is numb to all. His numbness is a defense to his loss of hope for his father’s return. He has convinced himself that his father is dead and that this is the life he has. “ No Comfort left for us…not even if/ someone, somewhere, say’s he’s coming home,/ the day of his return will never dawn” (I.194-196). He longs for his father to come back, but remaining optimistic is far too painful and raises the possibility of complete devastation.
Over their travels in the epic The Odyssey, both Odysseus’ and his son Telemachus’ adventures were parallel but at the same time different. These travels led them both to grow and change drastically, and both learned some very important life lessons over the course of this epic.
Telemachus takes charge of the household. When Penelope tells the bard to leave, Telemachus tells Penelope to go back to her room and says, “‘As for giving orders, men will see to that, but I most of all: I hold the reins of the house” (1.412-414). Before Telemachus never even thought himself as the leader of his household, but now he is even ordering his mother around. Ever since Odysseus left, there was no one obvious ruler to his household, but now Telemachus has established him as the person in charge. Telemachus organizes the kingdom and it’s people. Telemachus even “...ordered heralds to cry out loud and clear / and summon the flowing-haired Achaeans to full assembly” (2.6-7). This is especially important because an assembly in Ithaca hasn’t been called in 20 years since Odysseus left. The fact that Telemachus calls an assembly shows that he is becoming prepared to rule the kingdom. Telemachus even walks into the assembly looking prepared and powerful. For instance, “Telemachus strode in too, a bronze spear in his grip / and not alone: two sleek hounds went trotting at his heels” (2.10-11). The bronze spear symbolizes power, and the hounds symbolize trust and Telemachus’ loyalty to the kingdom. This shows that Telemachus knows what he is doing and intentionally chose to present himself like this in order to show the people of Ithaca that he is prepared to be in charge. Telemachus also progresses in
It is stated, “he kissed his son and let his tears/fall to the ground. He had held them in until now” (Bk XVI, 202-203). Finally, at last after his 10 years fighting at war and 10 years trying to return home, Odysseus is reunited with family for the first time. The emotion Odysseus is feeling is overwhelming and strong as he realizes the mental and physical battle he went through was worth it. Telemachus has much of the same emotion as Odysseus. Although at first Telemachus does not believe that Odysseus is really Odysseus and its just spirit playing a trick on him, he quickly realizes his long lost father has finally returned. When he recognizes who his father is he, “threw his arms around his wonderful father/ and wept. And a longing arose in both of them/ to weep and lament, and their shrill cries/ crowded the air” (Bk XVI, 225-228). For Telemachus and Odysseus there is finally a joyful hiatus in all of the struggle and hardship that was going on and they relax in each other’s presence. They connect with each other like they’ve always known each other, and like they were never actually separated. The reunion between Telemachus and Odysseus is important because it is father and son reuniting together for the first time. They grow stronger together and united to take down the
The Odyssey tells the story of Odysseus and his both literal and figurative journey home to Ithaka. When the great king, Odysseus travels to Troy on the account of war, many obstructions hinder him from returning home. During his absence, his deprivation of being a father to his son, Telemachus, causes great disappointment. Without a father, his son strives to grow and mature yet he has not the slightest idea of where to. However, as Telemachus struggles to reach manhood and his father struggles to return to Ithaka, their seemingly separate journeys are connected. They both learn values that turn a boy into a man and a great man even greater. In the epic poem the Odyssey, Homer uses parallel rites of passage with Odysseus and Telemachus to develop the importance of the father son-bond.
In the Odyssey, Telemachus, son of great hero Odysseus, who grows up in the world of greed and disrespect where the suitors take over his palace and court his mother, is one of the most significant character throughout the whole epic. His father, Odysseus, leaving the land Ithaca for 20 years, is the only warrior alive in Trojan war who hasn’t make his return home. During Telemachus’ expedition to search for the news of his father, he is under a process of maturation from the beginning in which he is mere a shadow of his father to the end in which he becomes more and more like him in terms of initiative, sensitivity and socialization.
middle of paper ... ... In Homer’s Odyssey, both Odysseus and his son Telemachus embark on long, difficult journeys; Odysseus trying to return from Troy to his home in Ithaca, escaping Calypso and the island of Ogygia, and Telemachus from Ithaca to Pylos and Sparta in search of his lost father. While The Odyssey tells of the courage both men demonstrate during their respective travels, their quests are the results of the intentions and desires of gods. Odysseus is trapped in exile on Ogygia by the will of Poseidon, whose anger Odysseus attracts when he blinds the Cyclops Polyphemus, son of Poseidon, and by the love of Calypso, who wishes to make Odysseus her husband.
Telemachus is not mature and acts very much like a child until he and Athena talk to each other. He was not holding up the title of being the man in the house and he did not have the courage or confidence to stand up to the suitors in the house. Anyhow, once Athena gets to him he starts to clean up his act and realize that he needs to grow up. Athena explained to him the proper ways of doing things and she teaches him how to keep up with the responsibilities of being a young adult. The first thing she does to help Telemachus is tells him that he should get a crew together and a good ship. He then starts to plan out his journey to find his dad, Odysseus. He needs to find out if his dad is still alive and where he is so that he can bring him back home to avoid one of the worthless suitors. Realizing that one of the suitors could marry his mother, something clicks in Telemachus’ head that he needs to do something. This helps him grow up and mature a significant amount because he is starting to realize that is not how he should