The Role Of Telemachus In Homer's The Odyssey

The Odyssey, earliest surviving text and language, is an epic poem written by Homer, a blind poet, in the Eighth Century BC. Homer is arguably the best ancient poet, most famous for the Iliad and the Odyssey. Homer’s style of writing is very unique, he tends to write in a lyrical type of diction and uses a lot of sounds devices such as consonance, anaphora, alliteration and more, which leads historians to believe that these epic poems were traditionally sung and later on written. The Odyssey revolves around King Odysseus and his ten year journey back home from war to Ithaca, where his wife and his son, Telemachus, long his return. Telemachus through this poem shows a wide wage of emotions and immaturity. The effects of growing up without a

Growing up he heard stories of his heroic father, along with rumors of his father being dead. While Telemachus and his mother, Penelope,waited ten years for the return of Odysseus, suitors filled their homes trying to marry Penelope. Without Odysseus being around Telemachus had to be a man on his own with no male guidance. Not knowing if Odysseus is still alive gives Telemachus a feeling of hope, which his father will come back and guide him to be a man until then he is still a child, emotional and vulnerable. “(Telemachus) Suitors plague my mother-against her will… Not they-they infest out palace day and night, they butcher out cattle, our sheep, put fat goats, feasting themselves sick, swilling our glowing wine as if there’s no tomorrow…” (Homer 95) Telemachus whines and complains that they suitors are ruining his home, he is very emotional and cries. Telemachus calls himself “a boy inept for battle”(Homer 95), and says that if he had the power in him to attack he would, but instead the suitors should fear the gods’ wrath, then begs the gods to punish them. Telemachus doesn't man up to get rid of the suitors, instead he uses the excuse that he is just a boy and does nothing because a child can’t do anything but beg the god’s to care of the