Compare And Contrast Odysseus And Telemachus

Compare and Contrast: In The Odyssey, Telemachus leaves and goes to town. Eurycleia and Penelope welcome him with tears, hugs, and kisses, happy to see that he has made it home safely (Homer 208-209). On the other hand, this event is not mentioned at all in Mythology, only that the “Next day Telemachus went on alone, leaving the other two to follow” (Hamilton 314).By giving less emphasis on Telemachus, Hamilton is focusing on Odysseus’ story rather than his story’. She only feels that it is important that the audience knows about Odysseus since he is the protagonist. In The Odyssey the audience gets to see Telemachus’ welcoming and other events that he takes part in, which gives the reader more of an idea of what is happening around Odysseus.

Irus taunts Odysseus, calling him an old man and telling him to leave before he gets “dragged off by the leg” (Homer 223). Their argument draws out for a few pages and Odysseus shows off his muscular body, challenging Irus. He “struck Irus on the neck below the ear and crushed the bones within” (Homer 225). This is a turning point in the story because the suitors can see how strong Odysseus is although he is a beggar. In Edith Hamilton’s Mythology there is only one sentence mentioning this event: “At last one of them, an evil-tempered man, became irritated and gave him a blow” (Hamilton 314). Hamilton does not write about this event, probably because it is short and may not seem to have an impact on the story. Homer, on the other hand, draws out this fight because Odysseus is proving that he is not as weak as the suitors think he is and even warns them of the future battle. This makes them laugh and want to get rid of him. Homer and Hamilton write of this event in different ways, Hamilton giving a brief description of what happened, and Homer giving every

Irus is described as “noted for his greedy belly, eating and drinking without end… in bulk large to see” (Homer 223). Irus is used to eating and drinking all that he pleases, so another beggar means less food for him. He is not a tough man though, because when Odysseus shows himself off, he is shaken and scared by him. Although he is scared he still has to fight because the other men force him to. Irus’ greediness is too much for him and he is bothered so much by Odysseus’ presence that it got him into a fight that he could not