“He followed in his father’s footsteps, but his gait was somewhat erratic” (qtd. in Very Best Quotes). Nicholas Bentley’s quote touches on one of the most intriguing aspects of The Odyssey by Homer. Despite Telemachus’ father’s absence for the best of twenty years, this did not prevent Telemachus from maturing into a great man, much like his heroic dad, Odysseus. However, it was not by choice that Odysseus abandoned his son but because of circumstances beyond his control; he was called to fight in the Trojan War, and after the men’s victory, Odysseus was “driven time and again off course, once he had plundered the hallowed heights of Troy” (Homer 77). While Telemachus had not seen his father since he was an infant, he still shares many admirable characteristics and qualities derived from him. Odysseus and Telemachus are nearly identical in the sense that both are curious and clever thinkers, brave warriors, and men of misery.
The curiosity between both Odysseus and Telemachus was displayed clearly throughout the epic. Odysseus is an intelligent man and lives by his wiles, along with his courage. Although he is self-disciplined, his curiosity sometimes gets the best of him. Because of his own curiousness and hubris, Odysseus has gotten himself into trouble, almost costing him his life on multiple occasions. It is this intellectual curiosity that drives him to hear the Sirens’ song, wait for the Cyclops to return, and journey to Circe. When Eurylochus returned from Circe’s home after she turned the other men into swine, he warned Odysseus of what had happened, but he said “Lead me back by the same way that you came” (238) and proceeded to go to the deceiving woman. Although Odysseus’ curiosity may find him in death’s ...
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...y, was a strikingly accurate description.
Odysseus and Telemachus are presented with similar traits, drawing a parallel between father and son to display their individual flaws. Even with the long absence of his father, Telemachus grew to develop into a man almost identical to his father, learning to step up and act like the prince he is, especially in difficult times. With his cleverness and thoughtfulness he inherited from Odysseus, Telemachus will, no doubt, one day be just as exceptional as his father. After the numerous ordeals he has been through, Telemachus has truly proven himself worthy of being called the son of Odysseus.
Works Cited
“Father and Son Quotes.” Very Best Quotes. N.p., 25 Oct. 2012. Web. 11 May 2014. .
Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin, 1996. Print.
Through Telemachus, Odyssues’ son, the reader sees Odysseus’ utter dependence upon the gods’ aid. During Telemachus’ journey, all those th...
In The Odyssey, Homer highlights the character development of Telemahkos, the son of Odysseus. In the beginning of the book, Telemahkos is described as, “...for he, too, /was sitting there unhappy among the suitors,/ a boy, daydreaming.” (1, 144-146) He doesn’t know much about his identity, and doubts that he is the son of the great Odysseus. With some help from Athena, by the end of the book Telemahkos is sure of who he is, and takes pride in knowing that he is the son of Odysseus. When given a challenge, Telemahkos is able to thrive and prove he is strong, brave, and a leader.
In Odyssey, Homer creates a parallel between Odysseus and Telemachos, father and son. The two are compared in the poem from every aspect. One parallel was the quest of Telemachos, in correlation with the journey of his father. In this, Odysseus is developed from a childish, passive, and untested boy, to a young man preparing to stand by his father's side. This is directly connected to the voyage of Odysseus, in that they both lead to the same finale, and are both stepping-stones towards wisdom, manhood, and scholarship.
Throughout the last books of The Odyssey Homer tells us how Odysseus restores his relationships with his friends and relatives at Ithaca. Perhaps one of the most revealing of these restoration episodes is Odysseus' re-encounter with his son, Telemachus. This re-encounter serves three main purposes. First, it serves to portray Telemachus' likeness to his father in the virtues of prudence, humility, patience, and planning. Secondly, it is Odysseus' chance to teach his son to be as great a ruler as Odysseus himself is. Lastly, Homer uses this re-encounter to emphasize the importance of a family structure to a society. To be able to understand the impact that this meeting had on Odysseus it is necessary to see that Telemachus has grown since his first appearances in the poem and obviously since his last contact with his father; Odysseus left Telemachus as an infant now their relationship is a man to man relationship rather than a man to child relationship.
At some point in their life, many people experience feelings of inadequacy or uncertainty. In “The Odyssey” by Homer, one of the main characters Telemachus experiences both of these feelings. He feels that he is not good enough, especially compared to his father, Odysseus, who many people refer to as a great leader. In the beginning of “The Odyssey”, Telemachus’ home has been taken over by suitors, each with the goal of winning over his mother, in hopes to marry her and become king. Telemachus is not fond of these men in his home, but does not have the confidence to get rid of them. Lastly, at this point in the story, Odysseus, Telemachus’ father, has been gone for approximately twenty years, most of Telemachus’ life. Telemachus has been
Telemakhos tries to be like his father to the best of his ability, even though his father has been away since he was merely an infant. The only father he knew was from stories told by people, including his mother. He also dreamed constantly of the man his father must have been, thinking, "What if his great father came from the unknown world and drove these men like dead leaves through the place, recovering honor and lordship in his own domains"(277). It is as if Odysseus did raise his son in some ways, through the dreams and stories, perhaps being a better figure to look up to rather than in person. In the dreams and stories, you can be built up to be more than you really are. In person, you can see how flawed the person really is, which may lower your opinions and ideals. But still, one would not want to sacrifice that for the intimate father and son love and memories that would have been attained during childhood. The better father would be the one that was always there.
Throughout The Odyssey Telemachus grows in character from an unprepared teen to a young man who could one day rule Ithaca. He has many experiences traveling to learn more about his father and many that occur on Ithaca once Odysseus returns. All of these events help to shape him into the assertive young man he becomes.
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.
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.
The Hero’s Journey is never an easy one. This particular journey, as detailed in Homer’s The Odyssey, is one of struggle, loss, heartache, pain, growth and triumph. It is comprised of many steps that Odysseus has to overcome and battle through in order to achieve his final goal of reaching his home and his loved ones. From the Call to Adventure to the Freedom or Gift of living, Odysseus conquered them all. The story begins in the middle of the story, as many of the oral Greek traditions did, with the Journey of Telemachus to find his father. Although Telemachus has not yet met his father, it is almost as if they are journeying together, where the end of both of their journeys results in being reunited. Telemachus journeys from being a boy to becoming a man, while out in the sea Odysseus is battling Poseidon to return to the home that wife that he loves and the home he has left behind.
The reader first finds the character of Telemachus sitting among the suitors in his father’s palace. This seemingly unimportant detail yields information regarding his temperament. The suitors, whom Homer portrays as malicious usurpers, continue to take advantage of Telemachus’ hospitality. Instead of defending his home, his mother, and his belongings from these men, Telemachus numbers among them. This lack of assertiveness displays his frailty and his helplessness given the overwhelming circumstances. At this point, Athena, disguised as Odysseus’ old friend Mentes, visits Telemachus in order to “inspire his heart with courage” (I.105). The two share a meal and engage in a lengthy conversation. The goddess discusses how Telemachus should handle the troublesome suitors and suggests a journey to try to ascertain the whereabouts of Odysseus. The conversation appears to immediately galvanize the young man’s resolve. In fact, immediately after her departure, he summons the courage to confront the suitors, demanding that they are to leave his house at once. The assertiveness that Telemachus displays in this instance is a dramatic departure from ...
...sniveling coward who would faint at the sight of blood, or worse yet, a traitor who would warn the suitors of Odysseus' plans. Apparently, Odysseus believes that since Telemachus was his son that was a good enough reason to trust him. (jackhdavid)” This quote shows how that even though Telemachus didn’t know his father, right when he found out who he was, he loved him automatically like if he knew him for years and stood by his side to do anything he needed to make Ithaca better for his family and his people. This father-son relationship is different than any other, they actually spend more time apart than they do together, and it is through distance that they develop respect and love for one another.
...a, 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. He is released from Ogygia and permitted to return to Ithaca only by the command of Zeus, as delivered by Hermes. Telemachus, rather than being trapped physically, was detained emotionally, feeling helpless to repel the suitors wooing Penelope. Only through the motivation of the goddess Athena did Telemachus find the will and courage to embark in search of Odysseus.
While Odysseus and his son are united and face the world together, Ulysses sees himself and his son as two different people living separate lives. When he returns, Odysseus has a close, personal relationship with his son; he becomes Telemachus' mentor. Odysseus realizes Telemachus' resemblance to himself - both are noble men of action who value justice. Together, they devise a plan to avenge the arrogant suitors who have abused their household for the past three years. Finally, "he [Odysseus] found the whole company lying in heaps in the blood and dust..." (Homer, 22.383). Father and son are victorious together. Conversely, as Ulysses ages, he and his son are disunited. Ulysses is confident that he has trained his son to be a benevolent ruler. He praises Telemachus's patience, gentleness, and prudence - all outstanding qualities that he is lacking. Ulysses acknowledges that he and his son are opposite people. He is adventurous, while Telemachus is sedate. "He works his work, I mine" (Tennyson, Line 43) suggests acceptance of a destiny; the father and son must lead separate lives because of their differences. Despite changing roles the man plays in Telemachus' life, he successfully raises his son to become a respectable leader.
A father and son have a relationship that’s virtually irreplaceable. They bond on a different level than do mother and son, but both are necessary. Sometimes, the mother or father isn’t present in a child’s life, greatly affecting the child. Some may leave for personal reasons, while others leave because they feel it will benefit the child. Having one around could preserve the child to an extent, but being without both could generally wreck the child’s outlook on life all together. In Sherman Alexie’s “Flight” the main character, Zits, loses his mother and child support and what he thought his father, out of spite, abandoned him. Zits is introduced going through many foster homes and heading down the wrong path. He admits to all sorts of crime and has been in jail numerous times. Over time, Zits receives the chance to see how people see things, think, act, and live as well as being able to do these things for them and access their memories, by being put into that person wholly. He begins to realize that there’s good and bad in everyone, helping him cope with his situation. Towards the end of the book, Zits realizes the body he inhabits is none other than his fathers. He now has access to the thoughts, feelings, and memories of the very man who left him. He soon comes to terms with the reasoning and this puts Zits at ease, making him realize that people do things good or bad for reasons unapparent to others. Zits and the reader soon realize that the anger Zits withholds is that of his father, if not more, and how they’re more alike than what was led to believe.