The Problem Of The Suitors In Homer's The Odyssey

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The opening books of The Odyssey present the reader with an unsettling situation. The setting is the city of Ithaka, ten years after the fall of Troy, and king Odysseus has not returned to his kingdom. This means that there have been twenty years in Ithaka with no definite leadership or law enforcement. In consequence, the other men of society attempt to seize power, spoiling Odysseus’ home and trying to seduce his wife. Meanwhile, Telemachus matures into a man, trying to fill the leadership role his father once had. However, Telemachus has had no authentic mentorship to help him handle the invasion of suitors. This lack of fatherly mentorship proves to be an enormous obstacle to his ability to lead the people as the next king of Ithaka. Thankfully, …show more content…

Consider in the second book where he expresses the problems he faces: “There are two evils. I have lost a noble father, one who was a king once over you here, and was kind to you like a father; and now a greater evil, one which presently will break up the whole house and destroy all my livelihood.” Although Telemachus conveys that the problem of the suitors is the greater evil, being the immediate issue, the root of the whole problem lies in Telemachus’ inability to lead because he has “lost a noble father.” His lack of fatherly discipline causes him act like a boy, throwing his scepter on the ground in a fit of tears in front of the assembly. It is clear from this scene that Telemachus is not yet fit to lead the people of Ithaka because he has had no training. Peisistratos, son of Nestor, says this explicitly to Menelaos in book four: “For a child endures many griefs in his house when his father is gone away, and no others are there to help him.” Clearly, Telemachus needs a father figure, and so Menelaos will teach him how to lead, using his own example and the stories of his …show more content…

Thus, it is fitting that Menelaos is the final person he visits. Certainly, Nestor was a great and wise aid to Telemachus, but his character is not what he needs to imitate at this stage of his life; Athena understands that he needs both advice and a physical example to follow. Rather, Nestor plays the character of a wise old sage and acts as a springboard to the interaction with Menelaos, who is at the stage of life Telemachus is striving for. Menelaos’ home is filled with wealth, marriage and happiness, all examples Telemachus should follow. Yet, Telemachus is too shy to speak. Peisistratos, in consequence, initiates the conversation about Odysseus for him, and all three men, Menelaos, Telemachus, and Peisistratos, begin to cry. For the first time, other men truly sympathize with Telemachus’ emotions toward his father. This is one of the unique ways Menelaos develops Telemachus’ leadership skills. The healing that comes from the consolation from a father figure is key to becoming a man. This emotional setting leads to Menelaos’ memories of Odysseus, lavishing his old friend with compliments and praise, encouraging Telemachus further. Menelaos relays the tale of the Old Man of the Sea, Proteus, to teach Telemachus important lessons to deal with the suitors. Consider when Eidothea begins to explain how to catch her father Proteus; it requires elaborate planning and patience. Menelaos has to

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