Relationship between Mentor and Telemachus At some point in their life, many people experience a feeling 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, …show more content…
(Homer Odyssey, 2. 295-299) This is a reference to earlier in the book, when Athena visits Telemachus as Mentes and tells him to go look for his father. Telemachus’ prayer is asking for assistance in how to initiate this journey. Very early in the book, Telemachus is portrayed as a helpless, immature child. He just allows the suitors to take over his father’s estate. After Athena visits him the first time, Telemachus calls an assembly and tells the suitors to leave, but the suitors do not listen. Telemachus’ confidence level seemed to increase greatly in order to complete this task, but seems defeated after, which would explain why he prayed to Pallas for help. This prayer is directly responded to by Athena, once again visiting Telemachus in disguise, but this time as Mentor. Athena reassures him, saying that he’ll “lack neither courage nor sense from this day on” (2.270). Athena also reminds him just what kind of people the suitors are, explaining, “They’re madmen. Not a shred of sense of decency in the crowd (2.314). This provides Telemachus with newly discovered sense of courage. So much, that he is able to return to his home, appear before the suitors, and speak to their leader,
Through Telemachus, Odyssues’ son, the reader sees Odysseus’ utter dependence upon the gods’ aid. During Telemachus’ journey, all those th...
The whole point of Telemachus speech is to encourage the people to help him on a voyage to find his father so that they can bring him back so that his father can protect them from the suitors
Telémakhos also has gained courage to call a meeting to confront the suitors. He tells the Akhaians to gather for the assembly: “My distinguished father is lost, who ruled among you once, mild as a father, and there is now this greater evil still: my home and all I have are being ruined. Mother wanted no suitors, but like a pack they came-…” (Od.2.49-54) He tells them of the burdens that the suitors have caused him and his mother, Penelope. He also tells the Akhaians of his plan to get rid of the suitors and find his father, Odysseus, thus helping Odysseus’ nostos. When first meeting Nestor, Telémakhos doubts his ability to say speeches but soon overcomes his fear and learns to speak to elders in a well-mannered way: “Nestor, pride of Akhaians, Neleus’ son, you ask where we are from, and I can tell you: our home port is under Mount Neion, Ithaka. We are not here on Ithakan business, though, but on my own. I want news of my father, Odysseus, known for his great heart and I will comb the wide world for it” (Od.3.86-92) This is important as it plays a role in displaying Telémakhos’ growth. He has learnt the important concept of giving speeches and can take care of himself with speech which in the ancient Greek world was
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.
As a first sign of maturity, Telemachus holds his own against the suitors, calling them, “arrogant pigs”(book 1, l.388) and telling them to, “get out of my house”(book 1,l.394). This passage lets on that he has grown in confidence and decided to take the realization of “his reveries”(book 1, l.127) of “Telemachus...respected at last”(book 1,l.126) into his own hands. We see another sign of Telemachus maturity when he calls an assembly for the first time since Odysseus left and, “The elders made way as he took his father’s seat”(book 2, l.14), which means he is starting to accept his responsibilities as prince and take decisive action. Finally, he shows his maturity is a good change on Pylos when, “Telemachus felt a sudden surge of courage”(book 3, l.82). Even though he was scared and stressed at first, Telemachus learn how to surpass his fears and speak with tact to Nestor and behaves himself in a noble manner just as his father would, which is a positive outcome of his
Of the many proofs of Telemachus' maturation three are sufficient to render an accurate account of what virtues he gained. The gained virtues shown are courage, wisdom, and prudence. Courage is shown when Telemachus decides to go around Nestor's house rather than passing through it, for Telemachus goes out to sea knowing that an ambush awaits him. This wisdom is manifested in his knowledge that if he stops Nestor's hospitality will delay him even more. And prudence is shown in Telemachus' ability to control his desires for comfort in Nestor's house and his decision to endure hardship at sea. Next Telemachus' confidence and hospitality are shown when he takes in Theochlamenos the seer. In the beginning of the poem Telemachus is not confident enough in his ability to provide hospitality to Athena disguised as Mentor, but now Telemachus is happy to provide the seer with refuge. Another proof of Telemachus' virtues is his confidence in ordering his mother and her maids to comply with his will; their obedience shows us that he is worthy of respect. Thus Telemachus possesses the virtues necessary to be a ruler: courage, wisdom, prudence, confidence, and hospitality.
Telemachus’ prayer is asking for assistance in how to initiate this journey. Very early in the book, Telemachus is portrayed as a helpless, immature child. He just allows the suitors to take over his father’s estate. After Athena visits him the first time, Telemachus calls an assembly and tells the suitors to leave, but the suitors do not listen. Telemachus’ confidence level seemed to increase greatly in order to complete this task, but seems defeated after, which would explain why he prayed to Pallas for
After he gets together a crew he begins to take charge, and “Telemachus shout[s] out commands to all his shipmates: ‘All lay hands to tackle!’ They [spring] to orders” (106). Telemachus at this point is beginning to find his own voice. He is driven by the desire to find Odysseus and it is bringing out an authoritative side to him which the men seem to respect. Despite some of the crew being older than him they listen and respond positively to his orders. Once they reach their first destination, Pylos, King Nestor addresses Telemachus and his crew. At the start of this interaction Telemachus is quite fearful and intimidated by the king. Thanks to Athena however, “poised Telemachus answer[es], filled with heart, the heart Athena herself inspired, to ask for the news about his father, gone so long, and make his name
Telemachos has not seen his father since he was just a baby. He has had to grow up and live the first Twenty years of his life with out a father. Through these years Telemachos grows and develops a lot but I think the most growing when he begins to look for Odysseus.
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.
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.” Telemachus conveys to the assembly that the problem of the suitors is the greater evil, because it is the most imminent issue. The root of this problem, however, lies in Telemachus’ inability to lead because he “has lost a noble father.” He has had no training to deal with the situation at hand. Consequently, he acts like a boy, throwing his scepter on the ground in a fit of tears. It is clear from this scene that Telemachus is not ready to lead the people of Ithaka. He throws a tantrum because he has had no training from a father figure. 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.” This is when the role of Menelaos as a father plays a part in his growth as a man. He will show Telemachus, by his stories and example, exactly what it means to be a leader like his
Here we see that Telemachus lacks the courage to drive the suitors out himself, and realizes that he needs his fathers help to do it.
Telemachus’ and his father Odysseus’ experiences/journeys parallel each other in many different ways. One way that they are both similar is that they are both very well liked by Athena, who accompanies both on their journeys around Greece. Athena acts as guardian to both father and son. A quote which proves this is I, 85 “In the meantime I will go to Ithaca, to put heart into Odysseus' son Telemachus; I will embolden him to call the Achaeans in assembly, and speak out to the suitors of his mother Penelope, who persist in eating up any number of his sheep and oxen; I will also condu...
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.
At the end of book four, the reader is left to feel that Telemachus is a good and, in all likelihood, a virtuous young man. Athena, it is assumed, would not have gone to the trouble to assist in his cause if this were not the case. By the time he reaches Sparta, however, he remains untested. Athena tells him where to go and with whom to meet, she teaches him what to say, and she even physically grooms him for the role. One suspects that there are likely to be trials that lie ahead for him. Athena tells Telemachus that his actions will be a combination of instinct and divine guidance. One can only hope, if the goddess is not by his side, that these instincts will see him through these upcoming struggles.