In the time period of The Odyssey, the people of Greece worshipped the gods for advice and guidance. The gods then decided if they were going to help or ignore their people. This is seen in The Odyssey where Athena decides that she will help save Odysseus. To help save Odysseus, she first decides to talk to his son, Telemachus. Athena, the goddess of wisdom, gives advice to Telemachus. As of this point on, the reader observes a change in Telemachus. From a shy and timid boy now becomes a confident and self-assured man. Telemachus then takes immediate actions and surprises everyone, even his own mother because of his superiority. However Telemachus wouldn't have been responsible for his actions if one individual didn't give advice to him, Athena. Therefore Athena, or the gods in general were responsible for Telemachus' actions by setting up a crew for him to travel and also telling Telemachus to drive away the suitors and to seek information about Odysseus. Telemachus had no control of his palace or anything in fact before Athena had come. Athena, who was disguised as Mentes, was one of Odysseus' friends and spoke with Telemachus. At first the two talk about small matters such as discussing who they were and what their stories were. But their conversation moves to Athena giving advice to Telemachus, '"At daybreak summon the islands lords to full assembly, give your orders to all and call the god's to witness: tell the suitors to scatter, each to his own place (Book 1, 315-317)."' This is the first part of Athena's advice, to get rid of the suitors. The suitors have been taking control of the palace and no one is stopping them. If Athena hadn't said anything, Telemachus would still be sitting there looking absently i... ... middle of paper ... ...end her a swift ship. He gladly volunteered (Book 2, 422-427)." Athena helped Telemachus get a crew and also get a boat for him to travel. Athena was very kind to Telemachus and gave him very wise advice. Without the gods, Telemachus wouldn't have followed through his actions. The gods answered the prayers of Telemachus and were very kind to do so. Athena gave Telemachus very good advice and guidance while Zeus allowed Athena to do so and also answered Telemachus prayer by showing a sign to amaze the assembly. In the beginning of the novel, Telemachus is portrayed as a shy and timid boy but with the gods help Telemachus is shown as the true prince of Ithaca. Therefore the gods are responsible for Telemachus actions by giving advice to Telemachus, answering his prayers and showing a sign when Telemachus needed it the most, and setting up a crew for him to travel.
He says, “I might as well-might better- see my treasure/ and livestock taken over by you all/…I’d press my claim; you might make restitution./ This way you hurt me when my hands are tied” (II, 80-85). In the end of his speech, Telemachus is saying that if no one is going to do anything about this he might as well just give up, but then he switches back and says that ultimately everything is up to the audience. He has done his part, he made that call for help, but if the Ithacan leaders don’t do anything to help his situation then it’s all their fault. By this attitude of giving up Telemachus does not give off a strong and confident
By giving Telemachus a specific task to complete, Athena is decreasing the stress Telemachus has concerning his journey. This is also done by Athena assigning to herself the more difficult tasks that need to be completed, choosing a crew and a ship. The act that gives Telemachus the greatest feeling of support is that Athena is going to set sail with Telemachus, which proves helpful later in the journey.
As long as Telemakhos followed Athena and did what she said, she was with him and helped him. She would disguise herself to help and protect Telemakhos as he began his journey.
Right at the beginning of The Odyssey, the reader is shown the hospitality that Telemachus has. Athena arrives, disguised, and he invites her into his home by saying: "'Greetings, stranger! / Here in our house you'll find a royal welcome. / Have supper first, then tell us what you need'" (1.144-46). His address to Athena shows right away that he is an extremely hospitable character. Despite his house being overridden by the suitors, he is still welcoming of this stranger. When she is about to leave, he offers that she stay longer and wants to treat her with honor (1.352-60). Telemachus has no idea who Athena is, yet he still shows extreme generosity towards her. Telemachus is a perfect role model for xenia. Even though the suitors have been pushing him around for years, he still finds it in his heart to provide strangers a lovely experience when they visit him. It seems as though he has seen how terrible it is to be treated with bad xenia and he in turn wants to treat his guests the way that he hopes to be treated.
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
As the bards sang, and the guests talked amongst one another, Telemachus watched his house get destroyed by the brazen suitors. Telemachus takes no initiative to rid the suitors of Odysseus' palace. He grieves his father is dead and that there is no one to remove the suitors. As Telemachus was sulking about his father, Athena appeared in disguise as Mentor. She approached Telemachus and urged him to drive the suitors from his house. Mentor and Telemachus devised a plan to repulse the suitors. First, Telemachus was to order an assembly where he would give orders to the suitors. Then he was to go to Pylos and Sparta to learn if his father was still alive.
Faith and hope with unwavering determination are particularly pleasing to his dad and describes Telemachus’ life as a grown up. Athena, the Great God and Odysseus his courageous father have what it takes to defeat the suitors once and for all. His shrewdness was proven when he got his mother out of the line of fire at the shutdown with the suitors in the great hall. His father was pleased that Telemachus had grown into a man that could be of importance to him even in combat. As he stood alone against many suitors and fought diligently and victoriously, he earned both the trust and respect of his father.
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
Telemachus is just a mere weak boy who can’t stand up to the suitors and wishes that his father, Odysseus, would return to be rid the suitors from their house, but, the warrior goddess of wisdom, Athena, convinced Telemachus that it was time for him to change his ways and take action against the problems he faces. Evidence about Telemachus’ childish behavior is seen in this excerpt from book
To begin with, Telemachus was afraid to even approach the suitors of his mother about his yearning for them to be gone. He has also lost hope that his father is still alive, because he truly does not know him. “My mother says indeed I am his. I for my part do not know. Nobody really knows his own father.” (32. 215-216) He speaks these words to Athena who in turn tells Telemachus about his father, and what he should do to find out some information about his father’s whereabouts. According to Solon, Telemachos should be at his mental and physical prowess but instead he is simply a boy who cannot even lead his own house. He needs the push and advice of a stranger for him to decide what to do.
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...
...ks, the distaff and the loom, and keep the women working hard as well.. I hold the reins of power in this house'” (Homer 89). With a shock, his mother followed his order and this shocked some suitors as well. “Discreet Telemachus took command: ' You suitors who plague my mother, you, you insolent, overweening... You must leave my palace! But if you decide fare is better... carve away'” (Homer 89). He still hasn't quite won yet because he wasn't able to actually throw them out by himself, so the suitors still look down on him. However, a huge change was shown through Telemachus. He actually gained the courage to say something, which is a really good sign. After he said something, he finally took action to go look for his father himself. Without a doubt, Athena's visit was the element that allowed Telemachus begin doing something about his life and make some changes.
...n Ithaca, 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.
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.
...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.