Preview

The Role Of Telemachus In Homer's Odyssey

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
402 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Role Of Telemachus In Homer's Odyssey
The first four books, other wise known as the Telemachy, is able to prepare the readers for the story of Odysseus as it gives background information on the characters and foreshadows what is to come in the books ahead. Foreshadowing is prevalent throughout the epic and the journey's in it. In the case of Agamemnon, his life is ultimately ended in the hands of his wife and the suitor she had chosen. His son's revenge can foreshadow and parallel to what Telemachus and his journey may bring ahead. The story of Orestes (Agamemnon's son) and the vindication for his father, "Orestes killed the snake that killed his father. He gave his hateful mother and her soft man a tomb together, and proclaimed a festival day for all the Argive people." (44), brings to light the similarities between Telemachus and Orestes. …show more content…
Even …show more content…
When Telemachus meets Athena she exclaims how he looks remarkable similar to the hero she patronized, "You must be, by your looks, Odysseus' boy?" (8), through her description of their similarities readers are able to be introduced to Odysseus without even meeting him. The effect of comparing father to son brings a dramatic element that leaves readers awaiting for the reunion of the two. Elaborating on Athena's guidance to Odysseus, and eventually Telemachus, her help shows that the gods are reoccurring throughout the epic and in Greek
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Who Is Telemachus Disguise In The Odyssey
    • 65 Words
    • 1 Page

    Who Is Telemachus Disguise In The Odyssey

    King alcinous and his friends send odysseus home and he can’t recognize his homeland. Athena disguses herself as an old man to tell him it’s his home. People plan to kill odyesseus. Odysseus dresses as an old man and telemachus doesn’t know it’s him.…

    • 65 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    How Does Telemachus Obtain His Destiny
    • 171 Words
    • 1 Page

    How Does Telemachus Obtain His Destiny

    In the novel The Odyssey Telemachus is destined to find his father Odysseus who has been imprisoned for up to ten years by Poseidon for blinding Poseidon's son Polyphemus. Telemachus is Odysseus son whose destiny has been predetermined by the gods. Telemachus was chosen out of many to find his father and bring him to freedom. Telemachus destiny was made for him when Athena the god of wisdom disguised herself as a mentor.…

    • 171 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Odysseus And Telemachus Relationship
    • 166 Words
    • 1 Page

    Odysseus And Telemachus Relationship

    The poem begins with four books telling of a future hero, Odysseus's son Telemachus. Telemachus has his father's gift of speech and some of his courage, but needs Athena's encouragement before he ventures forth. Athena makes explicit Odysseus's excellence. Posing as Mentor, she marvels "now there was a man, I'd say, in words and actions both!" (102). Many Greek heroes are men of action, a few others skilled in counsel, but few combine the two like Odysseus. As Telemachus relates it, people say that Odysseus pledged his word and "made it good in action" on the battlefield (110). Telemachus wishes that his father could have had a good death in battle, or in old age at home, either of which would mean great fame for the Greek hero. Instead, he…

    • 166 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Comparing Odysseus And Telemachus In Homer's Odyssey
    • 590 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Comparing Odysseus And Telemachus In Homer's Odyssey

    The story of Homer’s Odyssey tells the tales of Odysseus, king of Ithaka. He loses his way on his way back from the Trojan war. Odysseus confronts extremely difficult ordeals to come home and routinely wins. Homer uses the differences in the Strength, courage, cunning, and mercy of Odysseus and Telemachus in order to show that Odysseus is more of an hero than Telemachus.…

    • 590 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Journey of Heroes: Dorothy and Odysseus
    • 1312 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Journey of Heroes: Dorothy and Odysseus

    First, Odysseus’s and Dorothy’s journeys begin with the departure. The departure of Odysseus’s journey starts when Odysseus is asked by Menelaus to leave Ithaca and fight the Trojans to get Helen back. At first Odysseus refuses the call to travel to Troy because he does not want to leave his beloved wife Penelope and his son Telemachus. Athena, who is the goddess of war and wisdom, is Odysseus’s supernatural aid throughout The Odyssey. Athena protects and stands by Odysseus’s side through the Trojan War. Finally, Odysseus leaves Ithaca to go fight in the Trojan War. Odysseus then enters the belly of the whale when entering the…

    • 1312 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    What Is Telemachus Relationship In The Odyssey
    • 258 Words
    • 2 Pages

    What Is Telemachus Relationship In The Odyssey

    information which he obtained from the Old man of the sea to the reader. The…

    • 258 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Telemacus In Homer's The Odyssey
    • 80 Words
    • 1 Page

    Telemacus In Homer's The Odyssey

    Like Telemacus, in Homer’s The Odyssey , some people need a boost for themselves in order to gow up. In The Odyssey, Telemachus goes on a journeywhich will better allow him to go through his change from boy to man. The people on his journey will help him gather the information he needs about his father .Menelaus and Nestor recognized Telemachus as the son of the mighty Odysseus. As a result, they gave him guest gifts and made him…

    • 80 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Values Of Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey
    • 435 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Values Of Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey

    Odysseus has long been known as classic epic hero, and, coupled with that, the perfect portrayal of ancient Greek values. However, there is another character in The Odyssey who displays these values more accurately—Odysseus’ son, Telemakhos.…

    • 435 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Prophecy In The Oresteia
    • 865 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Prophecy In The Oresteia

    Thus Orestes interprets the prophecy as him killing his mother as revenge for his father’s death. Cassandra had foreseen this in Agamemnon, and it has come true in The Libation Bearers, as evidenced by Clytaemnestra’s dream and Orestes’ return and subsequent murder of his mother. Again, the prophecies from Agamemnon and The Libation Bearers are shown to be integral to the plot.…

    • 865 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    What Role Does Telemachus Play In The Odyssey
    • 574 Words
    • 3 Pages

    What Role Does Telemachus Play In The Odyssey

    In class, we are studying ‘The Odyssey’ by Homer. We are reading the translation of ‘The Odyssey’ by Robert Fitzgerald as well as a different version translated by Samuel Butler. A lot of what happens to Telemachus is relevant to events that families who have a parent/guardian in the military go through today.…

    • 574 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Character Of Telemachus In Homer's Odyssey
    • 1025 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Character Of Telemachus In Homer's Odyssey

    Telemachus started at the beginning of the epic as a weakling and a coward, and was a prey for the vultures before Athena helped him out. He was first introduced in the epic as “Prince Telemachus,/ sitting among the suitors, hearts obsessed with grief.” (Homer. 1. 132- 133). That was the first impression he had on Athena when she arrived to his palace. No wonder he needed help, being helplessly surrounded by his enemies and spending his days worrying what was his father’s fate. He is further characterized as indecisive, self-pitying and doubtful, supported by his quotations: “ ‘Mother has always told me I’m his son, it’s true,/ but I am not so certain…… Now, think of the…

    • 1025 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Growth Of Telemachus In Homer's Odyssey
    • 896 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Growth Of Telemachus In Homer's Odyssey

    Athena has made it her mission to inspire Telemachus with bravery and courage, so that he can grow up to be a man. Initially, Telemachus is shy and timid, unable to stand up to those above him. In an effort to make Telemachus rise above his tormentors, Athena says, “Oh how much you need Odysseus, gone so long—how he’d lay hands on all these brazen suitors!...if only that Odysseus sported…

    • 896 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Telemachus In Homer's Odyssey
    • 407 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Telemachus In Homer's Odyssey

    First Telemachus sails to Pylos and meets Nestor. Nestor tells him that he doesn't know much about Odysseus but explains Odysseus’s travels and adventures. Telemachus then goes to Sparta and talks to Helen and Menelaus. They tell him many tales of his father and also that he heard the Odysseus is on Kalypso’s island and that he is alive. This is what happens in the first four books of the odyssey. Telemachus’ character completely changes after his journey. He has developed a new vengeance for the suitors and respect for his father, despite also inwardly grieving that Odysseus left him in the first place. Later in Book 15 Telemachus reaches Ithaca and he meets his father at Eumaeus’ house and they both plot a plan to kill the suitors. A quotes from the book that describes his change is “ah, Father, even when danger comes I think you'll find courage in me. I am not scatterbrained”(Homer XVI.369-372). This shows that he is willing to do anything to help his father get rid of the suitors. By the end of the telemachia, Telemachus has changed from a naive and reckless teenager to an intelligent, brave, man shown as the rightful heir to Odysseus’s…

    • 407 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Odysseus An Epic Hero Analysis
    • 160 Words
    • 1 Page

    Odysseus An Epic Hero Analysis

    Odysseus’s tale has been told several times, and most depict him as an epic hero. In fact, he shows several qualities one finds in classic Greek heroes, such as Achilles, Hercules, and Theseus. Like most epic heroes, Odysseus has been mostly harmed by the gods. From him angering Poseidon by blinding his Cyclopes son Prometheus, to Zeus striking down his ship, Odysseus did not have the gods on his side during his journey home. Athena, however, aided him when he arrived to his homeland. Although she did not help during his travels, Athena assisted Odysseus in his battle against the suitors in his kingdom. She was one of the only goddesses on his side. Odysseus also possesses the personal qualities of an epic hero. He is confident and cunning,…

    • 160 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Telemachus The Aeneid
    • 1814 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Telemachus The Aeneid

    The question of what it takes to become a man is one that has existed for millennia. Naturally the answer to that question changes, often significantly, depending on where one asks. Even in mythology, this is a popular subject, and shown very clearly in Homer’s epic The Odyssey and Virgil’s The Aeneid. While both tales focus on fathers, the stories of their sons also hold great importance, and each of the sons has a coming of age story within their father’s. But for the Greeks and soon-to-be Romans, becoming a man can mean slightly different things. Telemachus, the son of the great Odysseus, has to learn, for the most part, to become a man in the absence of his father. The son of Aeneas, Iulus, also grows up in the midst of trouble and war.…

    • 1814 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More

Related Topics