The Odyssey

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Topic: Telemachus’ journey

Argument: comparison of Telemachus’ journey with that of Odysseus

            Telemachus’ journey can be significantly compared to that of Odysseus. These two in some ways parallel each other and also sometimes completely differ. Telemachus begins his journey as a young, less mature boy and in the absence of his father. He then becomes timid, spineless and a shy boy highly pampered by his mother. Being a son of a famous father in the world, he has more to achieve. The death of the suitors who used to take advantage of him shows the way his journeys and problems mature him from being a timid, shy boy to a mature man. Similarly, Odysseus’ journey was also a lesson to him to learn so many things which he had not experienced before including poverty, suffering and other difficult things of nature. Telemachus and Odysseus have comparable but different journeys in life which significantly transform them throughout the epic and they meet different forces both supernatural and human which influence their lives. One of the similarities in the journeys of Odysseus and Telemachus is that both were so much liked by Athena who escorts both on the journeys in Greece (Tracy, 17). In this essay, I will explore Telemachus’ journey and how he was shaped in many ways, in comparison to his father Odysseus.

            Telemachus was left as the man of the house after his father had gone for Trojan War. Despite his immaturity at the start of the book, he eventually matures into a man who later tries to revenge the abuse of the suitors flooding their place. In the beginning, Telemachus is so scared that he cannot even approach the suitors (Homer & Stanley, 23). He also loses hope whether his father was still living. His uncertainty about his father worries him and this takes him to Athena because he had even become tired with the suitors. Athena guides Telemachus about his father and how he should go about to find his father’s whereabouts.

            Telemachus becomes courageous and starts a mission to look for his father Homer & Stanley, 25). The progress made by Telemachus since the start of the odyssey is noticeable from being separated from everything in order to become one of the honored sons in the eyes of powerful people just as his father Odysseus was. Telemachus is very separated and distant from everybody, he then goes ahead to develop self-confidence as he goes to look for his father. He figures out his plans with Athena, thereafter going out to meet different kings and queens who had a broader knowledge about his father. Through meeting these people, Telemachus started progressing from a fearful and a shy boy into a confident and a fearless man. Telemachus’ evolution was so stunning because he was able to change very fast and this was due to the people he started meeting and the places he visited.

            On his first meeting with Athena, Telemachus is a detached man who is not sure of his surroundings. He acts very distant even before meeting Athena because he is not certain himself. Even as the suitors fumble through their home and eat all the food plus the wine, he is not able to stand up for himself but rather lets them to do the destruction as he watches (Homer & Stanley, 5). This character is a bit far different from his father’s character because Odysseus is known to be a tough and a world-hardener who has survived many worst wars ever.

            However, as Telemachus grew up, he proves to be a proactive man with dignity and power just as his father Odysseus. In his chat with Athena, he is able to understand the need to save his father. Athena was able to give him the knowledge about his father and this gave him courage (Homer & Stanley, 23). While listening, in their conversation with Athena, he begins to develop proactive actions. This gave him the courage to send off the suitors. After getting the reassurance from Athena, he is now sure of himself and he now goes back with power to send the suitors away. He says, “You must leave my palace” (Homer & Stanley, 42). Telemachus got courage and sent away suitors from his house, the action that marked a dramatic change in the life of Telemachus. He is taking charge and has power to make things happen for himself just like his father. His drastic change scared the suitors who had to bit their lips. Additionally, they got scared by his appearance because he strode in too, with a bronze spear in the grip, two sleek hounds at his heals (Homer & Stanley, 41). He gained power to start taking leadership and to lead the assembly. Telemachus changed very much to the extent of taking risks in his life. He is so courageous and now makes pacts about his father, and risks his life in his journey confidently.         After setting sail, Telemachus becomes more confident the farther he gets from Ithica. It reached a moment when Telemachus became certain about finding his father and he confidently meets with various kings. Telemachus wisdom can also be compared to his father’s as stated by Menelaus. “Your father’s son you are, your words have got all his wisdom”, Menelaus said. This was after Telemachus expressed himself before him. At that level, Telemachus is showing much maturity and wisdom, he inquires truth from Menelaus whether good or bad. After learning his father’s whereabouts, Telemachus following the instructions of Athena goes to Eumaios’s hut where he finds his father Odysseus. After getting an assurance from Odysseus that he was his real son, Telemachus rejoiced and started plotting to destroy the suitors.

            Telemachus a starts as a young boy in this book of Odyssey but in his experience, he is able to develop as the most significant character. Telemachus starts as a shy, timid, and a fearful young boy. The suitors tried to show disrespect to the Telemachus plus the mother. But Telemachus started maturing up slowly by slowly. He asserts himself by calling for a meeting of elders so as to protest the activities of the suitors (Homer & Stanley, 16). That is when he speaks so well and impresses some of the elders. However, the suitors still showed no respect for Telemachus and the mother. This is when Athena sensed some and started to protect the prince. This means Athena plays a significant role in developing Telemachus as a character.

Athena initiates Telemachus’ confidence, because when they just met for the first, Telemachus is pathetic, lonely and aloof. With this state, he was not able to remove the suitors out of his father’s palace. But the more they met with Athena, the more confident and mature he became. Telemachus is also determined to know the truth about himself and his father’s whereabouts due to the fact that he is not sure of himself. That is why he says “mother says I am his son”. Meaning he is not sure whether that is true (Homer & Stanley, 7). This therefore motivated him to find the truth about him from his father Odysseus. This was also caused by the character of the suitors who took over his father’s palace. This act left him not sure whether that place was their home or not. Therefore he wanted to get the truth. Telemachus is also known to be a wise young man; this is evident as the elders become impressed with his words. Also Menelaus also appreciates him as a wise man on how he spoke to him. Finally, he was determined to send off the suitors from their home because he was tired of how they behaved. This made him to come up powerfully he was observed as one of the major characters in the book.

Conclusion

            In exploring the journey of Telemachus as compared to Odysseus, we find that Telemachus started as a shy, timid and aloof boy so different from his father Odysseus. But what Telemachus encountered faced in life taught him and transformed into a fearless man. Telemachus starts to mature eventually and swiftly and he became confident and fearless. That is why he reaches the level of risking his life no matter the condition with determination to find his father’s whereabouts. His determination finally helps him to locate his father who assured him that he is a true son of his. After that, he had courage to destroy the suitors. His transformation is what makes him appear an important character in the book.

References

Homer, & Stanley Lombardo. The Odyssey. (2000). Copyright © 2000 by Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.

Tracy, Stephen V. The Story of the Odyssey. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press, 1990. Print.