Odyssey Essay

The Odyssey Essay

In The Odyssey written by Homer and translated by Robert Fitzgerald, Telemakhos, the son of Odysseus, makes an important journey to learn the fate of his missing father and in the process transforms from a boy to man. At the beginning of his journey Telemakhos demonstrates the character traits of immaturity and timidness, at the end of his journey he had become courageous, mature, shrewd, and physically capable. When the reader first encounters Telemakhos in Book II, he is immature and timid. He sits upon his his missing father’s throne and watches over his kingdom with little experience or wisdom to handle the job. He is angry that his mother’s suitors just sit around use up the kingdom’s resources while they vie to marry his mother. Still Telemakhos doesn’t know what he can do to end their behavior. Telemakhos immatuirty is demonstrated in Book II lines 327 - 333 where he says: “Antinoos, I cannot see myself again taking a quiet dinner in this company. Isn’t it enough that you could strip my house under my very nose when i was young? Now that I know, being grown, what others say, I understand it all, and my heart is full. i’ll bring black doom upon you if I can”

This quote shows his lack of maturity in his prior handling of the suitors and his inability to deal with them makes him angry. A good example of Telemakhos’ timidness is seen in Book IV lines 341 - 347 when he said to King Menelaos of Sparta “My lord marshal Menelaos, son of Atreus, I came to hear what news you had of my Father. My house, my good estates are being ruined. Each day my mother’s bullying suitors come to slaughter flocks of mine and my black cattle: enemies crowd our home. And this is why I come to you for news of him who owned it.” This quote shows Telemakhos’ is timid of his mother’s “bullying’ suitors and he is seeking his father so he can put things right in the kingdom. Thus, the text of the Odyssey evidences that Telemakhos was immature and timid at the tale’s beginning. As the book progresses Telemakhos character traits change and he gradually becomes more mature and courageous. During the search for his father he is forced to go out into the world and in the process he gains life experience. Evidence of Telemakhos change from a immature boy to a mature man at the end of his journey can be found in Book XXI in lines 189 -199 which reads, “Mother, as to the bow and who may handle it or not handle it, no man here has more authority than I do....This question of the bow will be for the men to settle, most of all for me. I am master here.” This passage comes at the place in the book where the disguised Odysseus is to be given a chance to shoot the bow to gain Penelope’s hand. This quote reflects that Telemakhos has grown up and is taking charge by telling his mother that he is the master of the kingdom and will decide who gets to shoot the bow. Telemakhos change from a timid boy to a courageous man is seen in Book XX from lines 338 - 342 when he says “Ktesippos, lucky for you, by heaven, not to have hit him! He took care of himself, else you’d have had my lance-head in your belly; no marriage, but a grave instead on Ithaka for your father’s pains.” This is an example of Telemakhos’ courage because it shows that he is now willing to stand up to a suitor and take up arms against him if necessary. As the Odyssey concludes, Telemakhos character has changed from a person who is immature and timid to a person who is mature and courageous. At the end of the book Telemakhos has gained two additional character traits of shrewdness and physical strength. An example of Telemakhos’ shrewdness is found in Book XVII from lines 98 - 107. “Peirarios none of us knows how this affair will end. Say one day our fine suitors, without warning, draw upon me, kill me in our hall and parcel out my patrimony --- I wish you, and no one of them, to have those things. But if my hour comes, if I can bring down bloody death on all that crew, you will rejoice to send my gifts to me -- and so will I rejoice!” This quote displays Telemakhos’ shrewdness because he was afraid that if the suitors killed him his gifts would go to waste because they would steal them. Thus, he asks his servant to hold on to them. The physical capability that Telemakhos has gained at the end of the epic is reflected in Book XXII from lines 117 - 125 which say, “Quick upon his father’s word Telemakhos ran to the room where spears and armor lay. He caught up four light shields, four pairs of spears, four helms of war high-plumed with flowing manes, and ran back, loaded down, to his father’s side. He was the first to pull a helmet on and slide his bare arm in a buckler strap. The servants armed themselves and all three took their stand beside their master for battle.” This quote exemplifies Telemakhos new physical strength as he carries the heavy equipment in preparation for battle. He has turned into a soldier of physical power. Thus, as Telemakhos matures throughout the story, he adopts the additional character traits of shrewdness and physical strength. It was necessary for Telemakhos to take a journey in search of his father because it helped him grow from a boy to a man. At the beginning of the book Telemakhos was immature an timid. He was a boy trapped in a man’s world. His kingdom was falling apart because of the suitors and he did not know what he could do about it. By the end of his journey and the return of his father, Telemakhos had grown into a mature, courageous, shrewd and physically capable man.