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.
One way Odysseus and telemachus can be compared is their courage. Both Telemachus and Odysseus are very courageous. They have to be courageous to be the heroes that they are. However, Odysseus is the main character of the poem and only earned that status by proving himself through many harrowing encounters. Homer lets the reader know that Odysseus is greater, and specifically more courageous, than Telemachus when they both react differently to the problem of the
When Odysseus says, “I’d rather have my head cut from my shoulders by some slashing adversary, if I brought no hurt upon that crew!” (121-123), Homer is showing the readers that Odysseus will not avoid any fight that he thinks is a noble fight. No matter how unevenly matched the battle is, if it is a battle that should be fought, Odysseus has the courage to go forward. In fact, he would rather die in a noble fight, than have the guilt of not participating in that noble fight. Telemachus, on the other hand, regards his own safety as a valuable asset and is incredulous when Odysseus suggests such a miss-matched encounter. Telemachus shows this when he questions Odysseus’s suggestion to fight; “How can two men do battle with a household in their prime?”(289-290). When Telemachus says this he shows that he does not have Odysseus’s immense courage and