Telemachus Relationship In The Odyssey

At the start of The Odyssey, Odysseus has yet to return from the Trojan War and his son Telemachus believes that he is dead. Suitors have occupied his home during this time and are pressuring Odysseus’ wife Penelope to marry one of them. Meanwhile, Telemachus is unable to do anything without his father. Athena, disguised as an old friend of Odysseus’ named Mentor, encourages Telemachus to seek news of his father. At the end of the conversation, Telemachus is aware that he was in the presence of a god but doesn’t know what god is helping him. He plans to visit the kingdoms of some of Odysseus’ war companions in hopes of finding his father’s whereabouts. Book II opens with Telemachus calling an assembly of all of Ithaca’s men, including the suitors, and for the first time Telemachus publicly denounces the suitors and makes clear their crimes to all the men of Ithaca. However, the suitors maintain throughout the conversation they are innocent and have done no wrong.
Telemachus begins by mentioning the loss of Odysseus and how he was a good and caring king and he expresses that the continued occupation of the suitors is almost worse than the loss of his father. The suitors are greedy, rude, and fail to adhere to the rules of hospitality laid down by Zeus. Furthermore, Telemachus is too young and inexperienced
Most notably however, he states that the suitors cannot be expected to atone for their actions as they are ignorant to their own crimes and will face justice in due time. The suitors respond by accusing Mentor of exaggerating their crimes and caution him in picking fights with them. Additionally, they arrogantly state that even with the rage Odysseus would surely exhibit if he were to return, the suitors are too numerous and he would suffer a humiliating defeat in his own home and in front of his wife. Furthermore, they claim that Telemachus will never actually set out on his journey despite his friend’s