Lenox Butcher, Catie Asarch and Shreya Muchimilli

Telemachus is a very interesting character who has many different stages of maturity throughout the book because the story occurs while he’s growing up from a boy to a man. The very beginning of the book shows a completely different level of maturity in Telemachus but by the the very end you can see that Telemachus has become a responsible and mature man.

In book one Athena knows that Telemachus needs help and when she comes to the disguised as a beggar he appears as more of a boy than a man, lost in the midst of the suitors, sulking and wishing for his father to come home. He simply caters to the suitors’ needs waiting for his father to come home or his mother to marry one so Telemachus can be rid of them. His emotions are all over the place, from random bursts of courage demanding the suitors to leave, to pool of tears when they refuse. Telemachus is constantly trying to state his authority as the man of the house, but he still hasn’t proven himself to the suitors to earn any respect or grown old enough for him to handle the responsibility himself.

Throughout Book 1, Athena Inspires the Prince, Telemachus shows immaturity, saturnine behavior and wishes for his father to return. For example, “...heart obsessed with grief. He could almost see his magnificent father, here...in the mind’s eye-if only he might drop from the clouds and drive these suitors all in a rout throughout the halls and regain his pride of place and rule his own domains! Daydreaming so as he sat among the suitors...” (page 81 lines 133-138). These lines show that Telemachus isn’t prepared to take an entire kingdom and wishes for his father to come home.In Books 2-4 Telemachus starts to take action, after being visited by Athena. He begins his odyssey for Odysseus and starts to take up responsibility. Yet he hasn’t matured, but his confidence has been boosted. Telemachus is respected more than he was in the first book but he still isn’t capable of taking care of the entire kingdom more less the suitors and still acts childish. For example, “...so the people all gazed in wonder as he came forward, the elders making way as he took his father’s seat.” (page 93 lines 13-14). These lines show that Telemachus starts to take responsibility and that people begun to respect him. “Now we have no man like odysseus in command to drive this curse from the house.” (page 95 lines 63-64). These lines show that even though Telemachus was respect, he still isn’t able to take care of this herculean task.  “Filled with anger, down on the ground he dashed the speaker’s scepter-bursting into tears. Pity seized the assembly. All just sat there, silent...no one had the heart to reply with harshness.” (pages 95-96 lines 85-89) These lines show that Telemachus is emotionally stable and that he can not handle things very well, instead he is throwing a tantrum.

However by Books 20-24, Telemachus is more clear-headed and is often compared to a young god; these books also say that Telemachus has passed a threshold-from childhood to adultery, his maturity level raises and his courage and confidence increase as well. “Telemachus climbed from bed and dressed at once, brisk as a young god-...” (page 414 lines 139-140) This line compares Telemachus to a god. “ ‘My fault, father,’ the cool clear prince replied, ‘ the blame’s all mine. That snug door to the vault, I left it ajar-they’ve kept a better watch than I. Go Eumaeus, shut the door to the storeroom, check and see if it’s one of the women’s tricks or Dolius’ son Melanthius. He’s our man, I’d say.’ ” (page 444 lines 162-167) these lines show maturity because taking blame and coming clean takes a lot of courage. “The inspired Prince Telemachus heard his pleas and quickly said to his father close beside him, ‘Stop, don’t cut him down! This one’s innocent. So is the herald Medon-the one who always tended me in the house when I little- spare him too. Unless he’s dead by now, killed by Philoetius or Eumaeus here-or ran into you rampaging through the halls.’ ” (page 450 lines 374-381) These lines also show bravery and courage because he stopped his father, Odysseus, from killing an innocent person in his rage.