Telemachus' Growth

Jake Lipman, Ben Racusin      November 9, 2012

Telemachus’ Growth

At the beginning of the Odyssey, Telemachus is introduced as a young teenager who is longing for his father to come home. For example, “First by far to see her was Price Telemachus, sitting among the suitors, heart obsessed with grief” (Book 1: 132-133) Homer also illustrates Telemachus as a helpless boy who is surrounded by suitors willing to kill him for his father’s kingdom. Although, Telemachus does show that he is aware of xenia, and is smart enough to offer Mentes a bath and gifts, “But come, stay longer, keen as you are to sail, so you can bathe and rest and lift your spirits, then go back to you ship, delighted with a gift, a prize of honor, something rare and fine as a keepsake from myself” (Book 1: 355-359). When Athena, disguised as Mentes, tells Telemachus to embark on a journey to find his father, he acts very calmly and handles the situation nicely which show that he is maturing. In Book 4, Telemachus has matured slightly but still cries when he hear Odysseus name. As Book 4 continues, Telemachus is trying harder to figure out facts about where his father which shows that he is maturing. Telemachus says, “Son of Atreus, King Menelaus, captain of armies, I came in the hope that you can tell me now some news about my father” (Book 4: 353-355). Homer also begins to call Telemachus “clear-sighted Telemachus” because he is becoming smarter and more persistent in finding details about his father (Book 4: 335). In Book 4, Telemachus shows a different side to his character, and moves from being a weak teenager to a “clear-sighted” individual (see previous quote). In Book 20, when Telemachus reenters the story, he is smart enough to realize that the beggar is Odysseus, and makes sure the maid attended to him. Telemachus, in Book 20, supported his father when he was still in his beggar form. He told him to ignore the suitors mocking words and gave him food and wine. Before Telemachus and Odysseus killed the suitors, he volunteered himself to try to shoot the arrow through the axes. This shows that he has become confident since the beginning of the book and has matured a lot.