Telemachus

In the beginning of the Odyssey, we see Telemachus as a timid boy constantly under the wrath of the suitors. (Book 2: 298-9) "The suitors most of all, the pernicious bullies - foil each move I make." We can see here that Telemachus has little courage. It is at this time when he realizes that he cannot stay like this forever, and so he sets sails to find new of his father. Upon return, he is reunited with Odysseus and by this time, Telemachus has shown a great display of courage and pride in himself. No longer timid, in book 22 line 487, he is called "Stern Telemachus." We can also see that upon Odysseus' return, Telemachus takes no hesitation to lash out at Penelope for not weeping at his feet. This is a sharp change from the beginning, when he is very mindful of his mother (Book 23: 111-19). At the end of the book, Telemachus, with the help of his dad and 2 other people, slaughter all of the suitors. This is the true test of Telemachus' courage as he was very scared of them in book 1. 

Blake Lattimer

Colin Sunderland