How Does Telemachus Mature

As humans, people grow and develop each day, whether it is physically or mentally. In the epic poem The Odyssey, Telemachus, Odyssey’s son, is in search for his father who just finished fighting in the Trojan War. It is quite noticeable that Telemachus is very emotional and depressed due to his father’s disappearance and with the help of Athena they sail off in quest to find Odyssey. Telemachus was sad and depressed because of Odyssey’s departure, but during his journey to find his father, Telemachus grows and becomes a braver and stronger leader. In the first book, Telemachus is first introduced as a sad grieving twenty one year old, waiting for news on his father’s journey home. When Athena, disguise as Mentes, Zeus’s favorite daughter,

Telemachus is now taking baby steps by calling men of Ithaca, and announcing his feeling towards the suitors, “…if you were devouring all my treasure, all my cattle, if you were the ones we’d make adems in no time.”(Homer II, 80-81). Telemachus shows bravery and courage to by telling the suitors and the men of Ithaca, that the suitors are worthless men, and they are very rude to abuse the power of hospitality. Soon after though, the suitor are outrage and blame Penelope for their behavior, claiming that she lead them on. After arguing for what seemed like years, Telemachus still holds his ground and shows no sign of weakness. He tells the men that he is going on a journey to find his father “And now all I ask is a good swift ship and a crew of twenty men to speed me through my passage out and back.” (Homer II, 236-238). Telemachus recruits the men of Ithaca for help to find Odyssey, he shows that he is already taking control and wants to talk to Nestor and Menelaus to find information about his father’s whereabouts. If he hears any news that Odyssey is alive he shall wait and look for his father for one more year, but if he hears that Odyssey is dead, Telemachus should go back to Ithaca, and let Penelope marry a suitor. Telemachus displays that he is becoming a better leader by being courageous when he stands up to the

At first, Telemachus is a bit hesitate to question Nestor, but Athena quickly encourages him which gained back his confidence. Nestor then says to Telemachus “Your father, yes, if you are in fact his son… I look at you and a sense of wonder takes me. Your way with words- it’s just like his- I’d swear no youngster could ever speak like you, so apt, so telling.”(Homer III, 137-140). Nestor says to Telemachus that he sounds like his father. This is a huge compliment, because Odyssey was a clever smart leader. Telemachus is now putting more energy into finding his father, and shows how intelligent he is becoming. Unfortunately, Nestor had very little to say about the whereabouts of Odyssey because the last time he saw him was when Menelaus, Agamemnon, Nestor and Odyssey split up. After the Trojan War, they all started to show hubris by overtaking island which did not please the gods at all. In order to get on the good sides of the gods, they all had to make sacrifices. Agamemnon and his men wanted to stay for one more day before they sail home, but Menelaus, Nestor, and Odyssey were eager to sail back home. As a result in leaving, Zeus released a huge storm upon them. Odyssey, for the sake of his men, went back to Agamemnon which was the last time Nestor saw Odyssey. When Telemachus was told this story from the past, he wishes and hopes that the gods would help him; “If only the gods would