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,

first arrives in Ithaca the first person she meets is Telemachus, “First by far to see her was Prince Telemachus, sitting among the suitors, heart obsessed with grief” (Homer I, 132-133). Telemachus is clearly very sad and depressed because his father, Odyssey a Greek solider who is stuck in an island with a serpant named Calypso. Whereas back in Ithaca, 100’s of suitors overran his home because they all want to marry Penelope, Odyssey’s wife. Penelope and Telemachus do not have the power to get rid of the suitors because they will get in trouble from the gods for not showing hospitality. Furthermore, the problem with the annoying suitors is that they are very greedy; they eat and rest at Telemachus home without any charge just waiting for Penelope to pick a man to remarry and to be crowned king. Luckily, Penelope is very loyal to Odyssey’s and grieves for Odyssey, waiting for his return home. Telemachus tells Athena after she ate why he is not strong enough to kick the suitors out; “But that man- if they caught sight of him home in Ithaca by god, they’d all pray to be faster on their feet than richer in bars of gold (Homer I, 190-193). Telemachus is relying on his father to fix problem with suitors because Odyssey can kill and kick the suitors out of his house. Odyssey went away for a long time to fight in the Trojan War leaving Telemachus without a male role to help raise him to become a great leader. Athena then encourages Telemachus to kick the suitors out of the palace, get a ship with 20 oars, go down to Pylos to question King Nestor and go to Sparta to talk to Menelaus. As shown, Telechamus is still grieving from his father’s disappearance, but will soon set sail in hopes to find his father’s whereabouts.
In the second book, Telemachus takes action and shows that he is quickly becoming braver with the help of Athena.

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

suitors.
In the third book, Telemachus and his men are finally in Phylos, where King Nestor rules.

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

arm me in such power I’d take revenge on the lawless brazen suitors riding roughshod over me, potting reckless outrage.”(Homer III, 230-233). Telemachus was very impressed and jealous because he wants power and help in order to drive the suitors away from Ithaca and his mother. He states that if he did have the help for the gods that he could easily try amd get the suitors out of Ithaca. Telemachus is now showing hope and determination to find his father and kick the selfish suitors out. Telemachus becomes a braver or confident person as he travels to Phylos and questions King Nestor.
In conclusion, Telemachus to book one to three dramatically changes and grows into a more determined confident leader. At first, when readers met Telemachus he is a sobbing twenty one year old boy who is overall sad and misses his father. Immediately though after talking to Athena, he stands up to the suitors and goes down to Phylos to talk to King Nestor.