Telemachus Character Analysis

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Telemachus has drastically changed towards the end of the novel, for in the beginning it is blatantly obvious that he us disengaged from everyone and everything. He is often unaware and unbothered by his surrounding environment. This is proven through the quote, “ Prince Telemachus/ sitting among the suitors, heart obsessed with grief,/he could almost see his magnificent father, here…” (I.132-134). Here Homer illustrates the suitors searching through Telemachus’s house, eating all of his food, and drinking all of his wine, and he remains silent and still. He is internally struggling for he cannot shake what is eating him from the inside. He doesn’t know anything about his other half, for he was left as an infant. This is proven when he says, “ I’ll try my friend, to give you a frank answer,/ Mother has always told me I’m his son, it’s true,/ but I am not so certain” (I.248-250). He misses his father and is constantly surrounded by men trying to marry his mother and taking advantage of his father’s absence. He internalizes his sorrow and so he cannot react to anything. He is numb to all. His numbness is a defense to his loss of hope for his father’s return. He has convinced himself that his father is dead and that this is the life he has. “ No Comfort left for us…not even if/ someone, somewhere, say’s he’s coming home,/ the day of his return will never dawn” (I.194-196). He longs for his father to come back, but remaining optimistic is far too painful and raises the possibility of complete devastation.
After Athena tells Telemachus that he has to take charge. “First, call an assembly tomorrow morning and tell these guys to get out. Then take a journey yourself. Go visit King Nestor and King Menelaus and see if they have news of Od...

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...trength, a huge change from his previous immature ways.
Another example of how Telemachus changed throught the novel is that he greatly matured. This is proven during his journey to speak to Menelaus to discover the truth about his father, he says, “ I came in the hope that you can tell me now/ some news about my father..., tell me the truth,” (IV.351). Here he shows great maturity in that he wants the truth, no matter how painful it can potentially be, he wants nothing but the truth. He shows self-assurance, as well as passion: two things he’s never before shown in the novel.
All in all Telemachus greatly matured through the novel. His standing up to the suitors, trip to Menelaus, and overall taking control of the situation prove how much he has changed. He started off as a quiet, detached, careless boy, and evolved into a confident, well adapted, passionate man.

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