Quotes For The Odysseus

Telemachus was the son of Odysseus, mighty king of Ithaca and hero of Athena. Telemachus was a mere infant when Odysseus set sail for Troy where he helped to conquer the Trojans and retrieve Menelaus’ wife Helen. Despite emerging victorious from the Trojan war, Odysseus hadn't succeeded in returning home to Ithaca, and so twenty-one years after his departure for Troy, his family and kingdom believed him to be dead. Telemachus had lived his entire life without his father and as the Odyssey begins, although twenty-one years of age, Telemachus seems to be a child and not a powerful young man. Telemachus was first portrayed as a somber young lad who's heart was stricken with grief for the loss of his father. He was daydreaming and keeping to himself

Odysseus also knows that he can depend on his now grown son. He does not hesitate to stand with his adult child to defend his home and his honor. Loyalty has no limits. Not only is there devotion amidst the family unit of Odysseus, it is also evident in the relationship between the gods and Odysseus. Although he has gone trough many trials and tribulations in the last twenty years, Odysseus is still faithful to pray and seek counsel and blessings. After Zeus relents and demands the gods to allow our hero to return home, Odysseus is given the information and guidance and favor to complete his

When Odysseus tells the Phaeacians he longs for sleep, they ask him to continue, which he does, by ending it with him and his shipmates becoming frightened and sailing off.

Odysseus’ and Telemachus’ journeys or nostos were both very similar and different. They parallel each other in some ways but they are also completely different at other times. Telemachus starts as a younger, less mature boy, and without the presence of his father during his childhood, he becomes a timid, shy and spineless boy who is greatly pampered by his mother. He has even more to achieve, being the son of a world-famous father, and this is a very difficult reputation to live up to. His journey, and after that the killing of the suitors who took advantage of him really show how his journeys and problems throughout the book mature him from being a shy, timid boy into a mature man. Odysseus’ journey also taught him about many things

This quote is from the time Odysseus is trapped on an island by the nymph Calypso for nine years. These powerful words portray clearly the pain that Odysseus bears within him thus giving the reader a fuller understanding of the story and his character.

Telemachus, in the Odyssey by Homer, is a young man who has disregarded his responsibilities as a god and son. He is to take on the land that his father, Odysseus, left behind when he supposedly died after the journey back from the Trojan War. He learns later on that his father may not even be dead, and that he may be captured by the people of Calypso. Soon as he hears the news, Telemachus begins to recognize his obligation and then accepts the qualities it takes to become a hero that the people of Ithaca and other countries are looking for. He also learns about gaining respect from these countries takes treating others with admiration. Close to the end of Book IV, the audience sees a character who has taking initiative in his life, shifting towards maturity, and

The Hero’s Journey is never an easy one. This particular journey, as detailed in Homer’s The Odyssey, is one of struggle, loss, heartache, pain, growth and triumph. It is comprised of many steps that Odysseus has to overcome and battle through in order to achieve his final goal of reaching his home and his loved ones. From the Call to Adventure to the Freedom or Gift of living, Odysseus conquered them all. The story begins in the middle of the story, as many of the oral Greek traditions did, with the Journey of Telemachus to find his father. Although Telemachus has not yet met his father, it is almost as if they are journeying together, where the end of both of their journeys results in being reunited. Telemachus journeys from being a

He uses the metaphor “To whom I leave the sceptre and the isle,”(line 34) to show that he is leaving Ithaca under Telemachus’ care. Odysseus trusts Telemachus to be a good leader of Ithaca.

Towards the end of the journeys it becomes evident that the kingdom will be in good hands once Odysseus dies. Telemachus shows strong potential to step into his fathers place and follow with his father’s leadership. He shows his desire to take his fathers place as he states “Antonio’s, you might not like my answer, but I would happily be king, if Zeus conferred the prize,” (432), “All I insist on is that I rule our house and rule the slave my father won for me,” (433). Telemachus is trying to follow in the footsteps of his father, showing that Ithaca will have another strong leader once his father passes away. He believes that his dad has made many sacrifices in order to build a strong community and Telemachus wants to maintain this after his dad passes away, carrying on the

This statement is very telling as it defines not only the appearance of the great Odysseus, but also the son he left behind. Furthermore, it begins to develop a timeline of actions by announcing that Odysseus left home when Telemachus was only a baby. Nestor recognizes that Odysseus ' appearance, vivacity, and personality are apparent in his progeny, Telemachus. This is encouraging to Telemachus as he hears that he resembles the great king Odysseus. As Telemachus presses for news of what has become of his father, Telemachus learns that his father may yet be alive and held captive by a goddess-nymph named Calypso. He then glorifies the strong will of Orestes and encourages Telemachus to do the same: "And you, my friend - / how tall and handsome I see you now - be brave, you too, / so men to come will sing your praises down the years." (3, 226 - 227).

Now we return to the re-encounter of the father and the son. They spend twenty years apart from each other undergoing trials and hardship that poise them for their final confrontation. Telemachus and Odysseus both arrive on the island of Ithaca within more or less the same time period. And they both, out of prudence and devotion, seek safety in the swineherd's security; in this they are analogous. Odysseus' restraint is shown when he abstains from revealing his identity to his son until Eumaeus has exited. Before father and son first recognize each other, and before Telemachus knows that he is talking to his father, an interesting phenomenon occurs in which both father and son demonstrate their humility and likeness to each other. The event involves Odysseus offering his seat to Telemachus and Telemachus refusing the offer. The significance of this event is that Odysseus, who is in disguise as a beggar, is a more dominant man than Telemachus and modest enough to offer his seat. Telemachus in turn knows that he is a better man than a beggar but refuses chivalrously to take the beggar's seat. The

Odysseus’s strong desire to return to his family inspires foreign rulers to assist Odysseus in returning home. Odysseus states, “Nevertheless I long—I pine, all my days— / to travel home and see the dawn of my return” to Calypso (5.242-234). Odysseus stayed with the goddess Calypso as her “unwilling lover” until he leaves on a raft (5.172; 179-187). Calypso grants Odysseus leave from her island because he is in grieving over being separated from his family. Odysseus lands in Phaeacia after leaving Calypso’s island. While begging for passage home, Odysseus says, “How far away I’ve been / from all my loved ones—how long I have suffered” (7.180-181). King Alcinous

Additionally, the mere fact that the gods and the other characters are in favor of Odysseus' return home makes him a mythic hero. The mood of the story is one of victory, in which the best is yet to come. Odysseus revels in the feeling of eventual success because the other characters in the story are all on his side. Athena and some other gods and goddesses intervene into Odysseus' journey, confirming the happy ending from the very first page. Athena introduces the story herself, by saying: "But my own heart is broken for Odysseus, / the master mind of war, so long a castaway / ... / But such desire is in him / merely to see the hearthsmoke leaping upward / from his own island, that he longs to die" (Homer 220). Odysseus' success is also verified

The passage above show the grief and pain that Telemachus feels about the absence of Odysseus. Though he has never had the opportunity to meet his father face to face, he still continues to grieve over his absence. This excerpt also suggests how the dark and sad pain that Telemachus feels will not go away until Odysseus reaches home, and reunites with his family.

Throughout The Odyssey, Telemachus has shown continuous growth of character as he finds himself maturing in a house occupied by his mother’s suitors. In book II of The Odyssey, he sets sails in hopes of finding out the whereabouts of his father. It becomes clear of Telemachus’ development from youth to man as he takes on the responsibility as the head of the family. This book portrays the rise of Telemachus and the evolution of different traits that helps his solve different issue that arises such as the disrespectfulness of the suitors, their violation of Odysseus’ household and their ignorance of the gods. These traits also prepare him for the journey he is about to embark on.