The Role & Importance of Telemachus in the Odyssey by Sreeja Ghosh PDF

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THE ROLE & IMPORTANCE OF TELEMACHUS IN THE ODYSSEY

Sreeja Ghosh (0401448) Laurentian University

Dr. Elizabeth Warman ANCS 1006 EL 12 - Greek Civilization Department of Ancient Studies, Thorneloe University August 05, 2020

What role(s) do you think Telemachus fulfills in The Odyssey? Consider his appearances in all of the assigned books of the epic. There is absolutely no doubt that the Odyssey is by far one of the most elaborative and classic pieces of literary works to date, and that Homer obviously did a fine work in perfectly bringing out and presenting the then contemporary and more specifically, Greek themes, values and notions that are being studied and cherished across generations. This following discussion would be looking at certain aspects and concepts in the Odyssey to better understand the author’s point of view regarding the inclusion of Telemachus as a character of significance. In other words, this essay would dig deep into the vital roles that Telemachus played himself and at times, has helped others play, to carry out the events and occurrences in the epic. As the Odyssey starts with the gods discussing about Odysseus’ much awaited return on Ithaca, it is evident that Telemachus is primarily a means used by Homer to introduce the audience to the basic premise of the epic. Though in majority parts of the Odyssey, it is Odysseus telling his stories and/or experiences, along with the same of others (obviously from his point of view), Telemachus is an important aspect of the epic because it is only him (not Odysseus or any other main hero from the Odyssey), who is there at the palace in Ithaca, witnessing the distress of his mother – Penelope, due to her loneliness and due to the extremely persistent suitors that kept pestering her to marry one of them. If looked closely, another extremely important thing happens during this time – the readers and/or the audience are made aware of the plausible bravery, maturity and sensibility of Telemachus. After having spoken to goddess Athena (who comes disguised as Mentes), Telemachus not only takes a firm stand against his mother’s suitors, but also bravely decides of voyaging to Pylos and Sparta to learn of his father’s whereabouts. Hence, instead of just looking at 1

his bravery, it is also important to appreciate Telemachus’ maturity and sensibility, because he quickly understands what is important for the benefit of his mother, father and the entire kingdom, just by talking to Athena for what appears to be a seemingly short period of time – given that their interaction is expressed within the range of a few pages of the otherwise elaborative epic. Further, it can be noticed here that through this session of conversation, Athena not only passes on a sense of encouragement, but also indirectly and quite tactfully asks Telemachus to grow up (or rather, man up and take charge of the matters at Ithaca – something that the society expected of males, especially of young princes at that time): “But I'd [Athena] encourage you [Telemachus] to think of ways to force these suitors out, to rid your halls of them… Then leave here – set off in search of news about your father, who's been gone so long… You must not keep on acting like a child – you're now too old for that” (The Odyssey 1.367-405). With Telemachus handling the suitors all alone and leaving home to look for his father without a second thought in the first part of the epic, and him acting as a shield for Odysseus upon his return to Ithaca and then helping him regain control of the situation and the entire kingdom in the later parts of the epic, the readers can notice that even though he does not get enough recognition for it throughout the course of the Odyssey (as most of it is about Odysseus himself), Telemachus still comes off as a truly heroic character – probably even more than his own father. In line with these events, Homer very elaboratively presents Telemachus’ shrewdness by showing the audience how Telemachus tactfully pulls out his mother from the palace hall that was set on fire by Odysseus to deal with his unfaithful slaves: “[Odysseus to old Eurycleia] …bring sulphur here to purify the house. And bring me fire so I can purge the hall” (The Odyssey 22.594-59). Apart from his shrewdness and heroism, the audience also witness the amount of faith and belief Telemachus has, not only in his father, but also in the fact that the gods (Zeus and Athena especially – as made evident in Book 1) are on ‘his side’. As in, Odysseus left Ithaca to fulfill a promise (a notion that 2

was given high level of importance in the early societies) of protecting Troy. So, in a sense, whatever Odysseus did was either due to him being bound by a promise or due to certain unavoidable circumstances that came along while he was on his path to fulfill his promise. But in the case of Telemachus, there were no promises or bindings to keep him going; and all his motivations and actions were rather spurred just by his faith in Odysseus – someone who he considers close to god, and the gods he knows and believes are with him (as the gods, and especially Athena are keeping him safe from getting killed by the schemes of the suitors, while returning to Ithaca). In addition, here the audience can clearly understand that Telemachus is the only ‘heir’ to Odysseus’ possessions and his kingdom, because all the suitors want him dead (as they do not want anyone else to become the legal heir of Penelope). Other than just shedding light on the worth and significance of Telemachus’ character, these aspects bring along the notion of good parenting as well. The fact that Telemachus turns out to be a smart, courageous and sensible prince (and ultimately a dutiful son to both his parents), shows a lot about the great parenting that Penelope did all by herself, despite having to deal with the numerous troubling suitors when Telemachus was younger. Keeping aside the themes of courage, intelligence, good faith and parenting, Telemachus also brings along the early Greek values of providing equal importance to guests and friends of guests, through his meeting and interactions with Nestor and Menelaus (Warman 34). Even though this factor is not something too crucial to the context of the occurrences in the Odyssey and most definitely does not hold too big a position in changing or influencing the events of the said epic in any major ways, it is still something substantial to note because it is after all a “…prominent feature of Homeric society…” (Pomeroy et al. p.334), and is the basis of proper and formal hospitality and diplomacy (even as seen in the modern day society).

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All in all, upon reading Homer’s Odyssey, it is evident that the role of Telemachus is not just limited to acting as a helping hand for Odysseus to regain control of the kingdom of Ithaca by killing off the potential suitors of Penelope. In reality, the character of Telemachus presents many other aspects that often go unnoticed, as they get overshadowed by the might and experiences of Odysseus (since he is a major hero of the Greeks). Majority of the Odyssey talks about the difficulties and challenges that are faced and overcome by Odysseus. But very few portions of it actually shed light on the troublesome life of the intelligent, brave and heroic Telemachus. During Odysseus’ absence, the grown-up Telemachus not only takes care of his mother and singlehandedly wards off the annoying suitors, but he also protects his father’s kingdom and possessions from those suitors, who all plot for his death. Finally, it is Telemachus, who acts smartly to reunite his parents by convincing his mother to verify the identity of his father by asking questions: “Why turn aside from my father in this way? Why not sit over there, close to him, ask him questions?” (The Odyssey 23.121-123).

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References 1. Pomeroy, Sarah B., Stanley M. Burstein, Walter Donlan, Jennifer Tolbert Roberts, and David Tandy. Ancient Greece: A Political, Social, and Cultural History. 4thed. New York and Oxford: Oxford UP, 2017. 2. The Odyssey. Trans. Ian Johnston. Malaspina University-College: Richer Resources Publications, 2006. 3. Warman, Elizabeth. ANCS 1006 EL 12: Greek Civilization – Course Manual. Unit 1-6, 2020.

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