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Who Is Telemachus Foils In The Odyssey

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Literary foils are when two characters can be compared to one another in that they share many similarities, but have one key difference that is then highlighted by these similarities. In Homer’s The Odyssey, a large part of the story is centered around the protagonist, Odysseus, the long-lost King of Ithaca, and his son, Telemachus, who hasn’t seen his father for twenty years. In fact, part of the journey that Telemachus makes is to find reassurance that Odysseus truly is his father. Although they are separated for a long part of the story, Homer writes these two characters as foils of each other. Homer presenting Odysseus and Telemachus as literary foils, emphasizes that because of their different levels of control, Odysseus is better fit …show more content…

An epic hero is a someone with impressive qualities who is widely admired for completing many awe-inspiring tasks. In the world of the Ancient Greeks’ Odysseus is a household name. His mix of cleverness and recklessness allows him to finagle himself out of dangerous situations. Each time a new trial presents itself, it is another opportunity for Odysseus to showcase his strength and bravery by surviving. However, the majority of the time, this survival only applies to himself and not the people around him. He only truly values his family, whereas Telemachus appreciates and values all people, excluding the suitors. His personality matches best with that of a domestic king in that he has a higher level of compassion and consideration than his …show more content…

By setting the two characters up as literary foils, Homer is able to build upon the classic familial trope of “like father, like son”, but still establish Telemachus as a strong force that can stand alone from Odysseus. The lack of constraint that Odysseus shows, especially in the murder of the suitors, paints Telemachus, who doesn’t let emotions cloud his judgement, in a more favorable light in terms of who will be a better king. Odysseus and Telemachus are parallels of each other in that they share similar plot points and both change for the better, yet are on two distinct paths. Through his incredible power and hardships turned accomplishments, Odysseus’ path leads to being an epic hero, whereas Telemachus’ understanding of people and gallant mind make him fit to be a great

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It is Odysseus and Telemachus’ cunning, and not their power, that leads them to victory. The virtue cunning is seen not only in the planning of the battle, but also embedded in the actual fight. Even as the reader sees wartime Odysseus in all of his glory, it is his cunning that shines through. He is referred to through epithets as

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Odysseus, a man who was known for his adventures, but do we really understand the attributes needed for an epic hero? The King of Ithaca had a very concealed past where it is hardly ever noted that his men were mistreated by their captain and all of Odysseus’ mistakes affected those around him. Odysseus, on several occasions did his men wrong and along his journeys, he became very willful and big headed. In The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus has several misfortunes such as losing all of his men and being stranded and not returning home for 20 years, but evidently all of these problems were caused by the mens lack of trust in Odysseus and Odysseus being too stubborn and full of pride. The crew had a very important job in the quests that Odysseus

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When Athena persuades Telemachus to muster up the courage to stand up against the suitors, she contrasts him with Agamemnon’s son, Orestes. She advises Telemachus to stop “‘cling[ing] to [his] boyhood any longer’” and man up to tell off his mother's suitors for being so ill-mannered (1.341). Yet, she describes Orestes’ killing of Aegisthus and tells Telemachus that he earned glory “‘throughout the world’” from defending himself against his father’s killer (1.343). Athena’s comparison between Telemachus and Orestes implies that she cares enough about Telemachus to compare him to someone who wanted justice for his father. Her choice to contrast him with Orestes also conveys that she cares about Odysseus and Telemachus finding him.

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In the novel, The Odyssey translated by Robert Fitzgerald, Telemachus gives a speech to Ithaca. He argues to the suitors about disrespecting his father Odysseus’ home even though they think Odysseus is dead and will never come home. Courageously, from the heart, Telemachus goes up against the suitors to state control over the key social practices of marriage hospitality. Telemachus’ speech was effective because it showed pathos, logos, and ethos. Telemachus looks and acts the part of his father, astonishing those who presumably knew him as a boy.

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In the book called The Odyssey by Homer, it mainly follows the story of a king of a village called Ithaca, hundreds of years ago-This man, is named Odysseus. Odysseus goes through many adventures after the victory of the Trojan War. However, this is where Odysseus, is not being as strong as a great war hero and a king as he should be. Although Odysseus was seen as a very strong person, physically and mentally, he lacks the appreciation and the care of his crew throughout the trials and didn’t think through many of his actions thoroughly and how they would affect not only his crew but people around him.

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Odysseus’s Traits Throughout the Odyssey, the main character Odysseus goes on an epic adventure with his focus being to get home to his wife Penelope, and his son Telemachus. He faces many obstacles dealing with characters such as the Cyclopes, Poseidon, Aeolus, Athena, Helios, Calypso, Zeus, Hermes, Scylla, and Circe. Odysseus’s men are some of the most valuable people to him throughout the Odyssey. He always puts himself in front of danger for them to protect them even though they all died from an unexpected turn of events soon before he returns home. When Odysseus comes home he greets his twenty year old son and straightens things out on his homeland, Ithaca.

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Telemakhus The Odyssey, written by Homer, tells the story of the adventures of Odysseus's journey. During his return, Odysseus encounters treacherous waters, horrifying beasts, and angry gods. The story also focuses on his family and friends that wait for his return back home in Ithaca. One character that shows the qualities of a hero is Odysseus's son, Telemakhus.

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Telemachus Growing into a Strong Mature Man Samuel Ullman, an American businessman and poet, once said, “Maturity is the ability to think, speak, and act your feelings within the bounds of dignity.” Samuel’s words hold true in Homer 's The Odyssey. In this extraordinary poem, Telemachus, the Son of Penelope, queen of Ithaca, and Odysseus, king of Ithaca. While Odysseus is at war fighting, Telemachus losing fait about his father coming home. He soon starts to question that he could be dead or alive.

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The Odyssey by Homer revolves around the character, Odysseus, and his ten-year struggle to return home after the Trojan War. As the epic’s idol, he displays the combination of a clever, handsome, and courageous man popular among the mortals as well as the gods. Essentially, he embodies the ideals of the ancient Greek culture, being adorned with many favored characteristics of the era. However, an intriguing aspect of Odysseus lies in his personality. As the protagonist, he does not manifest the entirety of a stereotypical hero because Odysseus has a fatal flaw—his arrogance.

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The way Odysseus replies to Telémakhos’ concern feels like he is mocking his child for thinking in a cowardly manner which is not man-like to Greeks. Homer now introduces him as “clearheaded” which is a trait given to him by Athena. He wants to remind the readers that because of Athena’s help he is able to think like an adult. But, right after calling him “clearheaded”, Homer describes him as “looked hard”. Homer putting these two descriptions beside each other emphasize on Telémakhos has changed with a god interference but deep down is still doubtful and afraid.

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Within The Odyssey, an epic poem by Robert Fagles, an argument between Telemachus, Odysseus’ son, and the suitors of Penelope, Telemachus’ mother, occurs. While the suitors argue their justification for the destruction they have caused on Odysseus’ palace and the gods, Telemachus addresses the suitors’ immoral conduct and the adverse effect that the suitors had on the palace. In this argument in Book 2 of The Odyssey, Telemachus constructs a stronger argument than the suitors by using ethos, pathos, and logos to emphasize the damage taken by the suitors invading his palace. To begin, Telemachus’ use of ethos within this argument addresses his point, as his anger of the destruction caused by the suitors is delivered to the men invading the palace. Throughout the quarrel, Telemachus’ tone remains authoritative and challenging toward the suitors; Telemachus is taking after his father, becoming the prince he is, and using a tone that clearly expresses his anger.

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1474 Words | 6 Pages

All through The Odyssey, the characters develop in a certain way that interchanges the outcome of the book. Odysseus is able to develop knowledge and wisdom to deal with his men during the battle and the suitors who were frustrating his wife. In addition, he came back home as a hero after the Trojan War. Telemachus developed into a mature man who could deal with any problem in his father’s absence. However, based on the story, it is evident that, Telemachus demonstrates a great change basing upon the times the characters were away from Ithaca.

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In The Odyssey, Homer emphasizes the significance that similarities between fathers and sons can have: “Never, anywhere, have I seen so great a likeness in man or woman-but it is truly strange! This boy must be the son of Odysseus, Telémachus, the child he left at home that year the Akhaian host made war on Troy” (Homer 57). This talks about the similarity between Odysseus and Telémachus. Offspring often model their parents in looks and character traits. Although Odysseus goes through extremely dangerous and taxing situations, he is often thinking of his family.

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450 Words | 2 Pages

The odyssey, an epic told by Homer in ancient greece, has many major themes following odysseus’s adventures. While Odysseus is sentenced to never return home after the Trojan War. He is overcoming challenges to return home to his wife penelope and his son Telemachus. Throughout the story major themes of loyalty, hospitality and vengeance are hidden within the plot. The story continues to show his heroic side with three major traits.

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Although Homer and Shakespeare lived centuries apart, they both managed to write their own masterpieces that were well ahead of their time. Homer, an ancient Greek writer creates a very intelligent character, Odysseus, who experiences the highs and lows of life and identity formation. Similar to Homer, Early seventeenth-century English playwright, Shakespeare, tailors his main character to have similar attributes to that of Odysseus. Both characters are intelligent, quick witted and natural born leaders, and their creators both focused heavily on their wits and their moral didacticism, which is portrayed throughout both the Odyssey and Hamlet. When creating Odysseus, Homer didn’t leave him without any admirable traits.

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