Passage Analysis: The Odyssey Essay

In the classic epic poem The Odyssey, Telemachus character is, in my opinion an extremely wise and patient man. While his father is away, he lacks the courage that he needs to stand up to the suitors until Athena comes to him and gives him the valor that he desires. Until he acquires that courage, however, he is particularly patient with the suitors. Most men today in a similar situation would not tolerate a fraction of these suitors for more than a few days. Furthermore, Telemachus cunning is outstanding even for a man of his time. This astuteness is especially prevalent in Book 20. He said, Sit here among these heroes and sip your wine./ I myself will protect you from their insults/ And keep their hands from you. This house/ Is not a public inn, but the palace of Odysseus,/ Who inherited it to pass on to me (317).

I chose this passage because almost every word spoken by Telemachus is full of irony. Though Telemachus knows that Odysseus is in disguise, the suitors have yet to discover that the old man Telemachus is welcoming into his home is really his father. By inviting this old man into his home and asking him to sit with those heroes as equals, Telemachus is not only making the suitors believe that he is completely kindhearted, but also getting Odysseus close enough to begin carrying out his plan to kill the suitors (317). The men that Telemachus seated Odysseus with are anything but heroes. They have absolutely no qualities in common with that of Odysseus or Telemachus. I found it some humor in Telemachus saying, sip your wine to the old man (317). He did not refer to the wine as his fathers as he probably would have done if he had been talking to one of the suitors. To some extent, that specific choice of words gives away the fact that the old man really is Odysseus in disguise. Telemachus constantly seems to be underestimated by the suitors, which gives an acute advantage to him and to his father.

Telemachus also tells his father that he will keep the suitors hands and insults from him. Odysseus does not actually need Telemachus to keep the suitors from hurting him, but Telemachus carries out his promise throughout the rest of the book. Telemachus is aware that his father can defend himself but is still trying to keep up appearances with the suitors. Telemachus is even so bold as to announce that his fathers house is not a hotel for everyone to come and go as he pleases, when before Athena gave him courage he would not even consider doing. Telemachus puts particular emphasis on the fact that the house is for him to inherit from his father, and that it is not to be taken over by some stranger against the will of his parents.

In the story of Odysseus journey and return home, the reader is shown that Telemachus grows as a hero and undergoes his transition to manhood. The passage I chose is proof to the fact that Telemachus turns out to be his fathers son. Telemachus goes from being shy and afraid of the suitors to cunning and brave like his father was throughout the entire epic. He is not only able to hold off the suitors long enough to help his father devise a plan for revenge, but he himself takes action by getting involved directly with the murder of the suitors.