Telemachus the True Hero of the Odyssey - 2185 Words

In The Odyssey, the reader is easily able to distinguish that Odysseus is a hero in the story. He is a god-like figure. Odysseus’s wife, Penelope, is a hero and seen by many readers as such especially females. Both possess characteristics of heroes and they deserve to be considered such but that does not mean that they are the true hero of the story. Their son Telemachus is the true hero in The Odyssey. The reader should be able to identify with him the most and realize everything that has happened in his life and he deals with it with extreme heroism. He handles the situation in his life the way every human being should. Majority of my classmates will argue that either Odysseus or Penelope is the true hero of the story. Most of the men†¦show more content†¦Penelope was able to keep Odysseus’s land from the suitors through deceitful acts. Was she making the shroud for herself instead of for Laertes? â€Å"It was a shawl she made, something warm a man might wra p around her shoulders windy nights one of the suitors perhaps.† (Pastan 264) Penelope lived in a time where women could not rule as a king. Ithaca needed a king and for twenty years they were without a king because of Penelope selfish choices. The right thing for Penelope to do was to marry one of the suitors because one of the suitors would have become king and would have been able to rule Ithaca with all of the authority and power of a king. This was a sacrifice that Penelope was unwilling to make because she liked the power to much. She did not remarry because she wanted to rule Ithaca. Penelope did not want Odysseus to return because then she would be the ruler and nobody would be able to tell her what to do. When Odysseus returns home from his long journey she does not even seem happy to see him. Odysseus says to Penelope â€Å"Things back where habit said they belonged: your own husband lying in your bed †¦Yet you had to leave it.†(Howard 262) Instead of be ing over joyous that her husband has finally retuned home and showing him how much she loves him, she decides it is best if she leave his side the first night he is home while he is sleeping. PenelopeShow MoreRelatedAthena In The Odyssey1592 Words   |  7 Pageshomer s epic poem the The Odyssey takes place ten years after the Trojan War is over. There are many heroes of the war that come home to their families, however there are even more that are lost through the long struggling years of the war. Of the few who stayed behind, Odysseus goes through battle after battle, problem after problem, and has had the most trouble coming home. The story opens in the tenth year since the war has ended, almost 20 years since our mighty hero Odysseus went to war andRead MoreHow Is Athena A Hero In The Odyssey976 Words   |  4 Pages The Odyssey is a fascinating epic poem consisting of twenty-four books all written by Homer. It is based on a Greek hero named Odysseus, who spends twenty year s away from his family. Odysseus was in a battle against the Trojans in the Trojan War for the first ten years. Then, another ten years of painful obstacles was added due to his boastful attitude towards the gods and goddesses. When returning back to Ithaca, Odysseus encounters numerous of hardships with the help of the goddess, AthenaRead MoreLight and Darkness in The Odyssey827 Words   |  3 PagesThe Odyssey may be a story of a heroic adventure, but it has a deeper underlying theme: light vs. dark. Odysseus himself expresses these qualities through out the epic, and affects the people around him in many ways. The epic poem The Odyssey translated by Robert Fitzgerald is the journey on a hero after the Trojan War and about the troubles his family has back on his homeland on Ithaca. Even though the story follows the basic hero cycle, so to speak, I believe the true theme is the struggle ofRead More The Maturation of Telemachus in Homers Odyssey Essays890 Words   |  4 PagesTh e Maturation of Telemachus in Homers Odyssey       The Odyssey was a great book in which many characters were brought out and developed.   The most significant development that occured in the epic was the development of Telemachus.   Telemachus is a very complex character that Homer develops from beginning to end.   From the beginning when is a mere shadow of his father to near the end in which he is considered just as courageous.   Many factors influence Telemachus as he matures intoRead MoreAnalysis Of Homer s The Odyssey 1483 Words   |  6 PagesViolence in The Odyssey Violence in Literature can take any form, whether it be natural disaster like and earthquake or a human based disaster like war (Campbell). In Homer’s The Odyssey both types are found†¦ whether it’s Odysseus’s hardships like making it home or dealing with the wrath of the god Poseidon. Every violent scene has its own reasons, some are more reasonable than others. For instance, the gods were angered by the disobedience of the mortals, this is more reasonable than the killingRead MoreLoyalty as Defined in the Odyssey Essay946 Words   |  4 PagesLoyalty, as defined in the Odyssey seems to be the constant devotion to someone, the hopefully longing of their return and victory. Homer seems to value loyalty over many of the other human traits, as Eumaeus gets not only Homer’s famous â€Å"you† but his own book as well. The swineherd is not the only character that Homer uses to show loyalty, Penelope and Telemachus show unyielding faithfulness to Odysseus throughout the epic poem; as do many other characters even gods. Homer demonstrates the valueRead MoreOdysseus V Telemachus Essay1469 Words   |  6 PagesJon Dunlap 3/8/12 Odysseus v Telemachus Period 2 â€Å"Maturity has more to do with what types of experiences youve had, and what youve learned from them, and less to do with how many birthdays youve celebrated.† – Anonymous (Thinkexist.com). Maturity is a key theme during the journeys of Telemachus and Odysseus. In Homer’s Odyssey the journeys of Telemachus and Odysseus have many similarities and differences such as their common goal and the lessons they learn; and only by overcomingRead MoreArchetypes In Ancient Greek Culture879 Words   |  4 Pagesconnections ,archetypes, can be found in the adventurous book The Odyssey. Ancient Greek culture is brought up by Homer through archetypes. These archetypes help connect one another over time. In the Odyssey, topics such as terrifying monsters , love tests, and an unstoppable hero are all related to ancient Greek culture. The Odyssey shows archetypes that also reveal this culture. Three archetypes found are monsters, loyalty, and a hero, which shows the ancient Greek culture for modern readers. Read MoreArchetypes In The Odyssey868 Words   |  4 Pagesancient literature. The connections ,archetypes, can be found in the adventurous book The Odyssey. Ancient Greek culture is brought up by Homer through archetypes. In the Odyssey, topics such as terrifying monsters , love tests, and an unstoppable hero are all related to ancient Greek culture. The Odyssey shows archetypes that also reveal this culture. Three archetypes found are monsters, loyalty, and a hero, which shows the ancient Greek culture for modern readers. Skull crushing and blood thirstyRead MoreAchilles and Odyssey Compare and Contrast Essay1625 Words   |  7 PagesLarger-Than-Life Heroes: Achilles and Odysseus What are the main characteristics of a larger-than-life epic hero? An epic hero is a brave and powerful warrior who is motivated to fight both internal and external conflicts to achieve glory and ranks above a normal man. In Homer’s epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey, Achilles and Odysseus are the well-known heroes. Achilles fights Hektor outside the walls of Troy because Hektor killed his best friend, Patroclus. After fighting in the Trojan