FREE ESSAY ON ODYSSEUS

ODYSSEUS

Literature Essay: Telemakhos' Voyage
In the epic the Odyssey, Homer explores a variety of different themes that are prevalent
in antiquity. Such themes include the treatment of strangers, hospitality, heroism and
honor. Homer uses the character Telemakhos, the son of the main character Odysseus, to
help convey the themes of the story. From the beginning when Telemakhos goes out to seek
for his father and after he helps his father defeat the suitors, we witness the changes
in his character, as we see him grow and mature. His character is shown to be an example
hospitality, while he proves himself to be hero like his father and claims his family
honor. 
Hospitality is a very important tradition in antiquity. We can see in the Odyssey that
Telemakhos displays many examples of hospitality towards strangers. For example
Telemakhos greets Athena who appears as a beggar in this manner, "Greetings, stranger!
Welcome to our feast. There will be time to tell your errand later," (I:151-152) He says
warmly to Athena. Telemakhos greets the stranger and cordially invites him to the feast
without question. In the Odyssey, Telemakhos is the epitome of hospitality. The reader
knows that the stranger that Telemakhos invites is actually Athena in disguise, to assist
Telemakhos in his journey. This reinforces the theme of hospitality, because in Greek
myth, gods and goddesses often pose as strangers and beggars to test the people's
generosity. Thus people were inclined to treat others with hospitality. Those who treat
others with generosity are often rewarded, such as Telemakhos who is awarded with
knowledge of his father and assistance from Athena. Likewise those who lack this trait
are often punished by the gods. Take for example the suitors, who compared to Telemakhos,
are the opposite of everything hospitality stands for. The suitors according to
Telemakhos, are intruders. He describes the suitors in his speech, "My house [and] my
good estates are being ruined. / Each day my mother's bullying suitors come/ to slaughter
flocks of mine and my black cattle;/ enemies crowd our home." (IV :336) The suitors are
the antithesis of hospitality. They serve as a foil to Telemakhos in that they represent
everything that is against Telemakhos. The contrast between Telemakhos and the suitors
highlights their different characteristics, showing that Telemakhos is a wonderful
generous host while the suitors are ravaging intruders. The suitors, despite rules of
hospitality, invite themselves to the homes of others and feast on their hosts' expense.
They are not only rude; but they invite themselves to the home of Penelope and insult
Odysseus in his own home. Telemakhos shows further acts of hospitality when Odysseus
poses as a beggar in rags and approaches Telemakhos. Telemakhos welcomes the beggar into
his home and treats him like his own "father". Telemakhos is the paragon of hospitality
in the Odyssey.
Hospitality is not taken lightly during Odysseys' time. Their views differ vastly from
ours. "All wanderers and beggars come from Zeus. What we can give is slight but
well-meant - all we dare," said Eumaios. The Odyssey emphasizes the importance of
hospitality to the point where it is almost a religion. It is decreed by Zeus that people
must treat these "wanderers and beggars" with generosity.
Besides the theme of hospitality, both Odysseys and Telemakhos are in search to prove
their heroic mettle. There are many similarities between Odysseus and his son Telemakhos.
Throughout the story, Odysseus goes through a struggle to reach his final destination,
which is Ithaca. One of the themes of the Odysseys is about the hero's struggle to
discover himself. Odysseus' ultimate destination is of course Ithaka his own country,
where his wife, family and homeland are awaiting him. Telemakhos on the other hand also
has similar goals like his fathers. His goal is to defeat Penelope's suitors, and help
his father in his goal to return to Ithaca. One suitor comments on Telemakhos, "Well now,
who knows? [Telemakhos] might be lost at sea, just like Odysseus/ knocking around in a
ship, far from his friends." (II: 345) This quote illustrates the significance of
Telemakhos' journey. Telemakhos is also figuratively lost in a sea like his father. He is
alone in his journey in that he is surrounded with obstacles in Ithaka as Odysseus is
surrounded with his obstacles on his journey home. Their journeys are quite the same
despite the physical differences in their obstacles. Telemakhos's journey parallels
Odysseus' journey. Both characters are on a journey to discover their heroism. Their
goals are almost impossible. It is apparent that the odds are against them. Telemakhos
for example is up against more than a dozen of suitors while Odysseus is up against the
gods. Although both their journeys are difficult, the Goddess Athena guides both
characters in their journey. Odysseus and Telemakhos's goals converge as Odysseus returns
to Ithaca as they plan to defeat the suitors. 
Preserving the honor is also a major theme in the epic Odysseus. Your father? Well, I
must say I marvel at the sight of you: your manner of speech couldn't be more like his
one would say No; no boy could speak so well. (III:129) said Nestor. When Telemakhos
visits Nestor and Menelaos, they praise him for his well manners and his eloquence, much
like his father. He represents his father's honor and reputation. Furthermore Menelaos
praises Telemakhos, "My lad, what you have said is only sensible, and you did well to
speak. Yes that was worthy a wise man and an older man than you are: you speak for all
the world like Nestor's son. (IV:214) Telemakhos is constantly praised for his
hospitality. Likewise Nestor and Menelaos treat Telemakhos in the same manner. From
Telemakhos' treatment toward others, we can see the growth in his character. His
character evolves as he discovers more about himself. He is often referred to as
"Clear-headed Telemakhos" and speaks "thoughtfully". Telemakhos begins the story as a
naive boy who does not know his way around, but he matures into a man who understands the
world and who is up to par with his father. 
The epic the Odyssey is about a whimsical journey to the unknown. Odysseus encounters
exotic lands on his journey home while his son Telemakhos travels different journey to
discover his honor and heritage. Throughout the story the themes are revealed through the
characters, mainly Telemakhos. The story teaches us the importance of hospitality and
that people should treat strangers with the utmost generosity. The Odyssey is a wisdom
book in that it teaches us about hospitality, heroism and honor. It depicts Telemakhos as
the ideal man that everyone should emulate. Aside from the lessons we learn from the
Odyssey, we learn about the culture and traditions of the past by speculating on the
Odyssey.