Telemachus and Odysseus

We've been covering the Odyssey these past few weeks in my Ancient Heroes class. It's been interesting to approach the Odyssey from a more analytical viewpoint, and I'm feeling the need to share my opinions.

First of all, Telemachus isn't exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer. For the most part, though, I don't mean that as an insult. Telemachus is strong and virtuous, certainly, but as he talks to various people who knew his father, it becomes clear even to him that he'll probably never be as wise or cunning as Odysseus. 

While not knowing Ancient Greek culture myself, I was intrigued by the scene where the arrogant suitor Antinous breaks his stool over an unflinching Odysseus. Telemachus is looking on, and deeply grieved, but in accordance with his father's scheme, does nothing. As opposed to Penelope, who cries at even the mention of long-lost Odysseus, or Odysseus himself, who earlier cries for seven years straight at the thought of long-lost Ithaca, Telemachus doesn't shed a tear.

Telemachus is said to be the spitting image of his father, but similarities with Odysseus are scarce after that. The one skill he does share with Odysseus is strong rhetoric, an ability Telemachus comes into through the course of the Odyssey.

Initially, I thought that the chapters about Telemachus' journey to Pylos and Sparta were a waste of space in the Odyssey, but I've been slowly convinced otherwise. In many ways, the Odyssey tells the story of Telemachus preparing to meet his heroic father and coming to terms with his seeming normality in the face of Odysseus' greatness. Through the struggles, Telemachus finds his own identity, more soft-spoken than Odysseus, but wise beyond his years.

It's a story worth looking into.