Telemachus: An Epic Journey to Manhood

Telemachus: An Epic Journey to Manhood
INTRO Thesis: Telemachus learns to step into adulthood through his experiences and the guidance of Athene, in the absence of his father.
Our first view of Telemachus in book I is when the Goddess Athena goes to him in Odysseus’s palace disguised as Mentes, a friend of Telemachu’s father.
“Long before anyone else, the prince Telemachus
now caught sight of Athena—for he, too,
was sitting there unhappy among the suitors,
a boy, daydreaming…” (38-42)
He is sitting at the table, slouching and moping as a teenager does, callow and misunderstood. His hatred and discontent had been growing over the long years without his father and with no way to repine. Homer tells about Telemachus’s desire for his father to return and rid the palace of the suitors. He lacks the confidence or assurance that comes with age and example (from his father) to stand up for his own household. His mother and nurse-maids have babied him or neglect...