Telemachus As A Hero Essay

In The Odyssey, the character Telemachus may be considered a hero because he exemplifies characteristics attributable to most heroes. The reader meets Telemachus when he is fed up with the suitors that have taken after his home and claim to be interested in marrying Telemachus’ mother, Queen Penelope. Since Telemachus’ parents are Queen and King of Ithaca, Telemachus is by default a noble prince with wealth. Telemachus’ father, King Odysseus, has been away from Ithaca for twenty years, which is why suitors currently attempt to court Queen Penelope. The suitors believe that Odysseus died at battle or at sea and that he will not be returning. Athena, a goddess, knows this to be false, and encourages Telemachus to set sail on a journey to find out if his …show more content…
Although Telemachus is a major fighter in the battle against the suitors, he required the aid of his father to be victorious. This would not be an admirable trait for a hero to have in this culture because it shows Telemachus as being weak and cowardly, while real heroes would be strong, brave, and competent. Nevertheless, Telemachus was on the winning side of the battle so he may be admired as a hero because he now has another story to provide to future guests and hosts when practicing hospitality. However, as displayed in the final book of the Odyssey, the family members of the suitors would not see Telemachus as a hero, but as a monster because he helped in the massacre. The suitors’ families did not want to honor and praise Telemachus with the title of “hero,” but wanted to destroy him as he had done to their loved ones. Therefore, Telemachus would most likely not be considered a hero in his own culture because he was too weak, physically and emotionally, to battle the suitors and fight for his mother and his wealth by himself, and because during this slaughter, Telemachus acquired many enemies, the suitors’