The Odyssey Book 1 Summary

Telemachus was the son of Odysseus, mighty king of Ithaca and hero of Athena. Telemachus was a mere infant when Odysseus set sail for Troy where he helped to conquer the Trojans and retrieve Menelaus’ wife Helen. Despite emerging victorious from the Trojan war, Odysseus hadn't succeeded in returning home to Ithaca, and so twenty-one years after his departure for Troy, his family and kingdom believed him to be dead. Telemachus had lived his entire life without his father and as the Odyssey begins, although twenty-one years of age, Telemachus seems to be a child and not a powerful young man. Telemachus was first portrayed as a somber young lad who's heart was stricken with grief for the loss of his father. He was daydreaming and keeping to himself

    The theme of appearance versus reality is the soul of the relationship between Athena and Odysseus. Athena is the master of disguise. In the epic poem, “The Odyssey” disguise demonstrates the theme appearance vs. reality as Telemakhos would have never reunited with his father and found himself. At the beginning of the story, she appears to Telemachus as Mentes-an old friend of his father who has just stopped to visit in Ithaca. This allows her to encourage Telemakhos to go on a quest to search for his missing father. However, she mostly appears to Telemachus as Mentor, an Ithacan adviser who protects the prince from murderous suitors and guide him through his coming of age.

In the Odyssey Telemachus has varying relationships with his mother, Penelope, the suitors, and his nurse, Eurycleia; a mother and son but also head of household and subordinate member of the household, a young boy and superior men, and a son and mother but also a master and servant. In the poem, Telemachus must find out what became of his father, Odysseus, who never returned home from the Trojan war. Meanwhile suitors from various places try to force his mother, Penelope, into marriage while they deplete all of Odysseus’ resources and destroy his house. With all of these complicated situations, Telemachus must take on a variety of different roles depending on who he’s interacting with. Based on the text, Telemachus has superior, strained, and complex relationships with his mother, the suitors, and Eurycleia.

Chapter 1- Ten years after the Trojan War, everyone reached home except for Odysseus. He remained a hostage at Ogygia by Calypso. Meanwhile, Telemachus (Odysseus’s son) is told by Athena, disguised as Mentes, that his father will return home and tells him to dispel the suitors who keep devouring his father’s estate.

Ten years after the fall of Troy, Odysseus a great hero has yet to return to his home in Ithaca. It begins with Athena and Poseidon who helped the Greeks during the Trojan War. Athena turned against the Greeks and convinces Poseidon to do the same. The Greeks are hit by storms on the way home and many ships are destroyed and the fleet is scattered. The war and his distress at sea keep Odysseus away from Ithaca for twenty years.

Odysseus’s wife, Penelope lives back in their town, Ithaka, is being pressured by unwanted suitors. Their son, Telemachos, is visited by the goddess Athene. Athene was quite close with Odysseus, and she tells Telemachos to go looking for his missing father. He travels to Pylos to see the King, Nestor. Nestor takes him in, gives him dinner and then tells him to go see King Menelaos in Sparta. Telemachos does as he’s told and travels to Sparta to see King Menelaos. He tells him that his father Odysseus is alive and is being kept captive on Kalypso’s island. He also tells him that his brother, King Agamemnon, has been murdered by his own wife, Klytamestra, and her lover Aigisthos. But, Agamemnon’s son, Orestes has killed his father’s murderers

The Odyssey, written by Homer, tells the story of Odysseus after the Trojan War. It not only includes an insight on the adventures and return of Odysseus, but it also includes the stories of Telemakhos and Penelope. Telemakhos is the courageous son of Odysseus who goes on a quest in search for information about his father’s whereabouts. Penelope is an extremely clever woman who could match Odysseus in his wit. Penelope is able manipulate the suitors that have come to pursue her in Odysseus’s absence. Though Penelope often spends many nights weeping over the absence of her husband, it seems as if she never loses faith in her husband, and she truly believes that he will return to her and punish the suitors that have taken over their

Focus on the descriptions of the palaces of Nestor and Menelaus. Find quotations that describe their virtues:

Athena acts as a source of inspiration and the object of many pleas throughout this epic. While in Ithaca Athena took the guise of the old man Mentes. It was under this guise that Athena went to Telemachus and made him realize that it was his time to start his journey. Athena/Mentes gathered men for Telemachus to journey with and even accompanied him upon his journey. Athena/Mentes acted as a guide for Telemachus prodding him in every situation on how to step up and be a man.

This statement is very telling as it defines not only the appearance of the great Odysseus, but also the son he left behind. Furthermore, it begins to develop a timeline of actions by announcing that Odysseus left home when Telemachus was only a baby. Nestor recognizes that Odysseus ' appearance, vivacity, and personality are apparent in his progeny, Telemachus. This is encouraging to Telemachus as he hears that he resembles the great king Odysseus. As Telemachus presses for news of what has become of his father, Telemachus learns that his father may yet be alive and held captive by a goddess-nymph named Calypso. He then glorifies the strong will of Orestes and encourages Telemachus to do the same: "And you, my friend - / how tall and handsome I see you now - be brave, you too, / so men to come will sing your praises down the years." (3, 226 - 227).

Athena plays a very significant role in the Odyssey ensuring that Odysseus and his family are aware of their surroundings before they experience them and also making sure they are safe when being threatened. Athena takes a great liking to Odysseus because she sees the same cunning characteristics in him that she also sees in herself, and she takes it upon herself to ensure that he is safe on his return home to Ithaca. To give Odysseus greater happiness on his journey home after being away for 20 years, she makes sure that his family is safe and that he has the opportunity to take control back of his kingdom. Athena safeguards Odysseus’ family not only by giving Telemachos and Penelope both

Through his journey to Pylos and Sparta, Telemachus, who was born into a very privileged and high ranking family, learns how to use his inherited social status and connections for his own interests, which will help him mature into manhood. Telemachus was never old enough to remember what it was like when his father was around. Since Odysseus left, he has lived with his mom and nurse. However, for three years, he has been overwhelmed by suitors, who have taken over his house. Odysseus was never able to show Telemachus how to stand up for himself. Telemachus has been less than passive when going about doing things to get what he wants. When Athena comes and tells him that his father is going to come home, he realizes he has been ignoring what he knows is wrong, such as the suitors throwing parties every night, and that he needs to stop them. He doesn’t have any idea of how he is going to find his father when Athena comes, but he along his way finds that he has many resources and connections at hand that will allow him to find out what happened to his dad. Athena, disguised as Mentor, an old friend of Odysseus, encourages Telemachus to talk to Nestor. "Telemachus, no more shyness, this is not the time!/ We sailed the seas for this, for news of your father —// So go right up to Nestor...// Press him yourself to tell the whole truth:/ he'll never lie — the man is far too wise"(3.16-22) Here, Athena is encouraging Telemachus to be assertive, to get what the needs to know to find his father. Telemachus responds, "How can I greet him, Mentor, even approach the king?/ I'm hardly adept at subtle conversation./ Someone my age might feel shy, what's more,/ interrogating an older man."/ (3.23-27) He is intimidated. The irony is that he himself is of the higher class, and if Odysseus had been home, he would be accustomed to these interactions. This is Odysseus learning that he has high social status and can enjoy the privileges he was born with, such as being able to talk to the king. While there, Telemachus learns of the fate of the family of Agamemnon. Agamemnon came home to find his wife in love with Aegisthus, and together they kill him. Orestes, one of Agamemnon’s sons, avenges his father’s murder and kills

Ten years after the fall of Troy, the victorious Greek hero Odysseus has still not returned to his native land Ithaca. A band of rowdy suitors, believing Odysseus to be dead, has overrun his palace, courting his faithful—though weakening—wife Penelope, and going through his stock for food. With permission from Zeus, the goddess Athena, Odysseus' greatest immortal ally, appears in disguise and urges Odysseus' son Telemachus to seek news of his father at Pylos and Sparta. However, the suitors, led by Antinous, plan to ambush him upon return.

Menelaus greets Telemachus with a great reception, and he is recognized as Odysseus' son before a large gathered crowd at the palace. Menelaus takes very good care of Telemachus as his guest. Athena (still in disguise as Mentes) was not treated as well as her goddess status afforded her to be. After another recollection of old stories, and war legends, Telemachus was able to once again set sail, still in search of his father, Odysseus.

Before Telemachus begins his journey, the goddess Athena watches over him from Olympus and decides to help him. However, she does not make herself know to Telemachus, instead she disguise herself as familiar faces to him. And it’s these disguises that bring out Telemachus’ character. Her first disguise is as an old friend named Mentor. “Then bright-eyed Athena, assuming Mentor’s form and voice once more called Telemachus out of the palace to her side. ‘Telemachus,’ she said, ‘your well-grieved companions are sitting at their oars, waiting for your word to start’”(Homer 25). This scene explains how Telemachus views Mentor. He not only sees him as a man to be trusted, but also heed the words of. Telemachus doesn’t dissuade him or any of the like; he listens to his words and follows his instructions. Thus painting the idea that Telemachus knows this man well enough, that he is willing to follow his will in the middle of the night. However, there is something else that goes on. And that is the silent relationship of Telemachus and Athena. Touched on by Michael Murrin is his article Athena and Telemachus he goes into detail of the complex relationship between the two and explains, “In her disguise as Mentor, Athena does just what she promised to do in the divine assembly that begins The Odyssey. She stirs up Telemachus and gets him to act on his own. She does so with concrete