Voyage of Telemakhos
Telemakhos’ Voyage In the epic the Odyssey, Homer explores a variety of different themes that are prevalent in antiquity. ... 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 search for his father and after he helps his father defeat the suitors, the reader witnesses the changes in his character. As Telemakhos grows and matures, his character is shown to be an example of hospitality. ... The reader 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! ... 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 is actually Athena in disguise, there to assist Telemakhos on his journey. ... Those who treat others with generosity are often rewarded, such as Telemakhos who is awarded with knowledge of his father and assistance from Athena. ... Take for example the suitors, who compared to Telemakhos, are the opposite of everything hospitality stands for. The suitors, according to Telemakhos, are intruders. ... 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.