Throughout all of human history, various pieces of literature usually reflect the nature of people and the current culture of the time it was written. A topic that was frequently written about in Greek Mythology were family dynamics and relationships between family members. More specifically, father-son relationships were an extremely prevalent topic in Greek Mythology. In particular, The Odyssey touched upon this topic greatly. The basic structure of father-son relationships have stayed the same like how the parent are supposed to take care of the children. But as general family dynamics and culture changed, the interactions between fathers and sons have altered greatly. In ancient civilizations there were less loving relationships between …show more content…
When Odysseus left for Troy during the Trojan war, he left his whole life behind. He left behind his very young son, Telemachus, and his wife, Penelope. After the war, Odysseus started his journey back. Odysseus’ whole journey home was prompted by the fact that he wants to get home to his family and kingdom in Ithaca. Odysseus made it through the many trials and tribulations he was faced with to see his family. In The Odyssey, Homer emphasizes the significance that similarities between fathers and sons can have: “Never, anywhere, have I seen so great a likeness in man or woman-but it is truly strange! This boy must be the son of Odysseus, Telémachus, the child he left at home that year the Akhaian host made war on Troy” (Homer 57). This talks about the similarity between Odysseus and Telémachus. Offspring often model their parents in looks and character traits. Although Odysseus goes through extremely dangerous and taxing situations, he is often thinking of his family. For example Odysseus and is talking to his late mother and he says, “Tell me of Father, tell me of the son I left behind me; have they still my place, my honors or have other men assumed them? Do they say that I shall come no more? And tell me of my wife: how runs her though, still with her child, still keeping our domains, or bride again to the best of the Akhaians?” (Homer 190). In this important exchange between Odysseus and his mother, …show more content…
The most important relationship is the one between Odysseus and Telémachus because there relationship drives a lot of the plot of the epic poem. Homer draws attention to the significance of their relationship when he writes that “Then, throwing his arms around this marvel of a father Telémachus began to weep. Salt tears rose from the wells of longing in both men, and cries burst from both as keen and fluttering as those of the great taloned hawk, whose nestlings fathers take before they fly. So helplessly they cried, pouring out tears, and might have gone on weeping so till sundown” (Homer 296). This quote shows reunion of Odysseus and Telémachus. Although they do not necessarily know each other, because of the years they were apart, the undeniably heavy emotion this greeting brought out of both men reveals the gravity of the situation and the strength of a father-son bond. Another important relationship is between Laertes and Odysseus. Odysseus and Laertes reunite after the suitors have been killed. Laertes is extremely happy because he saw his “son and grandson” and they “vie[d] for courage” (Homer 461). Odysseus and Telémachus brought honor back to their family because they displayed their strength and gallantry when they killed the suitors. Orestes and Agamemnon are two more characters that have an interesting father-son bond and are both very important to the plot of The Odyssey. Agamemnon’s wife, Clytemnestra,
From the other side Odysseus is very caring towards his own son. Some evidence of this is when Ms. Shank came to talk to the class and said that Odysseus wouldn’t run
In Homer’s Poem, The Odyssey, Penelope is the exceptionally patient and clever spouse of the infamous hero, Odysseus, and the mother of Telemachus. One poignant factor of Penelope’s character is her patience and devotion which is displayed throughout the poem. With her husband absent for a great majority of her life for the later of twenty years and his location unknown, Penelope stays, patiently awaiting Odysseus’ return, all whilst preserving their estate and raising her son by herself. Throughout this time, she had many persistent suitors in pursuit of her, abusing her husband’s absence.
Its point passed through his tender neck.” This quote clearly supported the revenge and justice Odysseus was seeking on the suitors. It shows the how brutal Odysseus was and just how
“Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction.” -Erich Fromm ‘The Odyssey’ by Homer, follows the story of Odysseus, a great Greek hero. It tells of his venture to Troy, to lead his army in the Trojan War, and his separation from loved ones and his kingdom for twenty years. However, the novel mainly focuses on the story of his homecoming and all he, and many others, had to endure while he was returning from abroad.
All through The Odyssey, the characters develop in a certain way that interchanges the outcome of the book. Odysseus is able to develop knowledge and wisdom to deal with his men during the battle and the suitors who were frustrating his wife. In addition, he came back home as a hero after the Trojan War. Telemachus developed into a mature man who could deal with any problem in his father’s absence. However, based on the story, it is evident that, Telemachus demonstrates a great change basing upon the times the characters were away from Ithaca.
In the novel, The Odyssey translated by Robert Fitzgerald, Telemachus gives a speech to Ithaca. He argues to the suitors about disrespecting his father Odysseus’ home even though they think Odysseus is dead and will never come home. Courageously, from the heart, Telemachus goes up against the suitors to state control over the key social practices of marriage hospitality. Telemachus’ speech was effective because it showed pathos, logos, and ethos. Telemachus looks and acts the part of his father, astonishing those who presumably knew him as a boy.
He felt obligated to remain with her in a perfect paradise for seven years. However, throughout the entire time he was trapped with Calypso, Odysseus felt that he was wanted elsewhere. Thus, he longed to return to his home and to his dearly loved Penelope. Odysseus’ passion for being with his wife ultimately won the call for him to return home.
She instructs him to “sail in quest of news of your long-lost father.” (86). Using her disguise, Athena reaches Telemachus and offers him wisdom. Telemachus takes this advice to heart and sets out to find his father. By offering this information about Odysseus, Athena inspires Telemachus.
In The Odyssey Homer makes Odysseus’ journey to his beloved Ithaca excruciating. Odysseus encounters many friends and foes throughout his journey and has to be a leader throughout his experiences. As an example, he encounters Polyphemus and Poseidon, both of whom make his journey mentally and physically painful. Odysseus faces countless scenarios in which he has to save multiple people in those situations. He also encounters the suitors, who are a group of men that try to marry Penelope, when he returns to reclaim his home.
After Telemachus and his father share a reunion, he leads his father to his house. Upon arrival, Odysseus disguises himself as a beggar and finds that the house has been taken over by sires trying to court his wife as a result of his actions. After completing Athena’s task, Odysseus reveals himself to his wife. However, Odysseus finds it very difficult to convince his wife that he has truly come back. When Odysseus reveals something no one else knows, Penelope runs to him and throws her arms around him.
The Odyssey, gods like Athena and Poseidon interfere with humans to satisfy their own desires, showing that they are just as imperfect and flawed as the mortals that they rule over. Athena favors Odysseus since he reminds her of herself. He portrays the same cunning, guile, and intelligence as she does; Athena had confided to him that “two of a kind, we are, contrivers, both,” comparing how similar they are. “Of all men now alive,” she says, “you are the best in plots and story telling.
Fathers are some of the most influential people there will ever be; they teach you some of the basic rules of life, they show you how to act, they lead you when you don’t know what to do. But what happens when you grow up without a father? In The Odyssey, written by Homer, we follow the story of a man who, on the day of his son’s birth, was forced to go to war. Odysseus was gone for a painstakingly long 20 years, and during that time, Telemachus grew up watching his mother struggle. As the queen of Ithaca, Penelope had many suitors fighting for her hand: the king was gone and they took control.
We are proud of the love we give and receive, for our children and the habits, emotional responses, obligations and values that we teach them. In The Odyssey, Odysseus is no different and the importance of his family is demonstrated as he weeps tears of sadness in their absence and rejects Calypso’s offer of immortality in exchange for his companionship. “‘My lady goddess, here is no cause for anger. My quiet Penelope—how well I know—would seem a shade before your majesty, death
Parent-child relationships are very prevalent in works of literature especially in the pieces written in Ancient Greece and Rome. Some examples of these are the works we have read in class such as the Iliad, the Odyssey, the Electra plays, and Aristophanes’ the Clouds. Although mother-daughter relationships are important throughout each of these works; father-son relationships are even more so. The father-son relationship is one of the most important aspects of these societies especially in the Odyssey written by Homer. The significance of all of the father-son relationships depicted in the Odyssey itself is for the purpose of exploiting its themes of family, xenia and tradition.
Mothers: Mothers in the Odyssey, are determined figures. They are seen as the suppliers of compassion and distress, instead of genuine “supporters” of their children and spouses. Throughout the Odyssey, some of the females need backing and direction as they are weak, fragile, feeble and delicate. Without a tough male figure to guide them, these females seem to be sad and lost. Mothers in the Odyssey depend highly on their son’s devotion to them.