The Hero's Journey of Telemachus.

Return with the elixir

Odysseus is home, the suitors are gone, and the life Telemachus lived for the past ten years is no more. The ordinary awaits him. But Telemachus will never be the man he once was.

The nurse informs Penelope of Odysseus's return and the death of the suitors, thus signaling that life was back to normal.

“Wake up, Penelope, my dear child,

so you can see for yourself with your own eyes

what you've been wanting each and every day.

Odysseus has arrived. He may be late,

but he's back in the house. And he's killed

those arrogant suitors who upset this home,

used up his goods, and victimized his son.”

(Book 23, Line 6-12, Page 449)

Road back

The road back, in this case is not necessarily physical. In fact it is mental. Odysseus has been away for so long that Telemachus hardly recognizes him. He starts to second guess if he was the same man and if this was really the life he wanted.

Odysseus tells Telemachus that he is indeed back:

"Telemachus, it's not appropriate for you

to be overly surprised your father

is back home or to be too astonished.

You can rest assured—no other Odysseus

will ever be arriving. I am here.

I've endured a lot in many wanderings,

and now, in the twentieth year, I've come back"

(Book 16, Line 252-258, Page 320)

Call to Adventure

The Hero's Journey of Telemachus.

Michael Fitzpatrick

Barbara Sledz

Telemachus is met by the godless Athena under the alias Mentes during a meal for the suitors at his house. Athena tells Telemachus that his father may still be alive and that he should go and find him

Herald

Resurrection

Upon telling Telemachus that his father may be alive, Athena convinces him to go on a journey (adventure) to the lands of Ithaca.

Athena (disguised as Mentor) says to Telemachus:

"Sail first to Pylos—speak to noble Nestor.

After you’ve been there, proceed to Sparta

and fair-haired Menelaus, the last one

of all bronze-clad Achaeans to get home."

(Book 1, Line 389-392, Page 19)

Athena says to Telemachus:

"Get yourself a crew of twenty rowers

and the best boat you possess. Then leave here-

set off in search of news about your father,

who's been gone so long."

(Book 1, Line 383-386, Page 19)

After the battle with the suitors and being faced with near-death circumstances, Telemachus realizes that his father is not the same man that left ten years ago but a better one instead. He acknowledges the new future and his part in creating it. Telemachus has also changed, as have his surroundings. His home is no longer plagued by the suitors.

The suitors throw their spears at Odysseus, Telemachus, and the others who were helping them:

"Agelaus spoke, and in their eagerness

to follow what he'd said, they all hurled their spears."

(Book 22, Line 322-323, Page 439)

The Reward

Ordinary world

The reward is that Telemachus finally gets his old life back, and can rest. His father is alive, his mother did not have to marry the suitors, and peace was restored.

The ordinary world is where the story starts off as Telemachus is at his ordinary home treating and preparing meals for all the suitors that wish to marry his mother.

Meeting the Mentor

The Hero

Telemachus's mentor, Athena, not only convinces him to look past his doubts but also gives him the necessary information and supplies and boosts his confidence to go on this adventure.

Odysseus is welcomed back after his return and the killing of the suitors. Telemachus is also rejoicing.

"They clasped and kissed his head, his hands, and shoulders,

in loving welcome. A sweet longing seized him

to sigh and weep, for in his heart he knew them all."

(Book 22, Line 613-615, Page 448)

One of the heroes in The Odyssey is Telemachus. He goes off on a journey in search of his lost father. He does not see himself as a hero.

Telemachus does not say that he is definitely Odysseus's son:

"My mother says I am Odysseus' son.

I can't myself confirm that, for no man

has ever yet been sure about his parents."

(Book 1, Line 287-289, Page 16)

"He was sitting with the suitors, his heart

troubled,

picturing in his mind how his noble father

might get back"

(Book 1, Line 149-151, Page 12)

For the past couple of years, Telemachus has stayed at home and wondered when/if his father would return home and get rid of the suitors.

The Mentor

Telemachus's mentor is Athena. She provides him with the knowledge and support he needs to set off on the quest.

Athena says to Telemachus:

"Telemachus,

in future days you will not be worthless

or a stupid man, if you have in you now

something of your father's noble spirit."

(Book 2, Line 364-367, Page 36)

Athena prepares everything Telemachus will need on his voyage:

"Athena dragged the fast ship down into the sea

and stocked it with supplies, all the materials

well-decked boats have stowed on board, then moved the ship

to the harbour's outer edge. There they assembled,

that group of brave companions, and the goddess

instilled fresh spirit in them all."

(Book 2, Line 523-528, Page 41)

The Ordeal

The Ordeal comes when Telemachus is faced up against the suitors who have been living in his house for the past ten years. He has served them all food and gave them hospitality. despite how they treated him and the other inhabitants of the house. Now it is time for him to let his anger out and get revenge alongside his father.

The beginning of the battle:

"As Odysseus spoke,

he aimed a bitter arrow straight at Antinous,

who was just about to raise up to his lips

a fine double-handled goblet he was holding

in his hands, so he could drink some wine."

(Book 22, Line 9-13, Page 429)

Refusal of the call

Approaching the Inmost Cave

Telemachus refuses the call at first because he worries about his mother and thinks that she needs him there to help. He also worries about what the suitors might do in their home while he is gone.

At this point, Telemachus and Odysseus are plotting to kill all of the suitors. The suitors remain unaware of Odysseus's return and identity (he is disguised as an old man).

Tests, Allies, and Enemies

Crossing the Threshold

Telemachus crosses the threshold when he sets sail on his boat. He is giving up his ordinary life, and fully understands that he may not come back.

Telemachus says to Athena:

"...they are all now

wooing my mother and ravaging my house.

She won't turn down a marriage she detests

but can't bring herself to make the final choice.

Meanwhile, these men are feasting on my home

and soon will be the death of me as well.”

(Book 1, Line 337-342, Page 18)

Telemachus's enemies are the suitors because they are living off of his father's land and wealth while acting like slobs, and Telemachus believes that his mother should not have to marry someone less than Odysseus. His allies are Athena and the servants who helped lock the suitors in the room. His test was first to find his father but his second test was to help him kill the suitors, which came later on in the poem.

Trickster

The trickster in the book is Odysseus. His disguise and clever plan are used to take out a numerous amount of relatively strong men.

Odysseus reveals his strength and abilities upon using his bow and speaks to Telemachus:

“Telemachus, the stranger

sitting in your halls has not disgraced you.

I did not miss my aim or work too long

to string that bow. My strength is still intact,

in spite of all the suitors' scornful gibes."

(Book 21, Line 536-540, Page 428)

Odysseus explains his plan to Telemachus:

"...When you see that,

take all the weapons of war lying there,

in the hall, and put them in a secret place,

all of them, in the lofty storage room.

When the suitors notice they've gone missing

and ask about them, you must deceive them

with reassuring words:..."

(Book 16, Line 353-359, Page 323)

The Shadow

Threshold Guardian

Shape Shifter

The suitors fulfill the role of the threshold guardian. They doubt Telemachus and try to dissuade him from starting his voyage and leaving the "ordinary world."

The Shadow(s) in The Odyssey are the suitors. Their actions are what caused Telemachus to go on a journey in search of his father. They also plot to kill the hero.

The shape shifter in this story is Odysseus. He takes on the form of an old man and pretends to not be set completely against the suitors, when in reality, he and Telemachus were planning to kill them.

Telemachus arrives at Pylos, his first destination:

"When the sun had left the splendid sea and risen up

into an all-bronze heaven, giving light to gods

and mortal men and grain to farmers' fields,

the ship and crew reached Pylos, a well-built city

ruled by Nestor."

(Book 3, Line 1-5, Page 43)

"...As for Telemachus,

well, Mentor and Halitherses, comrades

of his ancestral house from years ago,

will speed him on his way. But still, I think

he'll be sitting here a long time yet,

collecting his reports in Ithaca.

He's never going to undertake that trip.”

(Book 2, Line 342-348, Page 35)

Telemachus sets sail on the boat:

"Telemachus then called out to his companions

to set their hands to the ship's rigging. Once they heard,

they went to work, raising the mast cut out of fir,

setting it in its hollow socket, securing it

with fore-stays, and hoisting the white sail aloft

with twisted ox-hide thongs. The belly of the sail

filled up with wind, and the ship sailed on its way.

As it sliced straight through the swell on its way forward,

around the bow began the great song of the waves."

(Book 2, Line 566-574, Page 42)

Odysseus comes home, disguised:

"Odysseus came into the house behind Eumaeus,

looking like an old and miserable beggar,

leaning on his staff, his body dressed in rags."

(Book 17, Line 426-428, Page 344)

"As they were talking in this way to one another,

the suitors were making plans against Telemachus,

scheming to bring him to a fatal destiny."

(Book 20, Line 298-300, Page 404)