In book 1, Telemachus tells the suitors that he will officially give them notice to leave in the morning. He tells the suitors that if they persist in eating at his house, Jove will reckon with them and they will eventually fall in his house (thinly veiled death-threats), with no man left to avenge them.
He also tells the suitors to enjoy themselves and not fight, so that they can heard the bard Phemius. He also tells them that the visitor was an old friend of his father Odysseus; Mentes, son of Anchialus, chief of the Taphians.
he's laying down the law.
In Book 1 of "The Odyssey," Telemachus confronts the suitors who have overrun his home, expressing his frustration and anger at their disrespectful behavior and the chaos they bring to his household. He urges them to leave, asserting that they are consuming his father's wealth and dishonoring his family. Telemachus also reveals his desire to seek information about Odysseus, hoping to find a way to restore order and reclaim his father's legacy. This moment marks a pivotal point in his journey toward maturity and leadership.
Keeping them at bay
At the beginning of "The Odyssey," Odysseus instructs Telemachus to assert himself and take charge of their household, which has been overrun by suitors vying for Penelope's hand. He encourages Telemachus to gather information about his father's whereabouts and to seek out news from other Greek leaders who may have returned from the Trojan War. This call to action is meant to instill confidence and responsibility in Telemachus, marking his transition into adulthood.
Odysseus had asked his son to lock the armory so that the suitors cannot defend themselves. After successfully shooting an arrow through the holes of the twelve axes, Odysseus shoots Antinous in the throat, and the suitors realize who the beggar - Odysseus - is. They try to flee, then attempt to get Odysseus away from the door so that they can escape. While Odysseus continues to shoot the suitors down, his son, Telemachus, gets spears and shields from the armory. After Odysseus runs out of arrows, he and his son use the spears to kill the suitors. They are helped by two servants. Eventually, Athena, goddess of war, makes her presence known in the form of a shield, and the suitors give up hope, and are slaughtered. Odysseus had killed 108 men, including 12 servants who had betrayed Odysseus (the maids had slept with the suitors, and a servant had mocked Odysseus when he was a beggar).
Telemachus is upset that the suitors are eating him out of house and home as well as courting his mother.
Odysseus begins plotting his revenge once he learns of the suitors, but he does not start killing them until Book XXII, after threading his bow, and shooting it through the twelve axes' handles.
Telemachus is the son of Odysseus
Telemachus' problem in Book 1 of Homer's "The Odyssey" is the presence of the suitors who have taken over his home in Ithaca, consuming his family's wealth and pushing for his mother Penelope to choose a new husband. Telemachus struggles with asserting himself against these disrespectful suitors and finding a way to reclaim his father's house.
he's laying down the law.
he's laying down the law.
Elmo
Keeping them at bay
Penelope confronts and scolds the suitors in the epic poem "The Odyssey" by Homer. At the beginning of Book 21, she directly addresses the suitors to let them know that they have crossed the line with their behavior in her household.
a singer amongst the group of suitors in odysseus' house while he is away
While the suitors may have their own reasons for pursuing Penelope, their disrespectful behavior towards her, their squandering of Odysseus' wealth, and their violent intentions towards Telemachus do not garner sympathy. Their actions are immoral and unjust, leading to their eventual punishment by Odysseus upon his return.
Odysseus finally reaches Ithaca in the 13th book of the Odyssey.