Foils for Odysseus Essay

The Odyssey is the epic that has been read age and clip again, by varying ages, digging its way into our hearts, becoming an instant classic. Odysseus and the adventures of his homecoming create a lots different tale than Homers other work, the Iliad, provided. The epic is non ab come to the fore bloodthirsty hands trying to bind their hands on kleos anymore it is ab appear the homecoming of a man who uses his wits, not his weapon. In the Odyssey, the characters balance Homer provides contrasting characters to show the readers the traits that Odysseus holds and how it builds his character development and even those who are foils to him. Odysseus aver parole, trojan state of war companions, and wife create the man that is called Odysseus, highlighting the various facets of his personality by means ofout the epic. Odysseus son Telemachos matured since the really first book of the Odyssey, becoming more self-confident in his capabilities, more sizable in the speeches he mak es, and more importantly, more determined to rule the kingdom that will one mean solar day become his. The process that Odysseus undergoes in his travels, such as growth in intellect, maturity and strength, his son goes through as well.The emotional growth in the paralleling stories of Telemachos and Odysseus holds a key part to the storylines. When Telemachos travels to Sparta he meets Menelaus, Odysseus friend from the Trojan War. When Menelaus mentions Odysseus, the young Telemachos first tries to stay strong and continue to hide who he is but breaks down and cries, wake he still has a lot to learn. Odysseus is ben for his tricks, especially in the Odyssey where he specializes in not existence who he says he is for ninety-five percent of the epic. As Telemachos tries to accomplish being a chess identical his father he shows he has potential but it is not the right time but to be as tricky as Odysseus is. In book 21 of the Odyssey Telemachos sets up the trial of the 12 ax es perfectly for the suitors, even though he was never taught how only Odysseus knows how to set them up so flawlessly. When it came time for Telemachos to try his hand at stringing his fathers god- exchangeable bow that only he could string, he came very close. If it were not for Odysseus signal theboy would have strung the bow and won.He had the potential to be moreover like Odysseus, stringing the bow that only Odysseus could string, proving that Telemachos has matured to the point that he could almost take his fathers place. He yields the repugn to the suitors, stating Shame on me. I must be then a coward and weakling, or else I am still young, and my hands have yet no confidence to defend myself against a man who has started a quarrel. Come then, you who in your strength are wideer than I am, make your attempts on the bow, and let us finish the contest (Book 21,131-135). As the suitors witness his failure, Telemachos starts to use and perfect the use of clever responses and like his father, make the suitors feel safer than they really are, not letting them see through his ruse. After the Trojan War ended and time for the homecoming of the soldiers came about, the men who were featured in Homers Iliad journeyed on their frosty way, back to their homes they left behind for twenty days. Agamemnon, genus Nestor and Menelaos all had different homecomings, but each of them creates a nicely knit foil for Odysseus.As Agamemnon stepped inside his own home after twenty years of being away, his wife Clytemnestra and her newfound lover Aegisthus, who was Agamemnons cousin, greeted him with a nice bath. Before Agamemnon arrived, Clytemnestra was plotting the death of her economize due to the sacrifice of their daughter, Iphigenia. Agamemnon was stabbed to death by the vengeful tag-team. Agamemnons son, Orestes, unleashed vengeance upon his mother and her lover. Agamemnons family is a foil for Odysseus family life. Odysseus family loves him very dearly and has done no wrong as he was away. Penelope, unlike Clytemnestra, corset loyal to Odysseus and even creates an ingenious plan to keep the suitors off her back. Telemachos on the other hand has to pickle with the suitors who are trying to marry his mother and have been dishonoring his father, Odysseus, eating their fill since they sat their butts on the stools they estimate as weapons. Telemachos cant even stand up to the suitors as Agamemnons son took penalise on the people who killed his father. This shows how Telemachos should be as a son and will soon be as he grows up to be more like his father. Menelaos had a long homecoming due to the gods, just as Odysseus had. Menelaos angered the Egyptian gods, due to the lack of knowledge of Egyptian customs.He was able to arse around home with all of his crew, unlike Odysseus, who was a lone survivor. Although Menelaos had an easier homecoming than Odysseus, he did not have afaithful wife, just like Agamemnon. Helen was the reason for the Trojan War for Menelaos it was not easy to forgive an untrusty wife to that degree. He cannot rejoin the present as easily due to all that was lost in Troy, destined to be full of grief for eternity. Then there is Nestor, the man whose name means Returner. Nestor was the one who had the easiest and most peaceful return home. His palace was full of peace, unlike Odysseus and the other two men. As the three war heroes returned back to their homes, none of them had to disguise themselves as someone else, making it obvious who they were, which was cheeseparing and bad. Odysseus had to resume pretending he was someone else, generally from Crete, until he was certain that the people who caused the most threats were out of the picture.That was a smart move on Odysseus part. Penelope was Odysseus faithful, cunning and stunningly beautiful wife. Penelope, just like Odysseus, tests people until she gets enough knowledge to her liking. For example after Odysseus reveals himself to the hous ehold and asks for Penelope, Penelope does not believe the news show so quickly. She was not so gullible as to be excited about simple information she wanted cold enceinte proof. Penelope shows her cleverness when she wants to see Odysseus, telling Eurykleia Dear nurse, it would be hard for you to baffle the purposes of the everlasting gods, although you are very clever. Still, I will go to see my son, so that I can look on these men who courted me lying dead, and the man who killed them (Book 23, 81-84). She is not willing to let anyone know she is excited to see her husband, so she plays it off cool, saying she was just going outside in score to see her son, not even mentioning Odysseus by name.Penelope constantly reconsiders and rethinks what she should do, just like Odysseus tends to do because he never wants to be caught off guard, until Penelope, as clever as she is, starts playing the same game he does. She orders Eurykleia to make up a firm bed for him outside the well-fa shioned chamber that very bed that he himself built. Put the firm bed here outside for him, and cover it over with fleeces and blankets, and with shining coverlets (Book 23,177-180). Knowing Odysseus would get flustered with her idea, he revealed who he was by stating that the bed could not be moved due to it being made of the olive tree trunk that the house was built on. Not one person could out wit Odysseus and yet, his own wife did so easily. Penelope was just as smart as Odysseus, making them perfect foils for one another.Odysseus was a man of wit and courage, one who was unfortunate enough to anger the gods. hitherto with his unlucky fate of a long homecoming, he was blessed with a loyal and loving family, a family that highlights the various facets of his personality. All of these characters molded Odysseus, just as he molded them through the events of the Odyssey. They reflect his growth as a character with their own trials and tribulations. We find the best depiction of Ody sseus growth in comparability to other characters his wife, his comrades, and his son all bring out different elements of his personality. Without any of them, Odysseus would not be the great character we all know and love.