The Telemachus and Epic Conventions

The Telemachy is the first four books of the Odyssey.

• Odysseus is Telemachus’s father, the missing king of Ithaca, and husband of Penelope. Skilled, clever, and strategic. Trapped on Ogygia.

• Telemachus is Odysseus’s and Penelope’s son. He embarks on a journey to find his father. Cowardly and naive.

• Penelope is Odysseus’s wife, Telemachus’s mother, and the queen of Ithaca. She yearns to see Odysseus again.

• Eurycleia is the loyal nurse of Telemachus and Odysseus, who plays a crucial role in the household, providing care and guidance to Telemachus during his quest.

• Eurymachus is one of the suitors of Penelope. Arrogant.

• Antinoos is the leader of the suitors, known for his arrogance and contempt for Telemachus, as he vies for Penelope's hand in marriage.

• Laertes is the father of Odysseus. He mourns for his son in a cave.

• Calypso is a nymph who keeps Odysseus captive on her island, Ogygia, and represents the theme of temptation and longing in the epic.

• Athena is the goddess of wisdom and war strategy. Helps Odysseus get back home.

• Zeus is the main god of all other gods, and thunder/lighting.

• Poseidon is the god of the sea. Only god that isn’t in favor of Odysseus.

• Menelaus is the king of Sparta. husband of Helen of Troy. Brother of Agamemnon. Helps Telemachus in his journey.

• Nestor is the king of Pylos, father of Antilochus and Pisistraus. Helps Telemachus in his journey.

• Helen of Troy is Menelaus’s wife. “Cause” of the Trojan War. Beautiful.

• Pisistraus is the son of Menelaus. Helps Telemachus get to Sparta.

• Agamemnon is the king of Mycenae and brother of Menelaus. Killed by his wife’s lover.

• Clytemnestra is Agamemnon’s wife, and Helen’s sister.

• Proteus is a old, prophetic sea god who shapeshifts, Odysseus faces him.

• Medon is the faithful herald of Odysseus

• Ithaca is the home of Odysseus and Penelope. An island.

• Troy is the setting for the Trojan War. Besieged for 10 years.

• Greek city known for its military.

• Pylos is ruled by King Nestor. Telemachus visits.

• Ogygia is Calypso’s island where Odysseus is held captive.

Epic Conventions

• In Media Res - Narrative begins in the middle of the story’s action

• Invocation of the muse - informs reader of subject matter

• Stock Epithets - adjective/phrase that describes a character

• Divine Intervention - gods interfering with human affairs

• Epic Digressions - recap on a previously known story, useless to plot

• Heroes embodying cultural values - heroes in epics embody values/dominant ideas

• Definitive Meter - one long syllable followed by two short, “long short short long”

• Homer Similes - detailed, complex, comparison of everyday things

• Epic Battles - A long showdown.

• Descent into the underworld - Hero descends into the underworld, the lowest point in journey