In the passage “Telemachus” from The Odyssey, Athena’s influence on Telemachus has caused him to grow up and become more confident. Homer’s use of dialogue and punctuation are very important to Telemachus’ development throughout the passage.
In the passage you begin to see the first signs of Telemachus growing up by the way he starts to talk to his mother. It starts with him saying, “So, mother / go back to your quarters. Tend to your own tasks. . .” (lines 1-2) This dialogue is something never seen in Telemachus before Athena’s influence got to him. He is starting to exert his force and power over his mother by bossing her around. It is necessary for him to show maturity especially with the fact that his father is gone. The way Telemachus spoke to his mother not only was shocking to Penelope, but also the …show more content…
He becomes tired of the suitors bothering him and his mother and trying to get in Penelope’s bed. So, Telemachus takes command,“You suitors / who plague my mother, you, you, insolent overweening. . .” (lines 15-16) The ellipses show that Telemachus almost said more, but he refrained knowing that none of the suitors would listen to him and his point would be lost. The use of ellipses prove that Telemachus is becoming increasingly cunning and is gaining much needed self control thanks to a touch of Athena’s influence. Telemachus becomes tired with the constant presence of the suitors. So he begins fighting back at the suitors and he tells them, “Zeus will pay you back with a vengeance- all of you / destroyed in my house while I go scot-free myself!” (Lines 29-30) The explanation point shows that Telemachus is confident in what he is saying. Before his new maturity, he wouldn’t even be telling off the suitors, but now he is doing it with a sense of confidence. The punctuation Homer included is very important in telling the story of how Telemachus grew up thanks to the influence of