The Odyssey

‘The ways in which character respond to confrontation and battle reveal much about them.’ Discuss this statement with reference to two or more characters in Homer’s The Odyssey. There are two fundamental characters in Homer’s The Odyssey – Telemachus and of course Odysseus. Both undergo journey’s throughout the book, which take them into confronting situations and also into battle. It is through these encounters that much is revealed about both characters. Telemachus has …

…When he visits Hades and also when he returns home, he shows great amounts of restraint in his confrontations with people, which ultimately lead to his continuing survival. He isn’t always rash, which is shown in these parts. In the battle in the hall, he shows himself to be brave, cunning and very resourceful. He concocts a plan, evaluates it, and then executes it, with all the hallmarks of the hero that he is.