DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT AN ANCIENT GREEK SCHOLAR. FOR THE FULL DISCLAIMER, READ HERE.
"Sons are seldom as good men as their fathers; they are generally worse, not better; still, as you are not going to be either fool or coward henceforward, and are not entirely without some share of your father's wise discernment, I look with hope upon your undertaking."
Odyssey, Book 2; Samuel Butler translation
Book 2 Summary
For a list of the major characters, with Greek and Latin names, go here.
Telemachus calls an assembly and states his grievances about the unruly suitors ruining Odysseus' estate and the fact the people of Ithaca are doing nothing about it. The leader of the suitors responds by blaming Penelope for refusing to either choose a suitor or go back to her father’s house.
After a few elders in the assembly side with Telemachus, the suitors then begin to threaten violence. After everyone witnesses an omen in the sky favoring Telemachus, he brings up the next topic: he wants a ship and a crew so he can start his voyage to find out if his father is dead or not.
The suitors make more threats of violence and force the assembly to end. Telemachus prays for assistance and Athena comes to him in the form of one of the elders who stood up for Telemachus in the assembly. She encourages him to get ready for the voyage and he asks her to help pick a ship and crew while he gets provisions ready.
During the night, after Athena makes the suitors drowsy and everyone else is asleep, Telemachus and his new crew get the provisions on his ship and they sail off for their first destination: Pylos.
Disclaimer
I think it’s important to remind everyone that I am not a philosopher, psychologist, counselor, therapist, etc. I am just someone who wants to read great books and write about them.
As I mentioned in my post on Book 1, the story of Telemachus could provide a blueprint about what we could do today concerning the fatherless. It could get a discussion started. It could be an inspiration or a springboard into real solutions.
This is Telemachus’ story and how he got out of his dire situation and grew up into a fine man. It doesn’t need to be exactly replicated for every single boy out there. Plus, I am just thinking out loud. I doubt the Odyssey was composed to be some self-help book. The Odyssey is first, and foremost, a story (and a really good one at that).
Truth Reveals
Two of Jordan Peterson’s “12 Rules For Life” are “Tell the truth; or, at least, don’t lie” and “Be precise in your speech.” He often talks about how lies, even small ones, are not only constricting, but they leave the door open for bigger lies. Or worse, it gives license for individuals or groups to tyrannize others. Homer shows this in the Odyssey with Telemachus’ situation.
The suitors are tyrannizing Telemachus, his mother Penelope, and their household. The suitors are doing something vile and in violation of custom by visiting the estate, eating up all the food, using the servants for their own pleasure, playing around, and waiting for opportunities to catch glimpses of Penelope. This has been going on for years.
And you know what’s worse? The people of Ithaca are doing nothing about it. Even if they disagree with what the suitors are doing, they are being complicit in saying and doing nothing. Their silence allows the suitors to continue their tyranny.
Telemachus also doesn’t say or do anything except brood over it and be victimized by it. And really, you can’t blame him. He was a child when all of this started. He just accepted it as his lot in life. And it’s not like he could do anything about it since the adults weren’t, right?
But Telemachus isn’t a child anymore. He’s 20 years old. He’s now an adult. He has to put away the childishness and do what an adult needs to do.
And fitting for the goddess of wisdom, Athena tells Telemachus to do something even before getting ready for his voyage—something monumentally important.
“Take my advice, call the Achaean heroes in assembly to-morrow morning – lay your case before them, and call heaven to bear you witness.”
Odyssey, Book 1; Samuel Butler translation
Expose the truth. Force everyone to confront the wickedness of the suitors and the cowardice of the people.
Telemachus does just that. He speaks truthfully and precisely and doesn’t hold back.
“The sons of all the chief men among you are pestering my mother to marry them against her will. They are afraid to go to her father Icarius, asking him to choose the one he likes best… but day to day they keep hanging about my father’s house, sacrificing our oxen, sheep, and fat goats for their banquets, and never giving so much as a thought to the quantity of wine they drink… Have respect, therefore to your own consciences and to public opinion. Fear, too, the wrath of heaven, lest the gods should be displeased and turn upon you.” (Book 2; emphasis mine)
Odyssey, Book 2; Samuel Butler translation
As you can imagine, it doesn’t go well.
In a nutshell, this is what the suitors do:
Blame Penelope, the victim, for the situation and make themselves out to be the victims
They even tell a story that is factually true—but facts don’t justify bad behavior
Shame Telemachus for bringing up the issue
Rationalize away any indications that they are in the wrong
This happens when an omen appears that shows favor to Telemachus
Threaten harm on those who take Telemachus’ side
Threaten harm on Telemachus himself
Forcefully end the conversation with the status quo in tact
When you confront the tyrant—whether it is a person, group, or yourself—expect something like what happened to Telemachus.
However, also expect surprises. As soon as Telemachus spoke the truth, he found he had allies. He was even presented evidence that confirmed the truth he was speaking. Most of all, he made the suitors look bad. The suitors grandstanded and threatened violence, but they didn’t put their money where their mouths were. Instead, they just shut the conversation down and went back to their merrymaking. Telemachus showed the suitors were all talk.
Telemachus exposing the truth didn’t immediately solve the problem. It rarely ever does. However, now that the truth is out there, it can’t be hidden any longer. And because the truth can’t be hidden any longer, it can begin to dismantle the lies. It can begin to change minds. It can begin to instill courage. It can make the status quo intolerable to bear.
Don’t get Distracted From the Goal
There are two other behaviors Telemachus exhibits that are important to mention.
The first is that, during the assembly, Telemachus said what he needed to say and nothing more. When it became clear the suitors weren’t going to change their ways, Telemachus moved on to the subject of his voyage. Telemachus didn’t try to win the argument, or debate every little point the suitors made. That’s not his goal, after all. He said precisely what the suitors and the people of Ithaca were doing wrong, made his case, and left it at that.
The second behavior, which was at the advice of Athena, was to stop associating with the suitors any longer. Despite the assembly, when Telemachus returns home the suitors begin to sweet talk him and tell him to join them again like nothing ever happened. Telemachus firmly rejects them, which earns him more insults and threats of violence, and carries on with his preparations for his voyage.
Tyrants may try to sweet talk you back into the status quo—especially once they’ve been exposed for the frauds they are. They will try to divert you from your goal with temptations, calls for friendship, a return to the ways things were (it wasn’t really all that bad, right?). Do not be distracted. Stand firm in the truth. It’s the only thing that will set you free.
Your Goal Requires Your Effort
After the assembly, Telemachus gets to work on preparations for his quest. First, the work is divided between himself and his only ally, the disguised Athena.
Don’t be afraid to get help from your allies in getting your goal accomplished. A true ally will want you to succeed and help in any way that is possible for them.
After that, Telemachus goes and makes the necessary preparations so the voyage will go as smoothly as possible.
Telemachus doesn’t sit back and wait for everything to fall into place. He doesn’t rely on Athena, the fairy godmother, to magically make everything ready. Athena even goes about her tasks the normal way by finding a ship and recruiting people rather than just waving her hand and making it all happen.
Even if you have allies, especially capable ones, you still have to put in the effort. Without your effort, you won’t succeed. Without your effort, you will be too reliant on others and will be lost when those others aren’t around anymore. Without your effort, you will fail in your new circumstances. As a result, the tyrants may draw you back into their tyranny in the midst of your helplessness.
Be Careful of Those Who Mean Well
Telemachus hides the fact that he’s going on the voyage from most everyone—including his mother. Only his nurse knows what he’s doing—and even she tried at first to stop Telemachus. His mother may try and stop him too, and she has more authority than his nurse. Her intervention may ruin the quest before it can get off the ground.
Not everyone who is close to you, who wants the best for you, is going to be helpful. “It’s too dangerous!” ; “You’re going to be the death of me!”
These individuals genuinely mean well, but they rather you stay safe in the tyranny of the lie than step toward the dangerous and unknown truth. The known safety, even if it is a lie, is better than the unknown danger, even if that is where truth lies. You may fail and it may cost you deeply. They don’t realize that the safe status quo will cost you far, far more in the end. They don’t realize that, while the unknown may lead to a moment of pain, the status quo will certainly be death by a thousand cuts.
Be careful who you reveal your plans to—this includes people closest to you.
Not a Moment Sooner, Not a Moment Later
Telemachus doesn’t leave for his voyage until nighttime when the suitors are in a drunken stupor and his household is asleep.
Start your quest when it’s time. Don’t delay, but don’t start before the appropriate time. Make sure all your preparations are done. Make sure there are few or no obstacles that will get in your way when you start. Then, when you start, don’t hesitate. Don’t look back. Don’t reason with yourself that there’s just one more detail that needs to be taken care of. If it can’t be done while you’re moving forward, then let it go.
You May Not Find What You Seek
I didn’t pick up on this when I wrote my post on Book 1, but now’s a great time to mention it.
Before the disguised Athena tells Telemachus to “make for yourself a name in story,” she tells him what to do if he didn’t find what he was looking for.
“If on the other hand you hear of [your father’s] death, come home at once, celebrate his funeral rites with all due pomp, build a barrow to his memory, and make your mother marry again. Then, having done all this, think it well over in your mind how, by fair means or foul, you may kill these suitors in your own house.”
Odyssey, Book 1; Samuel Butler translation
If Telemachus finds out his father is dead, then he is to do what custom requires for the dead and for his widowed mother, and then take matters into his own hands concerning the suitors.
This means the quest, the adventure, that Telemachus is to go on, as well as all the preparation for it, is more important than the actual results. That’s because the quest is about: 1) seeking the truth, no matter what it may be; and 2) making Telemachus into a man. If Telemachus finds out Odysseus is still alive, then both of them can deal with the suitors. If Telemachus finds out Odysseus is dead, then it’s up to him to deal with the suitors, just as Orestes dealt with his father’s murderer. In either scenario, Telemachus is going to make a name for himself, but it won’t happen unless Telemachus goes on that quest and grows up.
Recap
Here’s a revision of that blueprint in light of Book 2:
Step 1: Telemachus is given a quest—one that will lead to changing his circumstances, putting an end to his suffering, and make him into a good man.
Step 2: Telemachus is given an inspirational peer to emulate and aim for.
Step 3: Before Telemachus goes on his voyage, Athena instructs him to call an assembly. There, he articulates the truth and confronts the situation he is in. In this, Telemachus gets push back and threats of violence from the suitors, but he also finds allies.
Step 4: Telemachus prepares diligently for the quest. He does all the work possible for him. He relies on the ally he has made. He discerns who can and can’t be trusted with knowledge about his quest. When preparations are complete, and it’s the right time, he starts the quest and doesn’t look back.
That’s all for Book 2 of the Odyssey.
May your days be filled with grace.
-Andronikos
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Thumbnail: Penelope and the Suitors by John William Waterhouse (1912). Public domain. This painting depicts the scene of the suitors catching Penelope in her ruse.