Classical World

This is an interesting examination of the contribution of Telemachus’ story (both the “Telemachy” and his role in the final few books of the epic) to the Odyssey’s theme of status and identity, and how they relate to the concept of kleos. By exploring the complementary quests of son for father and father for home, this study highlights the centrality of kleos to Homeric society: who you are is determined not simply by your birth but rather by your praiseworthy actions which need to be known to all. Specifically, this is a study of the metaphorical [End Page 705] “education” of Telemachus, who, by embarking on a literal journey to find his father, ends up on a symbolic quest to find himself; with both these journeys completed, Telemachus is able to assume his proper position in society not simply as the son of Odysseus but as a (Homeric) man in his own right. While more advanced scholars may find much of interest here, the clarity of the writing and the depth of explanation (Petropoulos notes that this book “was born in the classroom” [xiii]) make it valuable to students of both Greek literature and Greek culture. All Greek is translated or transliterated, as appropriate.

The first three chapters provide clear discussion of the importance of kleos to social identity, and consequently the need for Telemachus to embark on his own “odyssey” to earn kleos for himself and thereby acquire his own status. The final chapter shows the result of Telemachus’ journey as he assists his father in the slaughter of the suitors and the restoration of justice to Ithaca. This analysis provides a good understanding of the importance of oral communication to Homeric society and to social status. While physical strength is important to the Homeric man, equally important is his ability to speak convincingly and argue persuasively, and Telemachus’ attempts to earn both are well analyzed. In addition, the varying means for conveying news are discussed along with their degrees of trustworthiness for bestowing kleos. Throughout these chapters, Telemachus’ maturation from a tongue-tied youth who cannot control the suitors by word or deed to an articulate, prudent, and strong young man who is worthy of respect, a place at the side of his father and, eventually, on his father’s throne is clearly delineated.

Chapters 4 and 5 are less accessible for the general or student reader and so less successful given the obvious audience of the book. Those readers unfamiliar with Pushkin’s novels and the fables of the Hopi and Navajo might find parallels between Telemachus and Eugene Onegin, or Telemachus’ journey and Native American coming-of-age ceremonies less than pellucid. The analysis of Penelope as a controlling mother seeking to emasculate her son would equally have benefited from more detailed support, as would the discussion of Telemachus’ and the suitors’ Oedipal issues (ch. 4). Chapter 5 contains a detailed discussion of a boar hunt and Odysseus’ thigh wound, likening the hunt to an initiation rite with the thigh wound standing in for circumcision, while Telemachus’ own journey to find his father is likewise compared to his boar hunt/initiation rite. This highly theoretical conception seems oddly out of sync with the level of discussion in the rest of the book.

All the same, this useful examination of the Telemachy and the nature and function of kleos offers much to both students and scholars.