In the epic The Odyssey, there are many themes that come into play in the development. The first one is the hospitality, loyalty, power, motifs, disguises, and journeys to gain wisdom. Many of the main characters help to put these into play. The main characters are Odysseus, Penelope, Telemakhos, and Athena. Odysseus, Penelope, and Athena play a role in the development of the character of Telemakhos from a boy into manhood. Each offers a little piece of the puzzle till this is achieved. Telemakhos also plays a role in the development of the themes and also these play a big role in the development of "coming of age" in the epic for his character. Throughout The Odyssey, Telemakhos's character evolves from a introversive boy to a young man that is courageous and unreserved about what he should do in order to get the resolution that he wants. There are many effects of the absence of his father Odysseus, he is very passive with not only people but also with the manor in which he lives and the contents that belong within and he is unsure about where his identity stands. While he is on his travels he begins to gain an understanding of is identity and how he should be viewed. By the ending, he is confident and is no longer passive in his actions and earns respect from the people around him.
During the time of his father's absence, he is really unsure about his identity as being the prince and what that involves. Since his father had gone to Troy when he was just a baby, he never got to know him but was only able to hear about him from the stories that he had been told by his mother, the servants and the towns people. For example, at the beginning of the book, he notices a stranger outside the manor that had traveled in and begins talking to him. Although Telemakhos was unaware that it was really Athena in disguise, she says " But tell me this now, make it clear to me: You must be, by your looks, Odysseus's boy?" (8.
