Telemachos’ Journey A Museum Exhibition for Children Aleya, Kate, Tommie, Grace, and Maddie

Physical Journey ● Lives in Ithica with his mother, Penelope. ● Goes to meet King Nester, who is the king of Pylos. ● Meets Helen and Menelaos to inquire vital information pertaining to the whereabouts of Odysseus.

Starting Point- Ithaca ● Telemachos calls a meeting and discusses his troubles with how his family is being treated. ● Telemachos is finally gaining some confidence to stand up for himself. ● “Indeed I would defend myself if I had the strength [...] You ought to be ashamed in your own hearts [...]” (23) ○ Telemachos’ spiritual goal is to build the strength to stand up for himself and identify as his own individual. These words are what truly begin his journey. ● Telemachos’ speech increases the tensions between him, Antinoos, and Eurymachos

First Stop- Pylos  Athena disguises herself as Mentor to help Telemachos build confidence on his journey to find his father, Odysseus.  Shy Telemachos feels reluctant to approach the wise King Nestor.  Athena insures Telemachos will find the right word to say, “Some things you will think of yourself, Telemachos, some things God will put into your mind” (32).  Telemachos finds the courage to ask King Nestor where Odysseus is.  Nestor does not know where Telemachos’s father is; however, he uses the story of courageous Orestes to inspire Telemachos.  Aegisthus killed Agamemnon and took his wife. Orestes, Agamemnon’s son, avenged his father by killing Aegisthus and his unfaithful mother.  Telemachos: must avenge his own father by taking back the household from the suitors.

Second Stop- Sparta Telemachos lands in Sparta and feasts with Menelaos and Helen, still building his confidence. “[...] he is modest, and he feels shy, on his first visit like this; he would not thrust himself forward or put in any remarks of his own, in your presence, sir[...]” When Telemachos decides to speak, Menelaos says how much like Odysseus he is, boosting his confidence. Telemachos builds up enough courage to ask about his father, and Menelaos repeats the words of Proteus, “[...] And one still lives, kept prisoner somewhere in the broad ocean.” Telemachos realizes his journey isn’t for nothing and continues on after feasting and receiving the silver bowl. Overall, Telemachos continues to grow in confidence and learns to actively seek what he wants in this book

Where To Next? At the end of book four, Telemachos leaves Sparta to find further information about his father. He wants to learn as much as possible about Odysseus when he can, so he knows what to expect when he meets him. Soon, he will meet more people along the way that will contribute to Telemachos finding Odysseus. Where do YOU think Telemachos will end up?

Example Worksheets

Example Crafts

Other Museum Activities  Create your own ending: What do you think will happen to Telemachos?  Board game: Help Odysseus find his way home!  The Odyssey trading/ character cards  Create your own myth / your own journey to become a hero

The Odyssey Music Video: A Recap of the Story