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Telephus

Literary Character
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A beautiful young man in Horace's Odes, object of both male and female desire, representing youthful attractiveness.

Detailed Definition
Telephus appears in Horatian lyric as a lovely youth whose beauty inspires praise and jealousy; his name connects to Greek mythology while his character embodies desirability. The character represents the classical appreciation of youthful male beauty, his presence in poetry celebrating physical perfection regardless of the admirer's gender. Telephus demonstrates how ancient love poetry operated within different conventions regarding homoerotic admiration, treating beautiful youths as legitimate subjects for aesthetic and amorous verse.
Example
Example in poetry:
Telephus appears in Horace's Odes as a beautiful youth admired by the poet's companion; Poets use Telephus to represent male beauty and its effects; In lyric tradition, Telephus embodies the attractive young man who causes jealousy or admiration; A poet might invoke Telephus when depicting beauty's power; Telephus serves as a figure of youth and desirability; The character demonstrates classical interest in male as well as female beauty
Additional Notes
Telephus appears in Horace's Odes as a beautiful young man admired by the poet's friend, representing youthful male beauty as object of desire. Poets invoke Telephus when depicting attractive youths, exploring desire directed toward beautiful young men, or addressing jealousy caused by another's attraction. The character demonstrates classical poetry's treatment of male beauty as worthy of aesthetic attention and erotic desire, reflecting cultural attitudes accepting such attractions as natural and appropriate subject matter for poetry.
Also Known As
far-shining Mysian king wounded hero
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