Three times he made it shudder, straining to bend it,
three times his power flagged – but his hopes ran high
he’d string his father’s bow and shoot through every iron
and now, struggling with all his might for the fourth time,
he would have strung the bow, but Odysseus shook his head
and stopped him short despite his tensing zeal.
"God help me," the inspired prince cried out,
"must I be a weakling, a failure all my life?
Unless I’m just too young to trust my hands
to fight off any man who rises up against me.
Come, my betters, so much stronger than I am
try the bow and finish off the contest."
– Homer
The Odyssey, Book 21, lines 143-154. Telemachus proves equal in strength to his father, because he is the only other man who can string his bow. But, on a signal from Odysseus, Telemachus feigns weakness and pretends he cannot master the bow. This is to dupe the suitors into believing that he is weak. Here Telemachus shows his own cunning and proves as adept at deception as his father.