In The Odyssey, how does Telemachus prove himself equal yet obedient to his father concerning the bow?book 21

I would argue that Telemachus does not quite show himself to be
equal to Odysseus, but he clearly shows that he is obedient to his
father.

Telemachus almost shows himself to be equal to his father
because he is going to be able to string the bow. However, it is only on his fourth try that he
looks like he is going to be strong enough to bend the bow and get the string in place. Odysseus,
by contrast, is able to string the bow very easily. So Telemachus is closer to being equal to his
father than the suitors are, but he is clearly not quite equal.

It
is clear, though, that he obeys his father. When Telemachus is about to succeed in stringing the
bow, he sees his disguised father give him a sign. When Telemachus sees the sign, he immediately
gives up trying to string the bow. This shows that he obeys his father even if it makes
Telemachus himself look bad.