Cunningness And Trickery In The Odyssey

In the epic poem, The Odyssey, Odysseus finally found his way back home during the hardest time of his life. Over the course of 10 long years, Odysseus encounters monsters, gods and suitors who strive to interfere with his return to Ithaca. The strength of this war-hero aided his journey home, but his intelligence and love for his family allowed him persevere through barriers that stood in his way. In the Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus shows the importance of cunningness and trickery to overcome deteriorating obstacles. As Odysseus introduced himself to a Cyclops, he demonstrated his willingness and desire to escape with an imposturous name that would prevent harm from other Cyclopes. He greeted the cyclops as Noman incase this monster were to

Odysseus, dressed as a beggar, shot through 12 axes, turned towards the suitors and took them by surprise when he then pointed an arrow towards them. Penelope, the wife of Odysseus, said she would finally marry the suitor who could shoot through all 12 axes. As none of the suitors could do this, Odysseus took a turn. No one was aware of Odysseus’s presence other than his son. Once he shot through the axes, he then turned the bow on the suitors. “For they imagined as they wished—that it was a wild shot, an unintended killing—fools, not to comprehend they were already in the grip of death.” (book 22 33-35) Odysseus, the beggar, was welcomed into his home because of the hospitality of his family and culture. No one would recognize Odysseus and therefore he could continue with his plan. He was able to get hold of a weapon he could use to kill the men who were trying to marry his wife. Odysseus later revealed himself to Penelope and together their family was reunited. Tricking the suitors of his presence and attempting to shoot through 12 axes allowed Odysseus to obtain his bow and kill the suitors.

On his long journey home, Odysseus encountered many obstacles that he had to overcome by being cunning. He tricked a cyclops using the name Noman to escape. He also got Polyphemus drunk allowing him to blind the cyclops. When Odysseus returned home he got a bow in his hands and tricked the suitors of his attempt to shoot the axes. Odysseus shows how the use of cunningness allows one to get through the hardest times in their