Surreptitious Odysseus Essay, Research Paper

When The Odyssey was written, the Greek poet Homer defines his main character, Odysseus, as a great war hero. As the story progresses, Odysseus is many things other than the average warrior on a long, perilous journey home. One outstanding characteristic of this not so typical man is his wiliness. Throughout The Odyssey, Odysseus exemplifies his wily leadership qualities while he overcomes many obstacles during his journey home.

Odysseus first demonstrates his wily attributes when he meets the Cyclops, Polpyphemus, on the island of present-day Sicily. He and his men are in the possession of the Cyclops because they trap themselves in his cave accidentally. When Polyphemus asks Odysseus’s name, he identifies himself as, “Nohbody.” His deceitfulness proves useful later on when Odysseus blinds the Polyphemus’s only eye and the other Cyclops’ shout to see what the matter is . Polyphemus tells them that Nohbody has harmed him, so they leave without thinking any more about Polyphemus’s situation.

Another cunning decision is made by Odysseus during his journey after he learns about the fate of his faithful crew. Odysseus gains this information from a dead poet named Teiresias in Erebus, the land of the dead. The dead man tells him about Charybdis, the risky whirlpool, and Scylla the six-headed, female monster. If Odysseus decides to chance his crews lives with Charybdis, all of the men might survive, or the swirly monster may devour all of the crew. Or Odysseus could steer by Scylla and definitely lose six men, one for each mouth of the monster. His decision to sacrifice six men to Scylla was made for the benefit of the group as a whole at that moment, but what his group does not know is that Teiresias tells Odysseus is that the entire crew will die, but Odysseus will survive. Most likely he does not inform his men of this most likely because of an internal fear of mutiny, which would have greatly jeopardized his chances of returning home unscathed.

Athena and Odysseus collaborate together on the plan that would reinstate Odysseus as the master of his household and husband to his faithful wife, Penelope. Athena uses her powers as a goddess to transform Odysseus into a beggar for the last leg of his journey. This disguised man is presented to the hall full of suitors who are trying to wed Penelope. When he asks for an attempt at the final test that would decide who would marry Penelope, the suitors underestimate his abilities from his appearance. In the end however, Odysseus wins back his home and lady after he successfully strings and shoots the bow only he can manipulate.

The great Trojan War hero is victorious again and clearly defines the word wily because of the aforementioned reasons. Throughout The Odyssey , he shows his cunningness through his decisions, disguises, and leadership qualities. Maybe it can all be boiled down to selfishness, but Odysseus is wily nonetheless.