Use of Disguises in Homer's Odyssey Essay

Homer presents this clearly in the following instances: Helen's description of Odysseus disguising himself to enter into the city of Troy and in doing so gaining information that would allow him to destroy his mortal enemies, a trademark ploy that he also uses when returning to his homeland of Ithaca to infiltrate the rank of suitors; additionally in the sequence with the Cyclops in which Odysseus eludes danger by taking on the guise of "Noman" or one without a "name".

Athena’s disguises shows a lot of hidden characteristics of the characters in Odyssey. It compares Odysseus to the other mortals, his relationship with Penelope, and also makes a comparison between the gods and the mortals. In Odyssey, Athena and Odysseus are present in a lot of disguises so that others are not able to recognize them. Although they were in disguises, Penelope and Odysseus were able to find out their identities. Penelope was able to find out Odysseus disguised as a beggar the moment she met him in Ithaca and Odysseus was also able to recognize Athena when he met her disguised as a young girl in Scheria. The disguises were a form to hide themselves but, as Penelope and Odysseus were able to figure out, there is a case that the relationship between Odysseus and Penelope is special and that Odysseus and Athena are a little bit different compared to other mortals and the gods.

Homer’s Odyssey challenges the common view on deception as employed only maliciously. Both a mortal, Odysseus, and one of the most revered goddesses, Athena, have the common noble goal of bringing Odysseus back home to his family after nearly two decades of absence. To achieve that goal, they mainly use deception and disguise in various forms that their physical and mental powers allow. Odysseus is famous for wittily deceiving others through verbal means, fact noted by Menelaus and Helen of Troy (Book 4). He even doubts Athena, as his own skills have made him doubt other’s honesty. Athena states after realizing Odysseus’s disbelief, “Would not another wandering man, in joy, make haste home to his wife and children? Not you, not yet” (8.

Odysseus uses deception to obtain heroic victories and save his wife. In “The Return of Odysseus” he shows how trickery can be used to protect others. Odysseus is transformed into a young handsome man with the help of Athena. This confuses and terrifies his son, Telemachus. However, the transformation of Odysseus makes Telemachus believe that the gods are involved, so he decides to assist Odysseus in killing the Suitors, protecting the throne and saving Odysseus’ wife. Odysseus and Telemachus continue to be deceitful in order to succeed. With Athena’s help, Odysseus once again transforms into an old beggar. This allows him to kill the suitors without immediate retaliation. The suitors would instantly kill Odysseus on sight which would allow

    The difference between a wise and a foolish decision is often found in discerning when to conceal and when to reveal. This discretion in concealing and revealing is a major theme within The Odyssey. There is a proper time to deceive and a proper time to tell the truth; thus, it is crucial that one act accordingly. This importance is exemplified in Odysseus' life. When he is discreet in his timing, he achieves his goal. One example of this is the Trojan War. While the other men in the horse want to expose themselves when they hear their wives' voices being mimicked by Helen, Odysseus forces them to stay hidden within the horse (Book IV, lines 306-311). Because of this discernment and

In The Odyssey, Odysseus was one of Greek’s greatest and most popular heroes. He was faced with many obstacles throughout the story in which he had to overcome. He was not the “strong man”, such as Achilles. He was more of a man of thought, patience, and clever tricks. Three instances in which Odysseus used his intelligence to overcome the obstacles he faced were when he tricked the Cyclops into getting drunk, got past the Sirens, and got Circe to turn his men back into humans.

Usually, when people think of the word ‘hero’, their mind conjures up several images of Superman, Batman, or Spiderman. Most people think of a hero as a steroid-riddled man in a tight suit and a cape, capable of flying, shooting lasers out of their eyes, or using some other kind of superhuman abilities. But a hero in a classic story is a completely different kind of archetype. Archetypal heroes are far from perfect – receiving supernatural help and making fatal flaws. A hero also embarks on an epic journey in which they face many issues, and are often honored after their death.

Odysseus employs a variety of deception tricks that allow

Athene is prominent in most Greek literature, but her role in the first four books of The Odyssey by Homer is one of her most famous roles. In Book I, she “…was disguised as a friend, leader of the Taphians, Mentes” (Odyssey, 1.105) and tells Odysseus’ and Penelope’s son, Telemachos, what he must do in order to discover truths about his lost father and to rid the home of the suitors. Telemachos is nearly 20 years of age, has been raised by his mother his entire life, and it has taken a toll on his level of maturity. Telemachos lacked a male, father-figure role model in his life, and being raised by only a woman was demeaning and thought to cause the boy to not reach his potential in manhood. However, when Athene comes to Telemachos as Mentes, she tell him that he “…should not go clinging to your childhood” and that he is “no longer of an age to do that” (Odyssey, 1.296-97). Unlike Demeter and Penelope, Athene is actually not disguising herself in order to obtain a personal goal, but rather to ensure that Odysseus’ son reaches maturity and that Telemachos does know that his father is alive and trying to come home. Athene’s use of trickery and deception is harmful to no one except the intruding suitors, since Telemachos needs to reach maturity, and the suitors need to leave the home of Odysseus. Thankfully, once the suitors realize what Telemachos has to do (Telemachos leaves Ithaca for Pylos and Sparta to see if he can discover news of his father), the suitors begin, for the first time since their arrival, to feel threatened by someone. Athene brings about the maturation of Telemachos, and therefore causes the suitors to become worried about there being another man in the

Homer’s Odyssey is an epic poem that, despite its length, keeps the readers or listeners engaged and interested until the end. One way this bard keeps his audience absorbed in his tale is by the use of dramatic irony. Dramatic irony is a literary technique by which the full significance of a character’s words or actions, that are clear to the audience or reader, is unknown to the characters. Another concept of irony is the state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often amusing as a result. Homer uses both types of irony in The Odyssey to enhance his story and amuse his audience.

Athena’s Helping Throughout the epic poem, The Odyssey, written by Homer, Odysseus is having a very tough time trying to get home from Troy. There are many things that are holding Odysseus back and not all of the gods, especially Poseidon, are helping him. Although Odysseus does eventually make it back to Ithaca, he did not do it all by himself. Even though Poseidon is doing all he can to prevent him from getting home, there is one goddess that is doing exactly the opposite.

According to Greek mythology, gods often disguise themselves as human beings to hide their true, overwhelming identities. In The Odyssey, for example, Athena took on the form of a young girl and guided Odysseus around King Alcinous’s city. Later on, Odysseus disguised himself as a poor, old man in order to make it into Ithaca without being noticed by his enemies (Fagles, 1996). In many cases, guises become a necessary part of accomplishing tasks. In the criminal justice field, detectives must occasionally disguise themselves as “Johns” in order to save women who are being sold into prostitution.

First of all, Odysseus is deemed a hero in the eyes of the Achaians.  His intelligent mind renders him a heroic figure among his people.  Although he has killed many people, his actions are deemed justifiable because the suitors were "reckless" in their action against his household.  He is praised by Athene for his ability to quickly devise a false tale.  In the Achaian world, intelligence is more highly treasured then a hard working man.  Odysseus' cleverness makes him "godlike" and comparable to the immortals, and he even had opportunities to be among the immortals, as exemplified by Kalypso's offer for eternal life and youth.  Despite the fact that he is cheating on his wife, an amoralistic act, Odysseus is still regarded as a great man; glorious and honorable.

Odysseus and his crew settled down inside the cave and waited for the cyclops to return. When he returns to the cave they plead to him to let them be a guest in his home and tell him that Zeus protects them, but the cyclops does not fear the gods so he kills two of the crew and keeps the rest as prisoners. Odysseus and his crew cannot escape because there is a giant boulder they cannot move blocking the exit of the cave. Odysseus knows that they cannot kill Polyphemus because then they would never be able to leave because he is the only one who can move the boulder. Odysseus devises a plan to escape by tricking Polyphemus into getting drunk, and then telling the cyclops that Odysseus’ name is, “Nobody-that’s [his] name,”(9. 410). Eventually Polyphemus passes out drunk, that is when Odysseus and his crew blind him. Polyphemus calls out for help so his neighbors come and ask him what happened and he says, “Nobody’s killing me now by fraud and not by force!”(9. 455). His neighbors leave because they do not believe that someone is injuring him. Odysseus comes up with a plan to hide in the wool of Polyphemus’s rams and when the cyclops lets the rams out of the cave the crew will escape and leave the island. This situation shows how intelligent Odysseus truly is, and why he deserves the title of the man of twists and turns. A hero needs to be a quick thinker and chose the best times to strike. Odysseus kept a leveled head throughout the whole time while they were in the cave, and quickly created a plan to get him and his crew out of

Leading themes in “The Odyssey” include humility, perseverance, and deceit. Deceit guides some of the characters’ actions, and it also moves the story forward. The poem showcases deception as a common tool among both the antagonists and the protagonists. Each group utilizes their wits with various intentions ranging from maintaining fidelity, self-preservation, and murder. Their lies and illusions usually solve their problems and allow them to help others. For example, Odysseus’s deceptions help him defeat adversaries and also help him return home. He and other characters deploy duplicity to achieve better ends, and that shows that duplicity in the poem is not always negative. Furthermore, the deceiving actions of the characters also reveal that skills in deceit are valuable and critical to the tale, and that the original storytellers respected those skills. The Ancient Greeks valued the ability to deceive as evidenced by “The Odyssey” through the depiction of certain characters such as Penelope, Odysseus, Athena, and Hermes.