Deception And Trickery In Homer's Odyssey

Athena and Odysseus use deception and trickery throughout Homer’s Odyssey to test people, fulfill prophecies, and satisfy their own desires, and they are justified in using deception because they fulfill fate. Athena tricks those around her to test cleverness and encourage deception; Odysseus deceives others not only to return home and gain fame, but also to fulfill prophecy. Paralleling these two characters, God and Jacob in the book of Genesis engage in deception and trickery to complete destiny. Similar to the goddess, God also tests people, though he deceives humans to test their trust and obedience rather than their ingenuity. Jacob, comparable to the mortal Odysseus, uses deception to achieve success and find a home, while fulfilling

Using her powers to her advantage, Athena continues to practice her favorite pastime and disguises Odysseus as an old beggar to “seem appalling to all those suitors” (Od. 13.459). She schemes for Odysseus to take back his house while cloaked as a bum. By using his disguise, he will be able to “tell the innocent from the guilty,” determining which servants are loyal and which are disloyal (Od. 17.398). Since he is her favorite mortal, she focuses solely on Odysseus and helps him with the overtaking of his wife’s suitors. The bright-eyed goddess develops this plan because she loves the game of lying, trickery, and illusion, and she desires to play it alongside the man who deceives as much as she. Athena assists Odysseus not simply for her enjoyment, but also to help the hero Odysseus destroy the villainous suitors, which completes fate. Since Athena is a goddess, who holds much power, the poem seems to validate her deception. The text suggests it is not uncommon for gods to disguise themselves while visiting the mortal world or assist humans in their own acts of deception, and therefore deception and trickery are not presented as erroneous in the