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Examples Of Odysseus Cunning

399 Words2 Pages

Ramses Abboud
Ms. Phillips
ERWC, Period 5
1 March, 2016
Odysseus Cunning In the epic The Odyssey by Homer there are many themes one of them being cunningness. The protagonist Odysseus is a perfect example of this theme. Odysseus is cunning many times throughout his journey; one would need cleverness to survive in a world of gods and monsters. We see his cunning when he claims to be named Nobody in the cave of the Cyclops Polyphemus. One of the most well known examples of his intelligence occurs when Odysseus and his men encounter the sirens on their journey back to Ithaca. His men come across a flower named the “ Lotus flower”, which keeps them all under a drugged state and trapped to the island. Odysseus must use his intelligence and cunning to draw his men back to sea. Lastly, when he returns back home to Ithaca he decides to do so disguised so that he can kill the suitors. His cleverness to do so is an obvious example of his cunning. …show more content…

Odysseus and his men attack the Cyclops by stabbing his eye and then escaping. Odysseus keeps his identity a secret by claiming that his name is “ Nobody.” This example shows cunningness because Odysseus outplays Polyphemus by telling him his name is “Nobody”.
On his way back to Ithaca Odysseus and his men encounter magical creatures called sirens. Sirens lure men with their beautiful looks and voices. Calypso warns Odysseus of the dangerous creatures and Odysseus warns his crew. They come up with a cunning plan on how to not let the sirens lure them by filling up their ears with beeswax .
Odysseus still plans to kill the suitors when he returns home. His plan to keep his identity hidden until he kills of the suitors and finally shows his true self to penelope shows how he is able to use his intelligence to get his way. This example shows cunningness because Odysseus disguises himself as a beggar to kill the

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