Intelligence In The Odyssey

In the famous poem written by Homer, The Odyssey, the protagonist Odysseus had left a 10 year battle with the Trojans and had begun to set sail for his home, not knowing he would soon enter a new conflict with the gods. During this journey, Odysseus faces many trials with only one thing seeming to aid him through it all, his Machiavellian mind and intelligence. But all is not well with this gift as it is shown to be a positive as well as plaguing him. This character helps readers divulge the complex nature of gifts and how they can both help and hinder an individual's journey.

Odysseus’ intelligence is his most significant trait which stands him out from all the other great warriors mentioned in the poem. This intelligence grants him the ability

However, this intelligence also makes him overconfident, arrogant, and impulsive, leading to dangerous situations which could have been avoided. A great and famous example of this is when he and his crew meet the Cyclops, Polyphemus. After arriving on Polyphemus’ island, Odysseus wanders looking for provisions to continue his journey but cannot seem to locate anyone, only finding a massive cave stocked with cheese. The men plan to take it all and leave but are met by the Cyclops who traps them in the cave with him. As a great king, Odysseus is expecting to be invited to feast with honor as Greek culture normalizes but is instead horrified when Polyphemus guzzles 6 of his men, promising to eat Odysseus and the rest later. This expresses the arrogance Odysseus has due to him being a king and expecting something grand out of this monster. Odysseus uses his intellect to craft an escape plan, allowing him and his remaining men to escape the cave and run back to their boat. As

Initially, the hero and his crew land on Circe’s island and some of the men go hunting but it is soon noticed they haven't returned. Odysseus goes out looking for them and finds Circe, a witch, who has turned his men into pigs. She tries to turn him into a pig with a magic potion but Odysseus resists due to divine intervention. She then realizes the potion did not affect him right as he lunges at her and overpowers the witch where she then admits she was defeated. He then is invited to her bed and they begin a romance lasting a whole year. His intelligence has brought him the support of the gods, who helped him against Circe, but his intelligence is also the reason why Circe is attracted to him and delays him from returning home for a year. Calypso was another woman who was also attracted to Odysseus’ intelligence and trapped him on her island for 7 years until she was commanded by Zeus to set him free. His gift is also the reason why Zeus commanded for him to be free as Odysseus was favoured by Zeus’ favourite daughter Athena, goddess of