Lies In The Odyssey

Odysseus is an enigma. He hides behind the veils of lies and disguises. At times, he is a Cretan prince turned vagabond due to the evils devised by Zeus. Other times, he is Nobody that stabs the Cyclops and wins glory for himself and his companions. He is also a nameless beggar who enters into the Trojan camps. These deceits are seen numerous times in the Odyssey that identifying a single common thread joining them, and thereby locating Odysseus, is a monumental task. It is difficult to see where his truths end and his lies begin, or even if there is a single truth, apparent or implied, in his conversations. Surprisingly, this quality is shared not only of Odysseus` dialogues but can be found in almost every discussion in the Odysseus. The

He has seen numerous cities and learned the mind of countless people. He is glorious. Zeus calls him god-like, greatest among other men in mind. He has learned crafts from Hephaestus and the art of war from Athena. He is a person who sacrificed more to the gods in heaven than any other mortals and is loved by all the gods. Additionally, he is a noble father and is as just and kind to his subjects as to his own kin. He is schooled in justice and does not act harshly or severely towards his companions. He is great patient hearted Odysseus but his mother bore him to be wretched. Consequently, he has labored and achieved more than any other Achaeans. He gives the best counsel, for he is fit to be the counsel for gods and yet, he is unmatched in his cunning. All this describes Odysseus, but do so in a superficial fashion. Reading only the praises sung about him gives us the impression of a perfect king, who learns from the gods and is kind to mortals. Despite the hardships he has faced, he has accomplished more than his peers. Reading the praises compels us to drift away from the person that is represented in the Odyssey, as an almost pathological liar who has lied every chance he got and is hated more than any other mortals by the god who rules the vast seas. A seemingly contradictory idea that remains, however, is that Homer has managed to fuse these two description together and describe a complex character who is loved by all other gods. This