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The Trickster In Homer's The Odyssey

616 Words3 Pages

The Trickster is an archetype. This means that many characters, across many different myths, display traits that would make them fall into this category. The Trickster is not one specific character. Rather, it is a character type. As one would expect, the main goal of the Trickster is to trick or deceive someone. They can achieve this goal in a variety of ways. The simplest tool they may employ is lying. They often do this to cover up their misdeeds and avoid getting caught. The Trickster may also disguise themselves. In fact, they often possess the ability to shapeshift. The Trickster may engage in bribery, offering something to someone to get what they want. There also many other hallmarks of a Trickster. In the end, they are not afraid to get creative to ensure the accomplishment of their goals. Odysseus is an example of the Trickster archetype in the myths we have studied thus far. Odysseus is most definitely a Trickster, but he stands apart from the other members of this group. More times than not, a Trickster is a male god. Odysseus, of course, is only a human being. In The Odyssey, however, his status as a Trickster becomes clear. Homer …show more content…

He fits the mold of a Trickster who is a male god. He gets an early start training in the art of deception and, while he is still a mere infant, decides he wants to steal Apollo’s cattle. He succeeds, needing to bribe an elderly man with wine to avoid detection. Hermes takes another step to conceal his heist by turning the tracks of tracks of the stolen cattle and making them hard to follow. Hermes then proves that he has no guilt on conscience, boldly telling Zeus and Apollo that he is not the responsible party in the theft of the cattle. Hermes also once again displays his capacity to make a deal when trades the lyre he fashioned to Apollo in exchange for Apollo’s whip and forgiveness. Hermes is certainly proof that you do not have to grow up to be a

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In Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, some might argue that Odysseus’s dishonesty and deceit cause loss of trust and negative consequences. However, Odysseus’s dishonesty and deceit do not always have bad intentions, it can be seen when Odysseus and his men escaped out of Polyphemus’s cave to get out of trouble and when Odysseus received help from his men to get closer to their objective. While lying is looked down upon, people

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