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Theme Of Trickery In The Odyssey

576 Words3 Pages

Many people lie or disguise themselves to stay away from the truth. However, in the Odyssey, lies and disguises are used for safety and the test of loyal. The theme of trickery plays a extensive role throughout the Odyssey, especially within Books 13 and 14, and is displayed through the concepts of lying and disguising. Throughout Homer’s Odyssey, the instances of Odysseus lying to Athena disguised as a young man and disguising himself when talking to his swineherd illustrate this theme of trickery. After being at sea for 20 years, Odysseus, the main character, doesn’t trust anyone or rush back to his house, when he gets back to his homeland, Ithaca. Odysseus, based on his past experiences, is not assured by the first person he meets on his homeland. When Odysseus first arrives, he meets a young man herding sheep. It turns out that Athena, a goddess, is disguised as the young man. Athena asks Odysseus, “Where in the world do you …show more content…

Odysseus, disguised as a beggar, first goes to his swineherd to find out where his loyalty lies. The swineherd told the disguised Odysseus, “I miss Odysseus more. There, I said his name... I call him my brother, though he is not here.” (14.160-4). By saying this, the swineherd has proven to Odysseus that he is still loyal to him, and this is based of the fact that he didn’t know the beggar was Odysseus. His disguise and trickery worked in this situation.
However, Odysseus also accomplishes another one of his goals when with the swineherd. The swineherd said, “The fatted hogs the suitors eat, Men who have no fear of the gods, and feel no pity.” (14.93-94). Odysseus now knows more about the suitors trying to court his wife, Penelope. Once again, Odysseus’ disguise works, and his trickery of disguising himself as a beggar has the swineherd give him a valuable piece of

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