Odysseus Use Of Disguise In Homer's Odyssey
Since honesty is one of the basic elements of morality in ancient greek culture, people would expect the praise toward this virtue in the Odyssey by Homer. However, it is palpable that deception could be a better policy in this book-- even the greatest person tells lies and conceals identity. Odysseus,the main character of the story who has been considered as a heroic figure is constantly staying in his disguise, even with numbers of positive connotations about deceit. Homer portrays Odysseus in this way in order to emphasize the wise and immortal aspects as one of the core characteristics of Odysseus, all through the revelation of deception.
In the Odyssey, disguise is highly practical and successfully serves as a wise way to encounter strangers, test loyalty and search for help. Undoubtedly Homer demonstrates the true nature of human through their reactions of a certain disguise. The most intense part that Odysseus practice disguise is from book 13 to book 21,where he has followed Athena's instruction to conceal his true identity in order to seek revenge. It might be one of the most crucial moments that actually reveals the advantage of practicing disguise, when Odysseus first reaches Ithaca and feels terrified about " the same ignoble death as Agamemnon, bled white in [his] own house too (13.438-439)", pretending as a beggar would be the wisest choice for him due to the circumstances
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At book 1, she told Telemachus that she is Mentes, lord of Taphian, in order to provide information about Telemachus' father (1.208-246). The reason behind this is obvious: the suitors would notice their conversation and thus would bring great danger to the prince. However, Athena's guise is nothing as the ordinary deceits that mortals have performed, her practice is not all about practicality but also a divine privilege, or it might be Homer's notion of
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