Trickster Archetypes In Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey
A trickster is “someone who tricks or deceives people especially in order to get something” (Merriam-Webster). Examples of the trickster archetype can be found in the Odyssey by Homer. For example, while Polyphemus has trapped Odysseus and Odysseus’ crewmates in his cave, Odysseus tells the Cyclops “Here, Cyclops, try this wine-to top off the banquet of human flesh you’ve bolted down” (Homer 222 lns. 388-389)! Enjoying the wine, the Cyclops demands for more, just as Odysseus anticipated he would. When Polyphemus becomes suitably drunk, Odysseus talks to him, “So, you ask me the name I’m known by, Cyclops? I will tell you. But you must promise to give me a guest-gift as you’ve promised. Nobody-that’s my name”(Homer 222-223 lns. 408-410). This is significant in the near future, when, after the Cyclops passes …show more content…
452-459).
Odysseus is a trickster in this scene because he convinces Polyphemus to get drunk so that he can attack the Cyclops, and because he deceives Polyphemus into believing that Odysseus’ name is “Nobody” so that when Polyphemus called for help none of his friends would help him, for they would believe that he wasn’t actually being attacked. This is all done to gain freedom from the Cyclops’ Cave.
The trickster archetype can also be found in the characters Gretel and “the Witch” in the story of Hansel and Gretel by the Brothers Grimm. In the fairy tale, Hansel and Gretel are young siblings living alone in the woods with their parents. Their parents are too poor to scrounge up
Odysseus Is A Hero Essay
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Of Odysseus In In The One-Eyed Giant's Cave By Homer
416 Words | 2 PagesIn the section “In the One-Eyed Giant’s Cave” from Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus is portrayed as a hero through his character traits and behaviors. When Odysseus and his men attack the city of Ismarus, the Cicones’ strong hold, Odysseus made sure to fairly distribute the spoils among his men. Odysseus’s behavior shows that he is a great leader, a characteristic of a hero. While Odysseus and his crew are in the Cyclops’ cave, Polyphemus, the cyclops, notices them. Polyphemus asks who they are with a monstrous tone, “‘Strangers!'
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A Character Analysis Of Odysseus Arrogance In The Odyssey
414 Words | 2 PagesWhile Odysseus and his crew are slowly moving away from Cyclopes Island, Odysseus tells Polyphemus that he is “Odysseus, Laertes’ son,” whose home “lies on Ithaca” (Homer 459 and 460). Because of his arrogant decision to tell Polyphemus the truth of his origins, he essentially dooms him and his crew. Polyphemus, who is Poseidon's son, asks of his father to punish Odysseus for his arrogance, whom grants his prayer. In cessation, Odysseus’ haughty decision to tell Polyphemus his whereabouts leads to his utter
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Examples Of Arrogance In The Odyssey
439 Words | 2 PagesHomer writes, “if mortal man inquire tell him Odysseus raider of cities took your eye.” Odysseus first told the cyclops his name was “nohbody” which masked his
Examples Of Dishonesty In The Odyssey
1122 Words | 5 PagesIn 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
Trickery And Irony In Homer's Odyssey
527 Words | 3 PagesOdysseus escapes Polyphemus and continues on his way. He tricks Polyphemus into believing his name is nobody, which is ironic because when Odysseus finally arrives back to Ithaka
Odysseus Use Of Lies In Homer's Odyssey
1063 Words | 5 PagesDepending on the circumstances and on the relationship he has with the person he is talking to, Odysseus can guide them into doing what he intends through his clever wording and lies. He often uses his lies for his individual welfare, such as keeping his identity secret or receiving help. Other times, Odysseus lies for the well-being of others, by giving them hope and happiness. Odysseus’s utilization of lie not only reveals his resourcefulness in his cunning, but also his thoughtfulness for others. Odysseus’s lies, which might be seen as only a way to conceal his identity, actual discloses aspects of his and other character personalities we would otherwise not
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472 Words | 2 PagesDiction and imagery are very important components to a story. It is the way that the author displays their feelings through the character. Homer uses very vivid shifts in tone, sometimes creating room for the reader to learn a lesson. In one of Homer’s famous books, “The Odyssey,” he uses diction, imagery, and tone to show that everything does not always go as planned. Wishing to escape the cyclops’ bondage, Odysseus tries to get out of trouble and assumes that he and his men are safe by lying to the Cyclops.
The Cyclops In The Odyssey
448 Words | 2 PagesIn The Odyssey, the Cyclops is a monster because of his key differences from mere human beings, specifically his lack of wit and of morals. Depicting these qualities as monstrous support that cleverness and a general regard for human life were heavily valued in Greek culture. Odysseus easily trick the Cyclops bragging, “I poured him another fiery bowl - three bowls I brimmed and three he drank to the last drop, the fool”(9.404-406). To describe the bowls of wine as fiery foreshadows the demise of the Cyclops. Odysseus was able to use his brain, not strength, to make the Cyclops drink himself into a stupor.
Identity In Odysseus Of Homer's Odyssey
463 Words | 2 PagesUpon Odysseus arrival to Ithaca, Athena hides his identity to help him defeat the suitors. She turns him into a very old beggar to conceal his identity from everyone, most importantly the suitors. Odysseus reveals himself to his son Telemachus, cowherd and the swine herd. The nurse Eurycleia recognizes him because of a scar he got years ago by a boar’s white tusk. Penelope doesn’t recognize Odysseus at first sight because of the disguise.
The Flawed Character Of Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey
432 Words | 2 PagesThe main character Odysseus in the Odyssey written by Homer is generally thought to be a great hero; however, he shows more traits of a quite flawed character on closer inspection. Around the beginning of Odysseus’ journey home after the war, Odysseus decides to take a detour to the home of a cyclops deciding to not listen to his men’s suggestions to leave while they still could; consequently, it does not end well: “Ah, how sound that was, Yet I refused. I wished to see the caveman, what he had to offer no pretty sight it turned out, for my friend” (9.130-132). This thought by Odysseus shows that he realized his decision to go to the mysterious island wasn’t the most rational one and that his men’s pleas to leave were the better option, but he decides to be stubborn and place his curiosity before his men’s safety resulting in a non-heroic
Cultural Values In The Odyssey In Homer's The Odyssey
1299 Words | 6 PagesThis is an example of trickery because Odysseus tricked the Cyclops into doing something stupid so that he could get a strategic advantage. Next, trickery is shown as a cultural value when Odysseus tricks Circe into freeing his friend. Odysseus makes a deal with the lolling Circe that says,”Mount your bed? Not for all the world. Not until you consent to swear, goddess, a binding oath.
Odysseus Traits In Homer's Odyssey
1125 Words | 5 PagesAfter Odysseus men are eaten by the Cyclops, they come up with a plan to hurt him so they could escape. When they stab the Cyclops in the eye, the Cyclops calls the other Cyclopes. When they approach they ask who ruined him and the Cyclops answers, “Nobody, Nobody's tricked me, Nobody's ruined me!” (9. 317). Earlier in the poem when The Cyclops asks Odysseus for his name, Odysseus tells him the name is Nobody. This takes a tremendous amount of intelligence which is why Odysseus is known for his cleverness.
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