The Craftyness of Odysseus

The Man of Twist and Turn

Odysseus uses guile in order to return home safely and defeat the suitors. He may not be the strongest of the Achaeans, but he is the cleverest. Odysseus is also a key reason for the Achaean victory at Troy. His ingenious idea of The Trojan Horse is legendary. He uses this characteristic many times to aid him in his long and treacherous journey home from Troy. The first great feat of guile by Odysseus is when he tricks Polythemus. Odysseus's men ignorantly lead themselves into a trap when they land on the island. They linger much too long in the cave of Polythemus enjoying the free cheese and milk, but the men quickly learn that this cyclops means business and plans to eat them. Odysseus quickly weighs his options knowing that if he kills Polythemus, they will not be able to move the stone. He decides to blind him, the perfect solution. If Odysseus had not cleverly thought about his plan, they may have killed Polythemus with no escape route. Therefore, Odysseus gives Polythemus some delicious wine in order to impair him. Polythemus is so pleased by the wine that he asks what Odysseus's name is. Polythemus says, "And tell me your name now, quickly, so I can hand my guest a gift to warm his heart"(222). Odysseus cleverly responds, "Nobody-That's my name"(223). Odysseus knows that once Polythemus is blind he will call for help, but no one will come if he says that nobody is hurting him. Once Polythemus has passed out, the men stab him in the eye with the sharpened log. Polythemus cries for help, but no one comes thanks to

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Odysseus's guile. In order to communicate with the other cyclops, Polythemus has to move the boulder. The men quickly escape from the cave by clinging to the bellies of the sheep as they run out. Once they have escaped from Polythemus, Odysseus's guile is called upon once more. He intelligently tells his men to put bee's wax in their ears to escape the treacherous ballad of the Sirens. Moreover, Odysseus continues to be crafty upon returning to Ithaca. He immediately goes undercover upon arrival to avoid being killed in a unfair fight. Pretending to be a beggar, Odysseus wanders into his house to see how things stand. He knows that to defeat the suitors he will need his bow above all other weapons. With some help from Athena, Odysseus persuades Penelope to hold a contest. Whichever suitor can string Odysseus's bow and shoot it through nine axe holes will win her hand in marriage. Once all the suitors have tried and failed, Odysseus asks for a try. He says, "For the moment,