Deception In The Odyssey Essay

The Odyssey: The View of Deception Homer cleverly reveals the concept of deception in The Odyssey leading into the connection of the protagonist, Odysseus, to return to Ithaca. The use of deception has been used for many years going back to the biblical era. The purpose of deceiving others is to cause someone to believe in something that is not true or mislead them to benefit in personal advantages. To successfully complete his journey and fulfill his desires Odysseus deceives others by not telling the complete truth, underestimating his appearance, escaping from traps, and the use of his disguise. Throughout The Odyssey, Odysseus fails to tell the complete truth to his men and others as he goes through his journey. He cheats his men into steering him pass Scylla’s cave knowing in advance that he must sacrifice six of his men. It states, “No mention of Scylla- how to fight that nightmare? - for fear the men would panic, desert their oars and huddle down and stow themselves away,” mentioning Odysseus (Homer 203). This action clearly demonstrates his selfish nature and keeps the truth to himself benefiting him to move on with his journey. Through his deceitful choices of not revealing the truth he knows this will allow his crew to advance him closer to his home.
Similarly, Odysseus keeps his knowledge from others that cross his path by using his appearance. Odysseus gull’s others by using sly moves in which they think he is incapable of such acts. The story states, …show more content…
If he was truthful and straightforward Odysseus would have not progressed well on his journey. His strategic plans throughout The Odyssey granted him his wife and son one last time. Deceptions are used more than most realize. Many people use deception to become successful or fulfill their own deepest most personal