Odysseus the Great Tactician
My favorite character in the Odyssey so far is Odysseus because of his display of his crafty and cunning personality and his useful ability to accurately access situations. Odysseus is able to show his cunning abilities when arriving in Skheria and meeting with the princess Nausikaa. A quote that shows his use of wise words towards Nausikaa is; “Mistress: please: are you divine, or mortal? If one of those who dwell in the wide heaven, you are most near to Artemis, I should say – great Zeus’s daughter – in your grace and presence.” (Bk. VI: 162 – 165). In this quote Odysseus thoroughly displays his cunning abilities and approaches Nausikaa as if she were a goddess and complements her as the great daughter of Zeus in order to receive her help. Another quote that portrays his ability is during his depart of Ogygia. “My lady goddess, here is no cause for anger. My quiet Penelope – how well I know – would seem a shade before your majesty, death and old age being unknown to you, while she must die.” (Bk. V: 23 – 28). This quote again shows that Odysseus addresses Kalypso as a goddess and mentions her immortality compared to Penelope Odysseus wife in Ithaka. He also quotes that Penelope is just a shade to Kalypso’s great beauty and is not comparable to her. Finally another quote that thoroughly displays Odysseus ability to access situations is during the encounter with Polyphemos and the island of the Kyklopes. “ Kyklops, you ask my honorable name? Remember the gift you promised me, and I shall tell you. My name is Nohbody: mother, father, and friends, everyone calls me Nohbody.” (Bk. IX: 395 – 398). In the last quote Odysseus uses trickery and tells Polyphemos that his name is Nohbody, and takes the early advantage to ensure that if Polyphemos called for help, he would yell that Nohbody has hurt him. Not only do quotes taken from the Odyssey support Odysseus ability to use his wisdom in seizing an advantage but also the widely used...