{"id":443,"date":"2022-05-06T13:25:24","date_gmt":"2022-05-06T13:25:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/?p=443"},"modified":"2022-05-06T13:25:24","modified_gmt":"2022-05-06T13:25:24","slug":"disguise-and-identity-in-the-odyssey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/?p=443","title":{"rendered":"Disguise and Identity in The Odyssey"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Throughout the numerous adventures annotated in Homer\u2019s The Odyssey, <\/em>one theme pertaining to the main character and hero, Odysseus, stands out prominently within the text. It is the concept of disguise, a feature that marks Odysseus\u2019 famous journey from Kalypso\u2019s island all the way to the last moment of his homecoming. This theme is driven by trust and dependence on Athene, the goddess of wisdom and war, who initiates and enables his successful disguises, as well as directs him in the process of timing the revelation of his identity. Given her title, it is evident that the action of identity concealment and eventual revelation is a divine strategy established by the gods to uphold one of the culture\u2019s most sacred values: true identity. This genuine form of identity is the only aspect of a human being that can remain when all else is stripped away. In the case of immortals, the concealment of the gods\u2019 true form is the most notable aspect of their interactions with mankind on earth. In every example of Odysseus\u2019 disguise within the text, it is clear that his true identity is the honored piece of the narrative, and it is most appreciated after having been out of reach and undiscoverable until a proper time of revelation. Illustrating this claim are several sections from the the text: Odysseus\u2019 stay with the Phaiakians, his encounter with the cyclops, and the pinnacle revelation of his identity to his family. Each of these instances significantly enforces and uplifts Odysseus\u2019 true identity through its timely concealment and revelation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Book 6, Odysseus arrives in the kingdom of the Phaiakians covered in the salt and grime of the sea. After his first interaction with the princess, Nausikaa, Athene creates a disguise to give him favor with the royal family. \u201cAthene, daughter of Zeus, made him seem taller\u2026and thicker\u2026gilded with grace his head and his shoulders, and he went\u2026radiant in grace and good looks\u201d (Homer 6.229-237). Not only did this false appearance hide his identity, but it enabled his success with the Phaiakian rulers, strategically placing him in favor with the people who could command his return home. Later, in Book 8, the king asks for his true identity, reemphasizing the cultural importance of the name; \u201cTell me the name by which your mother and father called you\u2026no one among all the peoples, neither base man nor noble, is altogether nameless\u201d (8.550-553). Here, the king defines the value for true identity as it is the mark of every human being, whether \u201cbase man or noble,\u201d the tangible mark of value upon humanity. Odysseus then reveals his name to the Phaiakians after Athene\u2019s preparation for this proper moment: \u201cI am Odysseus, son of Laertes\u201d (9.19). The reaction of the people is honor for his name, which is elevated due to his timely revelation; \u201ceach one of you has some part in honoring him\u201d (11.338-339).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Relating his sufferings to the Phaiakian people, Odysseus explains his journey through the land of the Cyclopes where he is captured and held for future consumption by the cannibal human-like creature, Polyphemos. When the creature asks, \u201cStrangers, who are you?\u201d Odysseus replies with the half-truth \u201cwe are Achaians coming from Troy, beaten off our true course by winds\u2026\u201d (9.252-259). By concealing his identity in this moment, he leaves the monster with a false sense of security, preparing the way for victory and for the revelation of his identity to have a greater overall impact. Further, Odysseus tells Polyphemus that his name is \u201cNobody,\u201d which creates a significant juxtaposition between his false name and his true identity (9.366). Not only does the disguise conceal his identity, but it lowers it to the most deprived state in their culture\u2014no identity at all. Reducing himself to this place is what enables the significant revelation of who he is in lines 502 through 504, \u201cyou were blinded by Odysseus, sacker of cities.\u201d The initial concealment of his identity later enables its restoration in greater proportions, and with greater honor than would have been possible without the disguise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The situation with Polyphemos is unique, however, in that Odysseus initiates the disguise as well as the revelation without the direction of the gods, or more importantly, of Athene who is his guide throughout the entire journey. The absence of Athene in this encounter implies the absence of wisdom as well. While the situation still depicts the honor of true identity, it also demonstrates that when done improperly or in poor time, the consequences are grave. Odysseus loses many men to the rage of the Cyclops, and brings upon himself Poseidon\u2019s wrath which lengthens his journey significantly. When he finally arrives in Ithaka, however, the goddess of wisdom aids him again, and he demonstrates trust in her ways to bring about the proper revelation. \u201cCome now, let me make you so that no mortal can recognize you\u2026you will be unprepossessing to all the suitors and your wife and child\u201d (13.396-402). It is this action, this organized strategy of disguise by Athene that ultimately allows for the just reclamation of his home, family, and status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The revelation to his family is so momentous within the narrative that Athene directly instructs when to reveal his true identity to his son, Telemachos; \u201cIt is time now to tell your son the story; no longer hide it\u201d (16.168-169). When he takes that step, saying \u201cI am your father,\u201d not only is Odysseus\u2019 identity finally realized in this significant manner, but so is Telemachos\u2019, as the name of the father within this culture always accompanies the name of the son, and their identities are intimately linked. \u201cSo he spoke and kissed his son, and the tears running down his cheeks splashed on the ground\u201d (16.188-191). In the same way, after the revelation of his identity to his wife, and her clever question to ensure the genuineness of his person, \u201cher knees and the heart within her went slack\u2026she burst into tears and ran straight to him\u201d (23.205-207). The imagery within these lines alone show that the impact of true identity in the culture and in the life of Odysseus is vast, reaching the mind, soul, and the deepest emotions of the heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

February 25, 2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Works Cited:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Homer. The Odyssey of Homer<\/em>. Translated by Richmond Lattimore. HarperCollins Publishers, New York, 1965.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Throughout the numerous adventures annotated in Homer\u2019s The Odyssey, one theme pertaining to the main character and hero, Odysseus, stands out prominently within the text. It is the concept of disguise, a feature that marks Odysseus\u2019 famous journey from Kalypso\u2019s island all the way to the last moment of his homecoming. This theme is driven…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[353,350,344,345,33,417,409,412,411,349,369,398,399,408,410,414,351,413,416,418,343,340,415,406],"class_list":["post-443","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-critical-analyses","tag-achaians","tag-ancient-greece","tag-athena","tag-athene","tag-classic-greece","tag-cyclops","tag-disguise","tag-goddess-of-war","tag-goddess-of-wisdom","tag-greek","tag-greek-gods","tag-greek-heritage","tag-greek-history","tag-identity","tag-kalypso","tag-nausikaa","tag-odysseus","tag-phaiakian","tag-polyphemos","tag-poseidon","tag-telemachos","tag-the-odyssey","tag-troy","tag-zeus"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/443","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=443"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/443\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":523,"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/443\/revisions\/523"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=443"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=443"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bexroden.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=443"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}