Examples Of Cunning In The Odyssey

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Throughout the story “The Odyssey” the main character, Odysseus, showed characteristics of an epic hero. These characteristics include showing bravery, strength, heroicness, smartness, and lastly, cunningness. In my opinion, cunning was the most important characteristic to go along with this story. To be cunning means to be smart, but in a sneaky way. Throughout the plot of the story, Odysseus showed how he is cunning numerous times. Being cunning has helped him through many of the obstacles that he faced. An example of a time that Odysseus showed his trait of being cunning, was when he used his disguise of an old suitor. This was a cunning idea because Odysseus could still be able to speak to the people that he normally spoke with prior to his return, but no one would know who he was. He showed that he was smart, but in a clever way. Odysseus also used his disguise to speak with his wife Penelope, who had no knowledge of his return. This is how he found out about …show more content…
One trick Odysseus played was when he had to find out if he could trust his old servants not to reveal his identity or not. Another trick he played was when he has to gain the trust of Penelope, proving that he was the real Odysseus. Odysseus used tricks numerous times throughout the text as a cunning way to either prove himself or find out information from other people. This is a cunning way to do so, because he finds a way to get what he wants, but not forcefully ask for it.
Being cunning was a very important trait of an epic hero in the story “The Odyssey” because it is what helped Odysseus overcome the obstacles that he faced. Without his cunningness, he wouldn’t be able to do so in a smart, but yet sneaky way. He would’ve never had the idea of any of the tricks he did, the disguises he wore, or the things he did. That is why I think that cunningness is the trait most needed throughout this

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