Carl Staab

AP English

10/15/00

The Odyssey: A Liar’s Tale

Once he returns to Ithaca, Odysseus does not once tell a person who he actually is when first meeting him. From Athena (Book XIII) through Eumaios (XIV), Telemachus (XVI), Melanthios the goatherd (XVII), the suitors (XVII), Penelope (XIX), Eurycleia (XIX), and Philoitios the cowherd (XX) to Laertes (XXIV), Odysseus hides his identity at first, whether by actively lying or passively not correcting their erroneous beliefs.

He tells Pallas Athena, first, that he is from Crete, had killed a man there, and had gotten a ride with some Phoenicians to Ithaca. He tells Eumaios that he grew up in Crete, went to Troy for the Trojan War, returned to Crete afterward and traveled to raid Egypt, where he was captured by Egyptians. Odysseus (as the beggar) says that he grew wealthy in Egypt, but was taken in by a man who meant to sell him as a slave. He tells that he escaped, and found refuge in Thesprotia. Then on his way back home to Crete, people tried to make him a slave again, he escaped again (although in a different fashion), and he ended up in Ithaca. Except for the fact that it’s the story of a hard life, this bears absolutely no relation to the actual story of Odysseus. He tells everyone (or lets them believe) nearly the same tale to everyone else that he meets in Ithaca before he kills the suitors. There are a few noticeable differences that we will get to, but one must be consistent in one’s lies, after all, in enemy-held territory. After killing the suitors, he tells Laertes a completely different lie, mostly centering around him (Odysseus as the stranger) having seen Odysseus alive after the Trojan War.

Odysseus lies to his enemies for obvious reasons; he doesn’t want them to know that Odysseus has returned. He starts off lying to his allies and friends for similar reasons. The only people who he can allow to know his identity are those he has tested and trusts. Blurting out his identity to random servants would have gotten him killed, as many servants were no longer loyal to him. After Odysseus trusts someone, there is one final hurdle that his people have to cross for him to tell them the truth; they must have a need to know. As it is said, "Three can keep a secret if two of them are dead." Words can be overheard, or perhaps just an attitude change could alert the suitors to something suspicious. Odysseus does not want that to happen.

The plan itself is unremarkable. It’s simply the best way to go about his return to Ithaca: take every precaution to avoid warning the suitors. What’s remarkable is the way that Odysseus carries out this plan. Although he does make some mistakes (such as letting himself be bathed by Eurycleia), he doesn’t let temporary emotions get in the way of what he knows he has to do. He doesn’t tell anyone until it is necessary for that person to know. He is willing to keep his identity hidden from his son, wife, and loyal servants, all of whom rejoice when they learn it. (He screws up with Eurycleia, but the important thing is that he had the self-control not to tell her before she found out. That was forgetfulness, not lack of control.) It’s the same thing as in the story (first in Book IV) where Odysseus, of all the Acheans in the Trojan horse, is nearly the only one able to control himself when Helen calls to them. Tempered by some of the mistakes he made on the journey (such as taunting the Cyclops), that resolve is what enables him to carry out his plan without giving in to emotion. That’s why we admire him; we know that he is human and has emotions, but manages to restrain them.

Odysseus’s main reason for lying about himself is to keep the suitors unaware that he has returned. His tale to Pallas Athena comes after he has learned that he is in Ithaca; he can’t just tell a stranger his identity, because the news would spread. His lie to Eumaios is principally designed to hide the fact that he is Odysseus. However, there are small lies and variations on his story that he puts in for other reasons. For example, he night he meets Eumaios (Book XIV), he tells a story about how when he was in the field at Troy one night, he had forgotten his cloak, and Odysseus contrived to get one for him. There seems to be a threefold purpose to this lie. First, Odysseus probably did want the cloak. Second, he wanted to impress Eumaios with his cleverness. When he finally does tell Eumaios that he is back, it will help if Eumaios already thinks of him as rather intelligent and clever, just as Eumaios knows that Odysseus really is. Third, Odysseus sought to construct ties in Eumaios’ mind between the stranger and Odysseus, as that would also serve him well when he told Eumaios the truth. He did the same thing earlier, telling Eumaios that he had seen Odysseus in Thesprotia. Odysseus wishes to create the image that he (the real Odysseus) isn’t in Ithaca, but is nearby and will be returning soon, in order to test people and prepare his allies.

After he has defeated the suitors, Odysseus goes to meet his father again (Book XIV). He no longer has any reason to fear for his life, because the fact that he has returned is no longer a secret. However, he still lies to his father Laertes. This illustrates that hiding from the suitors was not the only reason he lied; he also wants to test those he is returning to. However, since there is no pressing need to keep his identity secret, when Laertes "passes" Odysseus’ test, Odysseus’ emotions break his self-control and he identifies himself to his father.

There’s one notable place where Odysseus changes his story. While telling it to Penelope (Book XIX), he gives himself a name (Aithon), says that Odysseus once stopped by his home and he was Odysseus' host, and repeats the story (although in greater detail) that he told Eumaios about how he had left Thesprotia soon before Odysseus was going to. The strange thing about his story to Penelope is that he tells her fragments of the truth. He recounts exactly his manner of dress after leaving Ithaca for Troy, tells her that Odysseus’ men were killed by Helios for killing the cattle of the sun god, and recounts that Odysseus found refuge with the Phaiakians. Since he is a masterful liar, and people in the Odyssey can easily repeat long sections of prose word for word, these should not be dismissed as accidental slips. The only thing even close to true that he had told anyone else was that Odysseus was near, would be coming home soon, and had lots of treasure.

Odysseus also changed his lie in one part of the story that he told Penelope. He had told Eumaios that he was the son of Kastor Hylakides, but he told Penelope that he was a prince, the son of King Idomeneus of Crete. This is also an example of Odysseus telling Penelope part of the truth; he was, indeed, a prince in his home land, Ithaca. The inconsistency in the lie was probably insignificant, as nearly everyone was already looking upon him as a lying beggar; one little exaggeration, told in front of a queen, probably to make himself look better in her eyes, would hardly be noticed next to the other lies that the suitors thought he was spewing. The image of the "lying beggar" might even add to the effectiveness of Odysseus’ disguise. Still, though, it was a risk. The key question, then, is why did Odysseus tell Penelope more of the truth?

Perhaps Odysseus’ emotional control failed him for a moment, or at least relaxed in the presence of his wife. He was told by Agamemnon (Book XI) that he could trust Penelope, after all; why should he worry? It seems more likely, though, that Odysseus was still in control of himself, and consciously chose to let Penelope know that he is Odysseus. Agamemnon (XI) described Penelope as wise and clear-sighted, so it is no stretch to suppose that she and Odysseus had ways of telling each other things without anyone else knowing. This would indicate that when Eurycleia uncovered the boar-hunt scar, Penelope looked away, bemused, because she knew what Eurycleia would find there. Odysseus told her that he was home, and she responded in kind, by "misspeaking" that he is Eurycleia’s master, and by telling him about a dream that she probably made up on the spot. (Otherwise the narrator would have described it to us, as in previous occasions, not Penelope herself.) That night, Penelope wept for her husband, but for joy, not sorrow. Although Penelope does not have a "need to know", Odysseus, first, has been told by Agamemnon that she is trustworthy, second, he knows that it will please both of them, and third, he chooses his words in such a way that no one else could know what is going on, so it is relatively safe. Maybe this is how he relaxes his emotional control: imperceptibly, so no one but his wife can tell.

Argos is able to see through Odysseus’ disguise because he is a dog. Mainly this is because he has superior hearing and smell, which enable him to see through the disguise, and recognize his old master. This serves to replace the wisdom and clear sight of Penelope in identifying Odysseus. Eumaios’ dogs are the only other canines we see in Ithaca, and because of the long time period during which Odysseus was away, they probably never knew him. However, there are times in the rest of the book where people in Ithaca note that the beggar bears a startling resemblance to Odysseus, or at least does not look much like a beggar (for example, the boxing match in Book XVIII); this suggests that there may be something else. Argos is completely loyal to Odysseus, but this does not set him apart; many others, such as Eumaios, remained loyal to Odysseus, and none of them see through the disguise except Penelope. The quality that sets Argos apart in the Odyssey is that Argos never gave up on his master, a trait lacked by all the other characters except Penelope. Eumaios, Telemachus, and Philoitios believed completely that Odysseus died at sea, and had given up on any chance of his return. They say so many times throughout the narrative; when the beggar (Odysseus) tells them that Odysseus will return soon, none of them believe him, until he reveals himself. Even worse are the suitors, whose desire for Odysseus to be dead at sea causes them, in part, to believe that he is, despite what they see. But Argos, the simple dog, always believed that Odysseus would come back to him, so Argos was always looking for him. Penelope must have held out some hope that Odysseus would return, else she would have remarried. Everyone else, not looking for Odysseus, did not see that he was there.

Argos and Penelope both recognize Odysseus. To Argos, it is enough that his master has returned. For that matter, it is enough for everyone else that he is Odysseus, once he has returned. To Penelope, however, Odysseus is husband, but not complete master. She is much like him. She knows that he is Odysseus; now she needs to know who Odysseus is after twenty years. So she tests him to find out (Book XIII), much like he tested everyone in Ithaca. She is satisfied when Odysseus breaks into a rage after too much questioning; now that he has no important reason for self-control, he displays his emotions. Apparently he is still the Odysseus whom she loves. Odysseus has no reason to lie in this situation, and one thing that Penelope was surely testing was whether he would lie to her without reason.

In closing, Odysseus lies almost constantly throughout the epic, but only because he has reasons. He lied to protect himself and to test others, but did not lie to those loyal to him if it was not necessary. He is very human, cannot lie perfectly, makes mistakes, and has to fight down his emotions, so we can relate to him. Ultimately, though, he keeps his self-control and wins out in the end, making him a true hero and a fine character.