Thursday, October 6, 2016
Lies, Lies, Lies, Yeah!
Odysseus tells two elaborate lies in Books 13 (to Athena) and Book 14 (to Eumaeus) about his identity, his history and his reasons for coming to Ithaca. There is an old saying "once a liar, always a liar." Does the fact that Odysseus has the capacity to fabricate such lies cast doubt on the veracity of his story in Books 9-12? Or does something about the content of the stories (e. g. he admits to mistakes of judgment) or his situation in Phaecia (e. g . they have already demonstrated they are superb hosts) suggest he is truthful? Or perhaps he doesn't tell boldfaced lies but bends the truth a little? Does it call into question the truth of the entire epic itself?
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Lies, lies, lies, yeah!
ReplyDeleteIn books 9 through 12 of The Odyssey, Odysseus reveals his stories and his journey in lies and slight exaggerations to the Phaecians. In books 13 and 14 of The Odyssey, Odysseus demonstrates his detailed and precise lies which shines a light on the other stories he has told, and questions the veracity of these tales. Since, the reader has the opportunity to witness Odysseus’s lies it can be implied he has told many other “life like” lies in his story telling. While Odysseus is on the island with the cyclops, Polyphemus, he describes what he did in trying to escape from Polyphemus. He does this by stating, “So he laid his trap/but he never caught me, no, wise to the world/ I shot back in my crafty way, ‘My ship? /Poseidon god of the earthquake smashed my ship/ he drove it against your rocks at your island’s far cape, / he dashed it against a cliff as the winds rode us in./ I and the men you see escaped a sudden death’ (9.317-323). While telling this story to the Phaecians, Odysseus tells of himself being crafty and smart. The stories he tells of himself making intelligent plans, and smart detailed moves, are most likely part of his brilliant ways of telling lies. Odysseus exaggerates these adventurous stories to make him seem braver and a stronger more intelligent man. This great trait of telling lies makes us, the readers, question the veracity of Odysseus’s tales and question whether they are truthful.