CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY
The Witting Disguise
Analysis of the Motif of Disguise within Homer’s
The Odyssey
Amanda Och
Dr. Debra Beilke
English 375: World Literature I
9/20/2012
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The Odyssey is a story of “twists and turns” (1.1) that is often fueled by one thing: disguises. A
disguise is any sort of ruse or alteration of appearance that hides one’s identity. Within The Odyssey,
there is a relationship between disguise and wisdom, and thus the motif of disguise helps develop the
theme of the power of cunning over strength. One has to be cunning enough to develop a well-thought
out plan when trying to achieve a certain goal; there are three main characters that have the ability to
recognize that they will only get others to do their will by hiding their true identities. Part of this
relationship involves exploiting the stupidity of foes, and the power that is gained from undermining ones
opponent. Thus, three characters, including Athena, Odysseus, and Penelope see that disguises often give
them an advantage over others as well as the ability to control the environment around them.
Athena is central to Odysseus’ story because they share similar traits. By the fourth stanza
Athena shows her care for Odysseus by exclaiming, “…my heart breaks for Odysseus…” (1.60). The
significance of the statement is based on the ancient Greek belief that when a god takes favor on a mortal,
it is because they exhibit many traits that the god also has. Both the ancient Greek audience as well as
readers today can get a sense of Odysseus’ character simply from these five lines. Seeing as Athena is the
goddess of wisdom, courage, and weaving, Odysseus must also exhibit these traits. Athena is also a
master of disguise - through her ability to weave stories as well as a new identity - and often cunningly
deceives others in order to get them to do her bidding. Thus, her disguises often giver her power to
control the world around her, which we see directly in her relationship with Telemachus.
Athena uses Telemachus as a means to return Odysseus to Ithaca. She accomplishes this by using
her wisdom to create well-thought out disguises that take advantage of Telemachus’ weakness to trust the
friends of his father. When Athena comes to him twice, both times disguised as friends of Odysseus,
Telemachus blindly trusts them and listens to their advice, which in actuality is instruction by Athena.
Her intent is shown in her comment “…I myself go down to Ithaca, rouse his son to a braver pitch, inspire
his heart with courage…” (1.104-105). In one phrase, Athena reveals many things about Telemachus’
character. First, she makes a point in stating that she must induce his courage and bravery, meaning that
he does not exhibit similar traits as her. Second, she reveals that he is idly waiting for his father to return,
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and is not doing much in search of his father. Finally, she foreshows on his adventures to come and is
staking a claim that he is only going to leave Ithaca because it is her will that he do so. Overall, Athena is
using his vulnerability and stupidity to blindly trust others in order to get what she desires of him. This
act of disguise is a direct result of Athena’s wisdom because if a) she didn’t recognize this fault in
Telemachus, or b) she didn’t choose the correct disguises (friends of Odysseus), then her plan would not
have worked. It is possible to detect that she had a plan from the start as to how Odysseus would finally
return to Ithaca, which is laid out in her statement to Odysseus, “I willed it, planned it so when you set out
for home…” (13.346-347). Here, Athena plainly states that she has been planning since the very
beginning of the story exactly how Odysseus would reach home, and that it was reliant on her devised
plans. Much like Athena, Odysseus also exhibited wisdom, cunning, and the ability to weave webs of
deception.
Odysseus uses his quick, cunning mind to disguise himself multiple times throughout the episode
with the Cyclopes, Polyphemus, in order to gain the upper hand. Though terrified, Odysseus was able to
recognize a major concept immediately after meeting the giant: his strength would not help him in this
situation. Instead he would have to remain calm, and use his skills to outwit the monster. He saw that
“There at a stroke we’d finish off ourselves as well – how could we with our bare hands heave back that
slab he set to block his cavern’s gaping maw?” (9.340-342). Here, Odysseus directly states that he would
not be strong enough to get himself out of the cave safely, thus he would have to develop a plan to escape
the monster. His plan comes into focus when he informs Polyphemus, “Nobody – that’s my name –
Nobody…” (9.410). Odysseus chooses to create a disguise that exploits the stupidity of the Cyclops. He
used his cunning wit to develop an identity in which no one would a) come to the monster’s rescue, or b)
be able to find or punish the real culprit behind the attack he has planned. This is an example of ultimate
power over an opponent, because there is not any way to discover his true identity. Deciding to ride on
the undersides of the sheep as they exited the cave depicted Odysseus’ ability to assess a situation and
adapt to use the best weapon. Here, his weapon was, once again, a literal disguise of the sheep. Odysseus
would have escaped this episode unscathed is it weren’t for his pride that spills out as he yelled,
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“Cyclops –
if any man on the face of the earth should ask you
who blinded you, shamed you so – say Odysseus,
raider of cities, he gouged out your eye,
Laertes’ son who makes his home in Ithaca!” (9.558-562)
The quote above holds particular significance because it leads to Odysseus’ downfall in terms of losing all
his men. While this is not a recount of Odysseus’ great thinking ability, this result depicts the need to
maintain power over enemies through the use of disguise. It was only through loss of his deception that
he lost power over Polyphemus as well as control over his fate. This scene encompasses the need for
strength of mind over physical strength because when Odysseus ignores his cunning nature to brag about
his physical prowess, the result alters the rest of his journey home. Once he finally returns to Ithaca,
Odysseus has learned his lesson and uses his wits to the fullest in taking on the suitors.
When Odysseus returns to Ithaca, he is “…looking for all the world like an old and broken beggar
hunched on a stick, his body wrapped in shameful rags…” (17.220-221). His decision to appear as an
old, frail beggar was a complex and well-thought out plan to undermine the suitors. Without this haggard
appearance, the suitors would never have left themselves vulnerable to his attack. The suitors completely
disregard any threat Odysseus may present to them and let their guards down around him. It is from this
vulnerability that Odysseus as gained power over his opponents. Odysseus even taunts the suitors when
he says, “Friends, how can an old man, worn down with pain, stand up to a young buck?” (18.61). Even
this comment depicts Odysseus’ cunning mind, because he know that by goading the suitors, they will
want to retaliate by including him in the challenge. This episode with the suitors depicts just how smart
Odysseus really is. This plan was well-thought out well before he reached the kingdom, and was
enhanced by Odysseus’ ability to weave tales. In his long story about who he is and where his is from,
Odysseus is able to convince everyone that he is truly another person. This deception is much greater
than simply wearing a false-image because it takes much more effort to develop and maintain. Odysseus
proves to the audience that a true hero is one that is strong within his mind, for true power comes not from
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overpowering opponents, but rather by outwitting, and basically deceiving, them. His ability to weave a
story is one aspect that Athena likes about Odysseus, and his wife, Penelope also has the ability to weave,
both literally and figuratively.
Penelope, while more of a minor character throughout The Odyssey, also exhibits many of the
traits of Athena. While it is easy to see her weaving skills, Penelope uses them to enhance her own
disguise. This is explained as Antinous tells Telemachus of Penelope’s statement, “Young men, my
suitors, now that King Odysseus is no more, go slowly, keen as you are to marry me, until I can finish off
this web…” (2.104-107). As Penelope weaves her shroud, she weaves her tale of disguise. Here, she
claims to the suitors that she has moved on from Odysseus and will marry once she is through mourning
him. Thus, her shroud, which represents her mourning and sorrow, is really a disguise for her loyalty to
Odysseus, as well as her belief that he will return one day. Penelope is very cunning to have come up
with a plan to keep her suitors at bay without offending them. Also, her plan allows her to wait years for
Odysseus to return, especially since she unwinds the shroud each night. Penelope uses the suitors’
stupidity, in which they were willing to give her anything in order for a chance at the kingship. Penelope
also depicts a much more literal example of the overarching theme of mind over strength. Obviously,
Penelope could not defeat any of her male suitors physically, but she used her wiles and wits in order to
gain the power to control the world around her.
Overall, these three characters – Athena, Odysseus, and Penelope – are almost one being. They
all exhibit the same quality of smarts to avoid their enemies, and they also use disguises to aid them.
Their other skills and abilities simply alter our perception on the way these traits are portrayed. Clearly,
disguises played an important role in The Odyssey due to its relationship with wisdom, as well as being a
key agent in the development of the theme of cunning over physical strength. Often, one’s wits will
appear when exploiting others stupidity, as we saw with each of the three characters mentioned above.
Disguises are a means in which these characters gain the upper hand over their opponents because
through hiding their identities or their intentions, they enhanced their own intelligence as well as showed
the lack-there-of in their opponents. This theme would have been important to the Greeks because it gave
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a new dimension to the epic hero. Rather than just a strong, brave guy, now the strength of one’s mind is
even more important.