Odysseus, An Egotistical Cretan. Odysseus tells Athena, whom he believes is a shepherd, a false account, of how he came to Ithaca, primarily since he needs to keep his identity a secret, familiarize himself with the situation on Ithaca and formulate a pl

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Emily Noble

Legacy of the Mediterranean

Odysseus, an Egotistical Cretan

Odysseus tells Athena, whom he believes is a shepherd, a false account, of how he came to Ithaca, primarily since he needs to keep his identity a secret, familiarize himself with the situation on Ithaca and formulate a plan to execute the suitors.  He perceives that he has arrived in a mist-shrouded and unknown land.  And thus secondarily, he needs to present a feasible reason for being alone and stranded with copious amounts of treasure for safety reasons as well as to allay suspicion in relation to his identity.  Athena affects how he tells his lie because he can see and listen to her.  To manipulate her more effectively, Odysseus exploits these factors to produce a story specifically tailored to the information Athena provides.

Odysseus considers Athena’s, or the shepherd she appears to be, appearance and response to his inquiry about where he is; by doing this Odysseus can form ideas about her social status, her intelligence, her nationality, and if she is hostile and unwelcoming or friendly.  He does with the intention of creating a lie that she will believe as well as of sending a clear message that fulfills his primary goals concerning the suitors and himself.  Athena is masquerading as a young man, a shepherd “…like a King’s son, all delicately made.” and is holding a hunting lance (Fitzgerald Book 13, Page 237, Line 282).  From this physical appearance alone Odysseus first knows he is not a lord or royalty as he is a shepherd and obviously would not be out dressing as a shepherd if he were royal or wealthy.  He also knows that the shepherd is most likely going to know the immediate area fairly well since he probably lives and tends animals in the region.  Additionally, he notes that the shepherd is carrying a weapon and since he has a great deal of treasure he knows he must discourage the shepherd from killing him and stealing his possessions.  To discourage the shepherd from this Odysseus portrays himself as aggressive, but not entirely bloodthirsty which could dissuade the shepherd from helping him.  He gains still more information by simply asking where he is.  The shepherd responds that Odysseus is either unintelligent or from “the other end of nowhere” since he doesn’t recognize where he is.  He proceeds to describe the land and inform him that he is in Ithaca.  By somewhat insulting Odysseus, the shepherd basically tells Odysseus to be cautious because he is not particularly friendly.

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Odysseus utilizes the information to construct a custom-made anecdote for the shepherd.  First, he informs the shepherd that he is from Crete and here with his fortune which he split equally between his children who still reside there.  He gains credibility by making Crete his home, since it is extremely unlikely a shepherd of Ithaca knows the affairs of Crete and clearly protects his identity.  Besides adding believability, being from Crete subtly warns the shepherd that he is not someone easily gotten rid of as people from Crete have a reputation for being scoundrels and pirates.  He also reveals that ...

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