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Teachers & SchoolsLies and Deceit
(Click the themes infographic to download.)
In the Odyssey, honesty is most definitely not the best policy. In fact—as we learn when Odysseus idiotically tells Polyphemos his name and address—it's usually a pretty bad policy. All the good guys tell lies: Telemachos sneaks away from his mom; Athene is constantly dressing herself up as some old man or other; and even Penelope comes up with a rad deception about Laertes' magically shrinking shroud. That's not even mentioning Odysseus, who's practically the king of lies. What makes all this deception acceptable to the gods? (Besides the fact that they do it themselves, all the time?) It's all for a good cause: reuniting Ithaka's First Family.
(Click the infographic to download.)
In the Odyssey, deception is just fine as long as you're in good with the gods. If not—look out for some divine retribution.
When Odysseus resumes his rightful place as king of Ithaka, we get the sense that he's done with lies and trickery for good.