The Odyssey Deception and Disguise Quotes

At those words
a black cloud of grief came shrouding over Laertes.
Both hands clawing the ground for dirt and grime,
he poured it over his grizzled head, sobbing, in spasms.
Odysseus’ heart shuddered, a sudden twinge went shooting up
through his nostrils, watching his dear father struggle…
He sprang toward him, kissed him, hugged him.

– Homer

The Odyssey, Book 24, lines 352-358. Odysseus lies to his father Laertes, telling him that he is from Sicily but five years before had befriended Odysseus and hadn’t seen him since. In an act of despair Laertes pours dirt over his head and sobs and shakes. Odysseus feels guilty for prolonging his father’s pain and he finally puts him out of his misery. Revealing himself, Odysseus kisses and embraces Laertes as his son.

"Father – I am your son – myself, the man you’re seeking,
home after twenty years, on native ground at last!
Hold back your tears, your grief.
Let me tell you the news, but we must hurry –
I’ve cut the suitors down in our own house,
I’ve paid them back their outrage, vicious crimes!"

– Homer

The Odyssey, Book 23, lines 359-364. Odysseus finally stops lying about being a stranger from Sicily and reveals his true identity to his father. He tells Laertes that he has punished the suitors for their crimes.

So she commanded. He obeyed her, glad at heart.
And Athena handed down her pacts of peace
between both sides for all the years to come –
the daughter of Zeus whose shield is storm and thunder,
yes, but the goddess still kept Mentor’s build and voice.

– Homer

The Odyssey, Book 24, lines 598-602. The final lines of the epic poem tell how at the command of the powerful goddess of wisdom, the fighting stops. Athena, in her last appearance in The Odyssey, takes on the form of Mentor and brings peace to the warring sides in Itacha.
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