The Odyssey by Homer is an epic poem in which the Greek hero Odysseus must make his journey back to his home after fighting the Trojan War. Odysseus angers the Gods on his journey home, and is therefore punished by them. He must go on a very complex and complicated path home going through hell and back out. Odysseus uses cunning wisdom however to beat the obstacles and make his way on the journey. Homer illustrates Odysseus’ cunning wisdom in conflict, and plot.

Homer shows Odysseus’ cunning wisdom in a man-vs.-beast conflict when Odysseus and his crew encounter the Cyclops. When Odysseus and his crew encountered the Cyclops, Odysseus had to think quickly and be smart about his decisions if he and his crew were to survive. Odysseus thought of a plan which was probably their only way of escaping the Cyclops chamber. He figured out a way to make a very powerful wine that he would give to the Cyclops to drink as a gift to get him drunk. Then when the Cyclops was drunk, he asked what Odysseus’ name was and Odysseus replied “Nohbdy.” His reply was the only way that let he and his crew survive the Cyclops encounter. After he told the Cyclops his name, when he was drunk enough to not realize what was happening, Odysseus and a few crew members drove a charred stick into the Cyclops’ eye, blinding him. When the Cyclops yelled in pain, and other Cyclops came, the Cyclops explained to the others that “Nohbdy” tricked and ruined him. This sounded to the other Cyclops that “No Body” tricked and ruined him, so they all left. This shows Odysseus’ cunning wisdom because he and his crew later escaped the lair tied to the Cyclops’ animals. They escaped because the other Cyclops did not know they were in the Cyclops’ lair, and did not help him. Thus, Homer shows the true cunning and wisdom of Odysseus in the conflict of man-vs.-beast when Odysseus encountered the Cyclops.

As well as conflict, Homer illustrates Odysseus’ cunning and wisdom in the plot of The Odyssey. For example, in the first twenty lines of the epic poem, Homer foreshadows the entire poem, with Odysseus as the main point. Homer states how Odysseus “struggled to survive and bring his men home, But could not save them…” This shows how brave and wise Odysseus is since he had a long and devastating journey home. It was hard enough to take care of himself, nevertheless take care of his men. Another example in the first twenty lines of the poem is that Odysseus was smart unlike his crew when, “The fools–destroyed by their own recklessness, When they ate the oxen of Hyperion the Sun…” This shows how wise and cunning Odysseus was, because he learned that by eating Hyperion’s oxen, you would be condemned to death. Odysseus, being smart however, did not eat the oxen, and therefore lived. Hence, Homer used the plot of the epic poem as well as conflict to explain the cunning wisdom of Odysseus.

Odysseus, the main character in The Odysseus, by Homer, was a very wise and cunning man, as described by Homer. Homer illustrates Odysseus’ cunning wisdom in conflict and the plot of the epic poem. The man-vs.-beast conflict being when Odysseus encounters the Cyclops in his lair and gets out of death and the death of many of his crew. Also, the showing of Odysseus’ cunning wisdom in the plot is in the first few lines of the poem where Homer foreshadows the entire poem. Odysseus, as described by Homer was truly a very smart man with much cunning wisdom to overcome the challenges thrown at him by the Gods.