The Odyssey: the Devil (or not) on your shoulders
Since humans first learned to observe their own behaviour and convey it through writing, art, and other mediums, we have struggled to determine how our own actions line up with our values of what is right or wrong. In the Odyssey, while the great hero Odysseus is portrayed as, well, a hero, a deeper look into his own actions, his relationships to and compared with the gods, as well as the cultural values he exhibits shine light onto the grey area of the question at hand: are humans inherently good, or evil? Throughout the entire epic, Odysseus’ name is paired with epithets that proclaim his sature: godlike, great, tactful, many-minded, great hearted. However, while every epithet is intended to in some way bolster his heroic image, many of them come with more negative connotations, at least for those of us living in the modern age. Lets consider a few: Lord of the lies, the city sacker, man of exploits, and mastermind of war. The first one clearly refers to Odysseus’ clever wit and