eveal his identity, which may seem rather strange at first. In reality Odysseus is being very cautious, for on first landing on the isle he has no idea where the lands loyalties lie. For all he knows they could be sympathetic to Troy's loss of the war and kill someone from the force that defeated her on sight. Only when he is absolutely sure where their true loyalties lie does he reveal himself. A true leader is one who always has their wits about them and can readily adapt to an unknown situation. Homer is always praising Odysseus on this fact throughout the epic, " Noble Odysseus, expert in adversity" is one of the many epitaphs that Homer attaches to Odysseus' name (p. 138, line 448). Even Athena compliments Odysseus at one point saying, "Whoever gets around you must be sharp and guileful as a snake; even a god might bow to you in ways of dissimulation" (p.239, lines 285-7). This ability to deceive others, far from being a bad thing, is in my mind one of Odysseus' best qualities. He knows how to best guard his own interests in order to achieve the goal which is on hand.
             ...