One of
the most understated, but important, examples of Odysseus's intelligence
(metis, a combination of cunning and intelligence) is in Book 3 when
Nestor, known in The as the wisest of Agamemnon's counselors, tells
Odysseus's son, Telemachus, about the Achaeans' disagreement over when to sail from Troy after
Troy's destruction:
And all the time we were there,/not
once did Odysseus and I, in assembly or council,/ speak on opposite sides.We were both of one
mind,/and we always agreed about how to advise the Achaeans. (3: 109-12)
That Nestor and Odysseus are always of one mind in matters of
strategy speaks to Odysseus's intelligence in all matters requiring a strategic decision.Nestor,
whose counsel Agamemnon relies upon completely, relies on the confirming counsel of Odysseus, a
clear indication that the wisest among the Achaeans looks to Odysseus for intelligent
counsel.
When, in Book 6, Odysseus is washed up on the shore of the
Phaeacians and encounters Nausicaa, the daughter of...
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