Deception in Sophocles Philoctetes and Hesiods Theogony :: Deception Sophocles Hesiod Essays

Deception in Sophocles' Philoctetes and Hesiod's Theogony For many centuries, the art of deception has been a powerful tool for achieving goals, and it has spawned the ancient debate of the ends justifying the means. In the tragedy Philoctetes by Sophocles and in Hesiod's Theogony, there are many instances of deception, particularly on the part of men in the texts. For each of them, the deceit is justified as a means of building and maintaining a reputation or obtaining power. Ultimately, however, the use of deception results in putting the men in positions of further vulnerability. In Philoctetes, the character of Odysseus is portrayed as well accustomed to using deceit for personal gain without much consideration for morality or human compassion. He not only deceives Philoctetes himself, but he has the audacity to con Neoptolemus, the son of Achilles, into doing the same. Odysseus's first deception of Philoctetes happens before his second arrival on Lemnos with Neoptolemus. Odysseus and his crew maroon the injured Philoctetes on the island with no one to help him by sneaking away while he is asleep. Odysseus explains their reasons for abandoning him: We had no peace with him: at the holy festivals, we dared not touch the wine and meat; he screamed and groaned so, and those terrible cries of his brought ill luck on our celebrations (Phil. lines 6-9). No one is able to heal Philoctetes because his disease was inflicted on him by divine power. Nor does he have the self-control to keep quiet, even during religious ceremonies, and his lack of self-discipline reflects poorly on the group as a whole. Philoctetes's unrestrained howling during solemn occasions jeopardizes their dignity and their reputations as serious and powerful men. Odysseus returns to Lemnos only because he realizes that, in order to sack Troy, he must have the bow of Heracles which is in Philoctetes's possession.