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Odysseus and the Trojan War
Odysseus is shown in many scenarios to prefer brains over brawn. Unwilling to be drafted into the Greek Army, the king of Ithaca feigned insanity. So Odysseus "went insane" and plowed his fields with salt, destroying its ability to grow crops. His "condition" was disproved only when a messenger of the army placed Telemachos, the king's infant son, in front of the plow. When Odysseus veered the plow away from his son and therefore displayed his complete sanity, the king was forced to join the army.

**Odysseus and the Trojan Horse**
After being drafted into the Greek Army, Odysseus displayed his cunning through his clever strategies. Knowing that the Greeks would be extremely outnumbered by the Trojans, the Ithacan king suggested a plan that would lead to the sacking of Troy. Odysseus created a large, hollow wooden horse in which a group of Greek soldiers hid. The horse was presented to the Trojans and was accepted as a sign of the Greeks surrendering. At night, Odysseus and the Greeks exited the horse and slew the Trojans, sacking the city of Troy and ending the Trojan War.

Odysseus and the cyclops Polyphemus
The cyclops were man-eating giants with a single eye in the middle of their foreheads known for their brute strength and power. While stealing some food and supplies from a well-stocked cave, Odysseus and his men were trapped by the cave's inhabitant Polyphemus. Odysseus could not rely on brawn alone so the Ithacan king created a clever plot to save the lives of his crew. Odysseus knew that he could not kill Polyphemus until the rock sealing the entrance was removed. Realizing that only Polyphemus possessed the power to open the cave, he tricked the cyclops into becoming drunk off the wine brought from the ship all while constructing a weapon out of a wooden staff. When asked for his name, Odysseus replied with "Noman." Right when Polyphemus fell into a drunken slumber, the crew heated the weapon in the fire and stabbed the cyclops in the eye. The neighboring cyclops came running to the sound of Polyphemus's screams and when they asked what happened, Polyphemus replied, "O my friends, //Noman// is killing me by craft and not by main force!" (108.) By saying 'Noman' had attacked him, the neighbors believed nobody was with the cyclops and that Polyphemus only injured himself. The now blind Polyphemus knew that the crew would escape if he opened the cave's entrance so he touched the backs of each of his livestock in attempt to find the men. But Odysseus was one step ahead; he tied each of his men and himself under the bellies of the sheep and rams. Polyphemus was unable to detect the crew as the men slipped out of the cave under the livestock.

Summary
Throughout the stories of Odysseus, the Ithacan king displays brains as well as brawn. The many challenges Odysseus face need more than just pure strength. The king shows unwillingness to resort to violence; however he shows plenty of physical capability when the situation needs it. To portray a character like Odysseus, one must show cunning strategy all while using brawn efficiently.