Cyclops
Odysseus and his men see a
yawning cavern overlooking a bay. Odysseus
takes twelve of his best men to investigate.
His men want to get supplies and leave but
Odysseus wants to see what creature lives
there. His curiosity causes him difficulty later
because the giant Cyclops, Polyphemus,
eats some of his men and traps the rest in his
cave. Odysseus can’t kill the lout because
he is the only one strong enough to move the
stone in front of the door. Instead, he
devises a plan to get the giant drunk and when
he is asleep, put out his one eye with a
sharpened pike and blinded him. Then, in the
morning when Cyclops lets his sheep and
goats out to pasture Odysseus and his men will
escape. They blind Polyphemus and then
Odysseus ties three big, woolly sheep together
with willow branches and suspends a man underneath so that the giant can’t feel them as they pass under his
legs. He does this over and over until all of his men are safely out of the cave, then he holds on underneath the
biggest ram and slips out under the giant. Once free, they steal the sheep and sail away. But when they get out
to sea, Odysseus calls out to Polyphemus and taunts him. The giant tears the top of a mountain off and throws it
in the direction of the ship and almost hits it. They paddle furiously away again and he calls out again, against
the pleading of his men, and he tells the giant that he, Odysseus, has defeated the Cyclops. This pride of
Odysseus gives the giant his name and Polyphemus calls upon the gods to punish Odysseus, which they do.
Odysseus voyage is long and arduous and none of his men make it home. His ships are wrecked and when he
gets home there is much trouble.
In this book we see Odysseus as a brave and courageous leader who took on a giant. But his curiosity
was his downfall because that is what got them into trouble in the first place. He is clever because he designed
a way for him and his men to escape. But his pride almost gets their ships sunk at the end when he couldn’t
resist telling Polyphemus just who it was who defeated him. That pride causes his voyage to be longer and
deadlier and for trouble at home to be a problem when he finally does get to Ithaca.
Epic Conventions/Epic Machinery
1) Patrynomics”
“Agamemnon, son of Atreus” (208) “Odysseus, son of Laertes” (460) “Zeus…Cronus’ son” (511)
2) Epithet
‘The young dawn with fingertips of rose” (252) “Odysseus, raider of cities”(459)
3) Epic Simile – “There along the fold- an olive tree... was like a mast a lugger of twenty oars, broad in the
beam- a deep-sea-going craft- might carry; so long, so big around, it seemed.” (266-271)
The ancient Greeks might have used this book to teach the societal and religious value of hospitality.
The ancient Greeks believed that when a stranger appeared at your home, you were bound to welcome them
in and show them kindness. This included giving them shelter and food and whatever else they might need.
This was considered a Law of the Gods, and the Greeks believed that the gods would test men’s obedience to
this law by traveling as humans to and from villages to see if they would be given the required kindness.
Also, Odysseus makes a burnt offering to the gods when they finally escape from Cyclops. Burnt
offering were signs of respect and a way of asking for the gods’ help.
The law of Hospitality-Obedience to the Laws of the gods-Respect for the gods.