First of all, I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience I may have caused you by my unintentionally prolonged journey home, and I hope to be reunited with you and Telemachus as soon as possible. I want you to know that I miss you with all my heart, and will do everything in my power to return quickly, but have found myself rubbing the wrong way with the Gods.
Following comes the story of “The Odyssey”, where Homer presents the character of Polyphemus, the Cyclopes who devours Odysseus’s men. When Polyphemus ingests the men of Odysseus open their arrival, Homer gives readers a commentary on the barbarity linked to cannibalism. As with the proceeding stories, had Homer wished to portray Polyphemus as a mere brute or simple monster, he would have written Polyphemus as a murderer or oppressor. However, in order for readers to grasps the gravity of his monstrosity, Polyphemus not only kills his victims, but devours them as well. There exists a boundary within this story between the civilized and the barbarous, a line that distinctly becomes crossed in the act of Polyphemus eating the flesh of another human. Though Polyphemus is not categorized as entirely human, he is
Odysseus was a archetype hero in many ways, but one of his most famous moments was against Polyphemus. Odysseus and twelve of his men encountered the giant cyclops, Polyphemus, on the island of Sicily. Odysseus and his men got trapped in the cave and Polyphemus started killing Odysseus’ men by eating them alive. Odysseus offers Polyphemus some of the best wine and gets Polyphemus drunk. When Polyphemus passes out, Odysseus sharpens a huge stake and thrusts it into Polyphemus’ only eye. The cyclops then goes to the huge rock slab by the door and removes it to call for his brothers. Odysseus tells
Throughout the story, Odysseus demonstrates his courage that ultimately allows him to survive. One of these moments was during his journey back to Ithaca, where he faces a race of man eating giants called the Cyclops. Odysseus originally stops his ship there to relish a feast while on his journey back to Ithaca, but while doing so, out of curiosity explores the island. Soon, he finds a deserted house and decides to wait of the owner. The owner was unknowingly one the Cyclops, named Polyphemus. When the giant arrives home, he starts by eating two of the crew members alive. The remaining crew’s reaction to this was, “Crying out, we lifted our hands to Zeus”(Homer 9.287), But Odysseus thought differently, by quickly adapting to the situation and coming up with a plan. More
When people get lost without a way home, they will usually sacrifice everything to get home. Being on the way home for ten years already caused Odysseus to make the brash decision of sailing past Scylla, even after Circe had warned, “No mariners yet can boast they've raced their ship past Scylla’s lair without some mortal blow”(9.108-109). This brash decision lead to death of some of his crew, he sacrificed his men for himself. Odysseus also decided that in order to get home he and his men we to go, “to the House of Death”, which is extremely dangerous. So many things could have gone wrong, they may have never even made it out to get out. Throughout the Odyssey people make brash decisions in terms of getting home, their desperation clouds their vision of staying safe.
Do you know any epic heroes that show heroic qualities? Some heroes that you might be thinking of would be Batman, Spider-Man, or even Thor; but those aren't the epic heroes I'm talking about. I'm talking about the real heroes the ones who don't need any powers to achieve anything. The type of hero that does not need to fly or shoot lasers out of it's eyes. One hero that would be considered an epic hero would be Odysseus; you might not know who he is, well he's a character that comes out in the Iliad and the Odyssey. Odysseus is an epic hero because he cares about his family, he is intelligent and he shows courage and because he shows determination. There was one obstacle where they fell into a cyclone and were stuck there Odysseus managed to get through it.
The series of short stories that compile as “The Odyssey”, tells a tale of the journey Odysseus takes. Throughout his journey, many characters play some form of influential roles. One important character is Polyphemus. Better known as the Cyclopes. This is the POV of the Cyclopes from book nine of The Odyssey. (Homer 368)
After getting Polyphemus drunk, Odysseus explains what his crew did to inflict pain onto the Cyclops, “I drew it from the coals and my four fellows/gave me a hand, lugging it near the Cyclops/as more than natural force nerved them; straight/forward they sprinted, lifted it, and rammed it/deep in his crater eye” (374-378). Odysseus thought that shoving a colossal plank into Polyphemus’ eye could not suffice the task, so he ignited it in flames to create more affliction. Not only did the Cyclops get drunk, but got blinded with a plank, the pity for Polyphemus was created. While the Cyclops bellows in pain, Odysseus illustrates the incident, “Eyelid and lash were seared; the pierced ball/hissed broiling, and the roots popped” (383-384). The vividly described pain, exhibited by the hissing of the Polyphemus’ eyeball, causes the reader to sympathize the Cyclops. When the reader hears such a horrific event happening to any character, they would condole them with peace. A sympathetic character, Polyphemus, finds his pity through torturous
In the section “In the One-Eyed Giant’s Cave” from Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus is portrayed as a hero through his character traits and behaviors. When Odysseus and his men attack the city of Ismarus, the Cicones’ strong hold, Odysseus made sure to fairly distribute the spoils among his men. Odysseus’s behavior shows that he is a great leader, a characteristic of a hero. While Odysseus and his crew are in the Cyclops’ cave, Polyphemus, the cyclops, notices them. Polyphemus asks who they are with a monstrous tone, “‘Strangers!' he thundered out, 'now who are you? Where did you sail from, over the running sea-lanes? Out on a trading spree or roving the waves like pirates, sea-wolves raiding at will, who risk their lives to plunder other men?'” Odysseus and his crew become frightened, but despite this, Odysseus shows the heroic trait of bravery by answering back confidently, “The hearts inside us shook, terrified by his rumbling voice and monstrous hulk.
Odysseus easily trick the Cyclops bragging, “I poured him another fiery bowl - three bowls I brimmed and three he drank to the last drop, the fool”(9.404-406). To describe the bowls of wine as fiery foreshadows the demise of the Cyclops. Odysseus was able to use his brain, not strength, to make the Cyclops drink himself into a stupor. That Odysseus is depicted as not just strong, but smart, shows that extreme intelligence was praised in Greek culture. The Cyclops was
The cyclops Polyphemus effectively sets up the entire plot of Homer’s Odyssey, unleashing Poseidon’s wrath on Odysseus and consequently emerging as one of his most formidable rivals. Despite being perceived by Odysseus as an uncivilized savage and the polar opposite of a Greek citizen, it becomes evident that although the two are opposed in terms of customs, they fundamentally resemble one another when analyzed through the lens of xenia, rendering Odysseus’ worldview xenophobic. Thus, the Polyphemus episode turns into a powerful allegory for how the West has traditionally viewed people from foreign cultures that they sought to subjugate.
Poseidon, Apollo, Athena, Zeus, and Hermes are all Greek Gods that appear in the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer. These gods all play a significant role in The Odyssey by both helping and hindering Odysseus on his 10-year journey home. Homer illustrates the theme of divine intervention in The Odyssey using Poseidon’s wrath, Athena’s providence, and Hermes’ guidance.
In the story, Odysseus is still speaking to the Phaeacians, but is now telling them of his encounter with Polyphemus, the cyclops. Strong winds blew Odysseus and his men to Polyphemus’ island, where they unloaded and entered a cave that Polyphemus happened to live in. When he entered the cave, he closed the entrance with a large boulder that only he could move, trapping himself, his sheep, and Odysseus inside. After he ate some of Odysseus’ men, Odysseus devised a plan to get the cyclops to move the boulder so that the men could escape. He gave Polyphemus liquor, making him drunk, and shoved a massive makeshift spear into his the cyclops’ only eye. Polyphemus immediately moved the stone, but then blocked the entrance with
Odysseus was a great warrior hero from the Greek Trojan war who was trying to get home to his wife after the war had ended. Odysseus invoked the wrath of the Greek god Poseidon for the blinding of his son Polyphemus the Cyclops. Odysseus almost escaped the Cyclops and was practically home free before his pride got better of him. Upon leaving, the island where the Cyclops lived Odysseus originally had called himself “No one” when he first blinded Polyphemus but while
In the epic The Odyssey, the main character Odysseus’ foolishness greatly impedes his journey home and costs him the lives of all of his men. After spending 10 years away during the war at Troy, Odysseus’ prolonged journey home lasts ten more years due to his constant foolishness along the way. After defeating the cyclops, Polyphemus, Odysseus turns and yells “‘Cyclops, if ever a mortal man inquire how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye: Laertes’ son, whose home’ on Ithaca”’(Homer 501- 505). Odysseus tells that cyclops what his name is and where he is from just because he wants recognition for what he has just accomplished. This allows the cyclops to put a curse on him that causes that