One of the most interesting things from ancient Greek/Roman literature is the reappearance of characters throughout stories told by different authors in different eras. One of the most interesting recurring characters is Polyphemus, who has been characterized in many different ways throughout various stories. Of particular interest is Homer’s characterization in The Odyssey, Theocritus’ characterization in Idylls, and Ovid’s characterization in Metamorphoses. These three stories present very different pictures of Polyphemus, and lead to differing perceptions of who this character is.
In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus and his men end up in the land of the Cyclopes after dragging his men away from the land of the Lotus-eaters, with the race of Cyclopes
…show more content…
described as, “Lawless savages who leave everything up to the gods” (Odyssey 9.105-106). Odysseus also makes a point of showing that the Cyclopes are relatively unskilled and have no craftsmen (Odyssey 9.122-24), and if it weren’t for the Cyclopes living there, the land the Cyclopes live on would be a great settlement (Odyssey 9.126-37). Odysseus runs into Polyphemus first after finding his cave with, “crates stuffed with cheese, and pens crammed with lambs and kids...pails and bowls of good workmanship… brimming with whey” (Odyssey 9.210-14).
Odysseus’ men want to steal some of Polyphemus’ goods, but Odysseus wants to wait and see him, in hopes he will offer some hospitality. However, immediately when Polyphemus returns to his cave, he accuses Odysseus and his men of being, “Pirates… roaming around and causing people trouble” (Odyssey 9.247-48). Odysseus explains where he and his men come from, and appeals to him for some hospitality, but Polyphemus responds from his ‘pitiless heart’, calling Odysseus dumb and claiming not to fear the gods (Odyssey 9.265-66). After a bit more conversation, Polyphemus assaulted two of Odysseus’ men and ate them, then took Odysseus and the rest of his men prisoner. Odysseus had thought about stabbing Polyphemus with his sword, but decided against it as he realized that only the Cyclops was strong enough to move the stone (Odyssey …show more content…
9.280-98). The next day, while Polyphemus is out, Odysseus devises a plan to get the Cyclops drunk, then while he is inebriated, in conversation with Polyphemus, tells him that he is ‘Noman’ (Odyssey 9.343-65). After he passes out from drunkenness, Odysseus puts the stake he found earlier into the flames, and then, along with his men, drove the stake into the Cyclops eye (Odyssey 9.373-81). When Polyphemus cries out for help, he shouts, “Noman is killing me by some kind of trick!” (Odyssey 9.407), which causes the other cyclopes to respond with apathy, and Odysseus and his men make it out of his cave, calling out back at Polyphemus and taunting him (despite the protests of his men) as they make their way off to sea. 500 years later, in the early 3rd century BC, Theocritus writes poem framing the love of Polyphemus for Galatea through song. Polyphemus clumsily tries to compliment the sea nymph, calling her, “whiter that cottage cheese to behold, softer than a lamb, more skittish than a calf, more glistening than an unripe grape” (Idyll 11.20-21). He speaks of how his physical appearance is likely the reason she ignores him, mentioning the “shaggy brow across [his] whole forehead” and the “large nose above [his] lip” (Idyll 11.31-33). But then he comically tries to draw her in with promises of a herd of one thousand animals, and overloaded cheese racks (Idyll 11.34-37). The poem ends with Polyphemus snapping back to reality, remembering that he has chores to be completed, and reminding himself that perhaps one day, he will find someone else who wants him (Idyll 11.75-79). Eleven centuries later, Ovid paints another picture of Polyphemus, this time through the lens of Galatea, hearing the song that the Cyclops sings to the sea nymph. Galatea makes it clear that she wants nothing to do with him, saying “If you asked me I could not say whether love for Acis or hatred of the Cyclops was stronger in me” (Metamorphoses 13.905-908). She calls him a savage, a horror to the woods themselves (Meta. 13.910), but later speaks of how his infatuation with her has caused him to take more care into the way that he looks, and to lose some of his ruthlessness, making the sea safer for passing ships (Meta. 13.920-22). Galatea recalls the song Polyphemus sang to her, complimenting her looks, and trying to bring her in with promises of a comfortable living space, fruitful trees, and abundant livestock (Meta.
13.966-83). Despite all his heartfelt appeals, Galatea is unimpressed, calling his song “drivel”, and at the end of his song, he rises to collect a cow that he saw was taken away from his herd. As he wandered, Polyphemus caught sight of Galatea with her lover, Acis, and the Cyclops, in a voice that, “was as loud and as awful as only a Cyclops’ voice can be” said, “I’ll fix it so this is the last time you make love” (Meta. 13.1043-45). Polyphemus then proceeded to murder Acis in a fit of rage (Meta.
13.1051-54). In Homer’s characterization, Polyphemus is portrayed as a brute with no sympathy for Odysseus’ struggles, and no real emotion outside of anger and selfishness. Polyphemus, after being told by Odysseus that his ship was destroyed by Poseidon, rather than displaying any sympathy for Odysseus, “reached out, seized two of [his men], and smashed them to the ground like puppies” (Odyssey 9.281-82). Compare this to the genuine, heartfelt song for Galateia in Idyll XI and a very different picture is painted. He claims of Galateia, “I laid eye on you, and ever since then-even now I can’t stop loving one bit” (Idyll 11.28-29), and we see that within the time between these two events in Polyphemus’ life, he has become very hardened and unhappy about something. However, in both of these portrayals of Polyphemus, he is shown to be fairly dim-witted. In Theocritus’ work, he, in an ill-conceived compliment, compares Galateia to cottage cheese and a calf. Later, when trying to draw her in, he talks of the massive amount of cheese he has at all seasons, saying, “And I don’t lack for cheese, not in the summer, not in the fall, and not in the dead of winter. My cheese racks are overloaded” (Idyll 11.36-37). This poor attempt at convincing Galateia to be his lover shows the same dim-witted nature that ended in Odysseus getting away from the Cyclops in The Odyssey, falling for Odysseus’ trick in convincing the Cyclops that his name was ‘Noman’, and passing out from drunkenness while holding men prisoner (Odyssey 9.406-07). While The Odyssey paints Polyphemus as a pure brute, and Idyll paints him to be a sensitive teen in love, Metamorphoses is somewhere in between. While Galatea wants nothing to do with him, his song is certainly just as heartfelt, and his metaphors about the sea nymph are less clumsy, albeit still comparing her to a heifer. However, when he sees Galatea with her lover, he, “stayed on him and hurled a rock he had wrenched from the mountain. Although the rock’s very tip was all that hit Acis, it was enough to bury the boy completely” (Meta. 13.1051-54). This type of rage is very similar to the rage referenced in The Odyssey above, where Polyphemus killed and ate two of Odysseus’ men. This section of Metamorphoses exists perhaps to explain why Polyphemus is so angry in The Odyssey. Throughout all of these tales, we see how characters can change by the way an author chooses to describe them. In Idyll, we see a young, unrequited lover, in The Odyssey, we see a brutal, cruel monster, and in Metamorphoses, we see the same character have his heart broken, and in a fit of jealous rage, kill the lover of Galatea. The revisiting of this character shows the continuing interest in the same tales over the course of eleven-hundred years, leading to a larger backstory and a more interesting perspective on the character’s actions.
One of the myths was, Polyphemus was in love with a sea nymph named Galateia, a sicilian nereid who had cheated on him with a man named Acis. When Polyphemus discovered this he crushed Acis under a rock. Another myth was the story of Odysseus. This story was when Polyphemus had captured Odysseus one of victorious greek leaders and twelve of his crew members when they were sailing for home from the trojan war. They became captured when they arrived to an unknown island of cyclopes. Odysseus and his men came upon the cave of Polyphemus, and went inside in hopes to steal food while Polyphemus was away tending his flock. Curiosity got the best of Odysseus as he wanted to see what a cyclops looked like. Odysseus and his men hid in the cave waiting for Polyphemus to come back.
“The Odyssey” is an epic written by Homer between 750 and 650 B.C. It is the tale of the main hero’s, Odysseus’s, journey home to Ithaca from Troy. It takes place after the Trojan War and is the sequel to “The Iliad.” Odysseus and his men set sail from Troy and come across the lair of the lotus eaters. After escaping, they run into the cyclops,
This shows that Odysseus’ self-serving nature extends beyond material greed into the equally sinful realm of pride. In a classic display of hubris, Odysseus taunts the Cyclopes fulfilling the sole purpose of stroking Odysseus’s ego. At first it appears that our hero is lacking foresight, but Odysseus tells Polyphemus his name in hopes that tales of his cunning will spread throughout Greece: a very selfish goal, directly resulting in the endangerment of the lives of both him and his men throughout the remainder of their travels.
Odysseus’ recklessness and resourcefulness are predominant traits apparent in the Cyclops episode. When trapped in the Cyclops’ cave and after four men have already been devoured, Odysseus comes up with a cunning plan to escape. They cannot simply kill Polyphemus while he is sleeping and run away, due to the ‘huge boulder rolled across the mouth of the cave. Instead, he uses the resources available to him by getting Polyphemus drunk before sharpening the Cyclops’ staff, heating it in the fire, and stabbing it in his eye, blinding him. This is an extremely reckless undertaking, as it further enrages Polyphemus.
Like David who is favoured by God, Odysseus is favoured by some of the gods and goddesses who reside on Mount Olympos. Zeus, the king, however, feels neutral and will help according to what he sees fit. When Odysseus and his crew realizes they are trapped and are bound to be eaten by the Cyclops, the son of Laertes has the idea of having the big brute drink wine till he is passes out and then drive a burning stake into his eye, blinding him. Of course it would’ve been easier to just kill Polyphemos, but then no one would be able to move the hefty boulder blocking the entrance. So afterwards, all the men clung onto the sheep and rams, hanging from their underbelly, and waited until they would be released into the pasture. With four men eaten, but everyone else free including Odysseus, he hollers from his boat, “‘Zeus and the other gods have paid you back!’” (Odyssey. l. 536) and starts this shouting contest between them. From this, Odysseus tells him his real name. Polyphemos is rather shocked by this knowledge because a prophecy had warned him about this blinding event, expecting someone who was a good-looking giant, and continues to call Odysseus a tiny coward for tricking instead of fighting him. What’s different between Polyphemos and Goliath, other than the fact that one is a mythical being and the other just abnormally enormous in height, is that a god favoured the former of the two. Ever since the Trojan War, some of the other Olympians, especially Poseidon, have been making Odysseus’ journey home a devastating hardship. Polyphemos, as son of the earthquake god, prays to Poseidon that Odysseus return home with a broken spirit after several
Odysseus’ attempt to make himself feel at home in Polyphemos’ cave turns out to be disastrous. Homer emphasizes from this situation Odysseus’ lack of caution and judgment as Odysseus’ crew had already advised him to leave the cave. In consuming Polyphemos’ livestock and cheese, Odysseus demonstrates a high level of comfort with Polyphemos which is in reality not evident for the two individuals who meet for the first time. As a result, Odysseus and his crew portray themselves as intruders rather than visitors.
Like Jacob, Odysseus connived, manipulated, and deceived. On his journey home from the Trojan War, Odysseus uses his trickster ways to get himself out of trouble. One famous tail was his encounter with the one-eyed Cyclopes Polyphemous. Odysseus and his crew landed on the land of they Cyclopes. They made themselves at home, eating the cheese and goats of the Cyclopes, fully expecting him to be hospitable. Instead, Cyclops began eating then men as though they were animals themselves. Odysseus and his men were trapped in the cave and Polyphemous rolled a stone over the entrance so no one could exit. Odysseus connived a plan and gave the Cyclopes some wine. When he got drunk and passed out, Odysseus poked out the eye of Polyphemous and completely blinds him. Odysseus and his men escape the cave by clinging to the bellies of sheep (Odyssey, Ch. 9). He also disguised himself as a veteran of a Trojan war to Eumaios, a loyal servant, and as a beggar to his wife and son.
Odysseus displays his desire for glory through his careless actions during his encounter with the Cyclops Polyphemus. The desire for glory Odysseus displays is shown through the words he speaks to Polyphemus. He is a clever character but makes rash decisions that affect the outcome of his original goals and intentions. While Odysseus is trapped inside of the cave of the Cyclops, he begins to taunt Polyphemus. “I called back to the Cyclops, stinging taunts: So, Cyclops, no weak coward it was whose crew you bent to devour three in your vaulted cave—with your brute voice! Filthy crimes came down on your own head, you shameless cannibal” (Fagles, 226). Odysseus was insulting the Cyclops, and those insults caused the rage of the monster to boil over. The Cyclops was already angry with Odysseus blinding him, and was even more demoralized and angry when Odysseus began to taunt him. As Odysseus goes on with his insults and as his anger rises, he says, “Cyclops—if any man on the face of the earth should ask you who blinded you, shamed—say Odysseus, raider of cities, he gouged out your eye, La...
Next, Polyphemus demonstrates hubris by believing that because he is a giant, he is unbeatable by anyone, even a god. This is shown when Odysseus meets Polyphemus and greets him with gifts, as it is a custom to show courtesy to hosts and guests alike, (unexpected or not). Failure to give gifts can lead to revenge from the gods. Odysseus tells Polyphemus this, but Polyphemus “would not let you go for fear of Zeus” because the Cyclopes “have more force by far ”. (205; 200) Polyphemus then angers the gods further by kidnapping and eating Odysseus’ men, both of which are considered extremely uncivil in Greek society. Polyphemus is so confident in his invulnerability he lets the men roam free inside the cave, a mistake that leads to his downfall.
When a Cyclops attacks two of Odysseus’s men, the “ruthless brute” snatches them up and “[knocks] them dead like pups-/their brains [gushing] out all over, [soaking] the floor-/and ripping them from limb to limb to fix his meal/ he [bolts] them down like a mountain lion, [leaving] no scrap,/[devouring] entrails, flesh and bones, marrow and all”, while Odysseus can only watch the Cyclops’s “grisly work-/paralyzed, appalled” (9.323-332). The Cyclops wastes no time in gruesomely devouring two of Odysseus’s men.
Polyphemus had strength that was no match for men. Odysseus had physical strength, but his real strength is the mind. Odysseus would find himself in many predicaments in which he would have to choose how he will tackle the situation. One such occasion happens to be when Polyphemus captured Odysseus and his men and would not allow them to leave the cave. The boulder is placed in front of thee opening so that none of the men could budge it. The only way out would be to have Polyphemus push the boulder back out of the way. Odysseus must think of a way to make this happen. Odysseus tricked Polyphemus into opening the door by through a series of events. First, Odysseus filled him with wine making him sleepy. Once asleep Odysseus poked his eye with a hot spike. He then tells Polyphemus that no man has tricked you. “And I was filled with laughter to see how like a charm the name deceived them.” (Page 907) Odysseus was well pleased with the way he handled this situation. As an epic simile this line shows how Odysseus must rely on something other than strength, and that he tricked him, like a charm had been used into doing what he needed Polyphemus to do. He used intelligence to get the Cyclops to do as Odysseus would want. Just as Ody...
middle of paper ... ... In Homer’s Odyssey, both Odysseus and his son Telemachus embark on long, difficult journeys; Odysseus trying to return from Troy to his home in Ithaca, escaping Calypso and the island of Ogygia, and Telemachus from Ithaca to Pylos and Sparta in search of his lost father. While The Odyssey tells of the courage both men demonstrate during their respective travels, their quests are the results of the intentions and desires of gods. Odysseus is trapped in exile on Ogygia by the will of Poseidon, whose anger Odysseus attracts when he blinds the Cyclops Polyphemus, son of Poseidon, and by the love of Calypso, who wishes to make Odysseus her husband.
Firstly, it is important to know that Odyssey was a son of Anticlea and Laertes and king of the Ithaca. Cyclops Polyphemus appears in the book of Odyssey as a huge giant that feed on human flesh. In his poems he described the return of the Cyclops Polyphemus for the Trojan War and on reaching the entrance of the cave he decides to block the entrance before embarking on his usual habit of eating men. In this case,
The first heroic characteristic of Odysseus is his cleverness. In The Odyssey, one of the instances where Odysseus displays cleverness is in his encounter with the Cyclops, Polyphemus. Polyphemus captures Odysseus and his men in the island Cyclopes, which was filled with other giants. Although it is expected among the Greeks to display hospitality to strangers, Polyphemus ends up eating some of Odysseus men. In order to escape the giant, Odysseus comes up with a clever plan. He offers Polyphemus wine in order to get the giant drunk. When the giant falls asleep, Odysseus stabs Polyphemus’ singular eye, blinding the giant. The giant naturally wakes up, and starts to try and recapture Odysseus and his men. Knowing that the giant’s shouting would most likely attract the attention of the other giants in the island, Odysseus replies to Polyphemus when the giant asks him his name that his name was “Noman.” But when Polyphemus shouts for help, none of the other giants come to his aid, since he is shouting “My friends, N...
“The Odyssey” is an epic poem that tells the story of Odysseus and the story of his many travels and adventures. The Odyssey tells the main character’s tale of his journey home to the island of Ithaca after spending ten years fighting in the Trojan War, and his adventures when he returns home and he is reunited with his family and close friends. This literary analysis will examine the story and its characters, relationships, major events, symbols and motifs, and literary devices.