When he is soundly asleep, Odysseus and his men blind the Cyclops by stabbing him in his eye with a sharpened, heated olive pole. After identifying himself to the Phaeacians at the feast, Odysseus tells the story of his wanderings. Following the victory at Troy, he and his men sail to Ismarus, the stronghold of the Cicones. Odysseus barely gets them back to sea.
Odysseus wants to visit the Cyclops out of pure curiosity. He knows that he has the protection of the gods and he believes himself to be more than human so he does not fear entering Polyphemus' cave with twelve of his men in tow.
Odysseus lost six men because of his ego and barely made his escape. While the cyclops is out with his sheep, Odysseus sharpens a piece of wood into a stake and hardens it in the fire. Odysseus tells Polyphemus his name is "Nobody" to prevent Polyphemus from being able to successfully call for help when Odysseus enacts his escape plan.
When Odysseus and his men are trapped in Polyphemus's cave, he's horrified as the cyclops eats some of his men. Odysseus , the hero from Homer's epic poem The Odyssey, does not kill the brutish cyclops , Polyphemus, because Odysseus and his men would be trapped in the cave. Odysseus and his men, though strong, would not be able to move the stone that closes off the cave.
Only Polyphemus would be able to move the rock. In truth, the Cyclopes had nothing to do with his death, other than forging the thunderbolt which Zeus hurled in the direction of Asclepius.
But, obviously enough, Apollo couldn't exact his revenge on Zeus himself, so Steropes and Brontes had to suffer his wrath in Zeus' stead. Odysseus and his men get the Cyclops drunk. Then they sharpen a large stake and blind him. They then tie themselves under his sheep, so that they can escape even though he's feeling the animals as they leave the cave , to make sure no humans are there.
Odysseus at length succeeded in making Polyphemus drunk, blinded him by plunging a burning stake into his eye while he lay asleep, and, with six of his friends the others having been devoured by Polyphemus , made his escape by clinging to the bellies of the sheep let out to pasture.
Odysseus is known to be a great leader and these leadership qualities are presented in how he always looks out for his men. Although sometimes the advise he gives them is ignored and this reflects on the men's stubbornness.
This behaviour is seen before the attack of the Cicones. How does Odysseus escape Polyphemus? Why does Odysseus kill the suitors?
How does Penelope test Odysseus? What is happening at the beginning of The Odyssey? Why does Athena help Odysseus so much? Why does Nestor invite Telemachus to the feast before knowing his identity? Why does Calypso allow Odysseus to leave her island? Why does Odysseus sleep with Circe? Why does Odysseus travel to Hades? Why does Odysseus fail to reveal his identity to Penelope when they are first reunited? Does Penelope really intend to marry one of her suitors?
How do Odysseus and Telemachus defeat the suitors? Summary Book 9. Summary Reluctantly, Odysseus tells the Phaeacians the sorry tale of his wanderings. Analysis Books 9 through 12 are told as flashbacks, as Odysseus sits in the palace of the Phaeacians telling the story of his wanderings. Previous section Books 7—8 Next section Books 10— Test your knowledge Take the Book 9 Quick Quiz.
Another Homeric hero might have gone ahead and killed the Cyclops, entombing them all within the cave; another might have failed to consider the other Cyclopes coming to his aid.
But this demonstrated a lot of forethought and cleverness. Learn More: Homer—Odyssey. He yells once, taunting him, and the Cyclops hurls a huge chunk of a mountain out at the ship.
He misses, throwing it beyond the ship and driving it back to the shore. No more. But Odysseus has given the Cyclops enough information to call down upon him and his men a curse; that is exactly what he does. He asks his father Poseidon to destroy Odysseus and his ships, or at least make sure that Odysseus, if he makes it home, gets there all alone and finds trouble awaiting him there. Thus, in this final taunting of the Cyclops, we see that Odysseus is unable to distance himself completely from the values dear to the Iliadic heroes; he feels the need to identify himself to the Cyclops, so others will know of his skill and cunning.
Learn more about how memories of the Mycenaean era were preserved in oral stories of gods and heroes. Therefore he blinds it , rendering it disabled but capable of letting them out. Odysseus tells the Cyclops his name is Nobody as he knows that when he attacks, the Cyclops will cry out and be asked by other Cyclopes if it needs help. By telling the Cyclops his real name, Odysseus opened himself up to the curse Polyphemus places upon him as Poseidon is his father and they are at sea.
By David J.
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