place. Homer does an excellent job creating these larger than life characters one in particular that he used great detail to describe was the Cyclops Polyphemus. Calvin S. Byre’s article “The Rhetoric of Description in "Odyssey" 9.116-41: Odysseus and Goat Island” he focuses on how Homer depicts Polyphemus as a dangerous massive creature. Polyphemus size is described in the following lines as monstrous, Homer is building the suspense of the audience by giving a very detailed description of only the
tribulations. A key trial was the way in which Odysseus deceived the Cyclops Polyphemus, Poseidon’s son. Polyphemus was considered god-like according to the text so overcoming this monster was no easy task for Odysseus and proving how cunning he was. Odysseus emotionally reacts to the Cyclops initially eating two of his comrades, but realizes that if he takes revenge he loses his only means out of the cave which is the Polyphemus’ strength to remove the doorstone. Odysseus realizes that in order to gain
Jealousy and Desire in Ovid's Metamorphoses Passionate lust is a blinding force. When jealousy and desire control actions, the outcome is never what it is envisioned to be. Ovid's Metamorphoses provides an clear example of love turned terribly wrong. Throughout the novel, overwhelming desire controls actions and emotions, leaving behind sadness and grief wherever it strikes. With this kind of love, nobody gets what he or she wants in the end. The first strong example of unsatisfactory
In book IX of Homer's Odyssey, Odysseus ventures into the isle of the Kyklopes. Here he encounters a loutish and cannibalistic Kyklops named Polyphemos. The events that occur as a result of this encounter reveal much about Odysseus's heroic characteristics. Odysseus possesses composure in the face of danger, prowess in devising clever plans of action, and the ability to lead others in the execution of his well-conceived plans of action; all of which appear in direct opposition to Polyphemos's simplistic
rest of humanity. Odysseus performs the task set out by Penelope and reclaims his home using godly skill. His actions imply that divine ability is required to find a place of lordship such as when Athena needed to help Odysseus escape Calypso and Polyphemus. The failure of mortal men to overcome their fallacies leaves them unable to resolve their conflict for dominant predator status which prevents them from finding home. Through the failure of the farm and the transcendancy of Odysseus, Steinbeck
Is it imaginable for a historically known Ancient Greek hero and an escapee from prison to be seen in the same light? At a first glimpse, one would say that they are from two completely different realms and could never be considered alike, but with closer examination, the two might be considered kindred spirits. The similarities between O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Homer's Odyssey are abundant, ranging from the most obvious to the most obscure, though they differ in a variety of ways as well. In
tests. To begin, Odysseus shows that his knowledge is useful and important in many places in the Odyssey. One specific time his knowledge is useful and lifesaving is when Odysseus has to cunningly figure out how to save his crew from the Cyclops Polyphemus. After the Cyclops becomes hostile to Odysseus and his men, Odysseus decides he must figure out how to leave surreptitiously. Odysseus then tells the Cyclops that his name is “Noman” in preparation for his escape. Later that day, Odysseus stabs
My Ithaca Essay Everyone has their own Ithaca. A place you want to get to in your life. We also have people that can help us get to those goals and people who will hold you back from reaching those goals. The Odyssey shows how Odysseus overcomes the struggles of wanting to get back home To Ithaca. Odysseus uses his resources like Athena to help him get back home but he also has Poseidon that gets in his way of getting there smoothly. My Ithaca or goal is to go to college and become a Physical Therapist
are trying to escape from the Cyclops Polyphemus. They drug the monster until it passes out, and then stab him with a timber in his single eye. Polyphemus, now blinded, removes the gigantic boulder blocking Odysseus’ escape, and waits for the men to move, so he can kill them. The men escape from the cave to their boat by tying themselves under flocks of rams, so they can easily slip by. Odysseus, now proud after beating the giant, starts to yell at Polyphemus, instead of making a silent escape. Odysseus’
arrogance leads them into even worst situations that could have easily been prevented. In the Odyssey, Odysseus and his crew were captured by the Cyclops Polyphemus. They escaped by blinding the Cyclops and sneaking out under sheep but Odysseus wanted to make sure Polyphemus knew who blinded him, so he shouted his real name as he was leaving. Polyphemus then asked his father Poisedon to send a curse. All of this could have been avoided if he just left. Thor does the same, during a ceremony to make Thor
The Odyssey’ places emphasis on cunning and guilefulness rather than strength as in the former epic; elucidated in Odysseus’ dealings with Poseidon’s son, the Cyclops Polyphemus. Compelled Composed approximately in 700 B.C., Homer’s epic narrative, ‘The Odyssey’ depicts the homeward voyage of the legendary Greek hero Odysseus. The Epos, commonly known as “The Wanderings of Odysseus” are the protagonists’ recounting of his perilous misadventures to King Alcinous of the Phaecians; to date
when Odysseus and his men were trapped in the Cyclops’ (Polyphemus) cave. It was Odysseus who came up with blinding the drunken monster with a sharpened log and it was he who tricked the great Cyclops with his “Nohbdy” scheme: “My name is Nohbdy: mother, father, and friends/everyone calls me Nohbdy” (827-828), sang Odysseus to the intoxicated Cyclops. The dazzling intelligence of Odysseus also helped him and his men escape from the evil Polyphemus to safer grounds. He said, “I drew on all my wits, and
Arrogance of Greek Heroes Often readers will criticize the champions of classical and medieval epics for egotism. Critics cite examples from the Odyssey, the Aeneid, and Beowulf of conceit and egocentric behavior. Odysseus, Aeneas, and Beowulf display a well-known arrogance befitting their accomplishments. The motivation for this arrogance, to complete these tasks, to perform these feats, is often over-generalized to the point of inaccuracy and confusion. One must not let such misinterpretations
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
Polyphemus the one-eyed monstrosity Homer’s “The odyssey” is one of the most well-known poems in Greek literature. The poem describes the incredible journey of the Odysseus. Odysseus faces many difficult challenges amongst his journey. One of them which being the Cyclops, or generally known as Polyphemus. Who is a one-eyed monstrosity, who lives companionless residing in a dark hollow cave. Throughout the poem, Homer consistently presents the reader with unsatisfying descriptions of Polyphemus
Polyphemus is a semi-human, man-eating monster with a single eye in the center of his forehead. He was referred to as a cyclops. He is the son of Poseidon and Thoosa, and lives on an island devoted to cyclops. Polyphemus means abounding in songs and legends. 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
Journal Book 9 : Polyphemus Compare and Contrast: Polyphemus in The Odyssey is depicted as a one-eyed man eating cyclops. He is the son of Poseidon and lives in Sicily. When Odysseus came to the island, and decided to go into Polyphemus’ cave and start rummaging through things, what he did not realise is that the cave belonged to a giant. He trapped them in there, and ate two of Odysseus’ men for every meal (Homer 110). What Odysseus, being as smart as he is, did is that he tricked him and blinded
Roman poets. A perfect example of these differing tales and characters can be seen with the myth of the Cyclops Polyphemus. The prodigious Archaic Greek poet, Homer, details his account of the Cyclops Polyphemus in his epic poem, Odyssey, while the great Hellenistic poet, Theocritus, describes this tale in the poem, Idyll. Both of these epic poets take this myth of the Cyclops Polyphemus and create plots with partially overlapping ideas, but each poet adds their own different and distinct aspects
Cyclops Polyphemus According to Homer’s Odyssey, the Cyclops Polyphemus refers to a huge giant who was the son of renowned Poseidon and Thoosa. The story behind the Cyclops Polyphemus has been widely described in the Odyssey and the Theocritus' poem. The poems are quite instrumental in the comparison of the giant and the nature of existence in the ancient times. The two points of view will be explored in order to draw the nature of the giant before making comparisons and contrast. The Homer’s Odyssey
“Ooooof!” Yelled Polyphemus as burning timbers penetrate the gooey surface of his iris. Odysseus jumped off the giant creature’s back and landed smoothly on his feet. Blinded by the fiery hot stake, Polyphemus clutched his eye and hit the ground with an audible thump. Groaning and twisting about, the beast knocks down huge boulders that served as tables and the cacophony of sounds frightened the goats that he carefully tends to. However, quickly after his twitching and spasms, he fell into a state