The Cyclops
Kuvakäsikirjoitus Teksti
- Odysseus and his men discover a cave that belongs to a cyclops named Polyphemus. Not seeing the cyclops, the men wait in the cave for his arrival. "We lit a fire, burnt an offering, and took some cheese to eat; then sat in silence around the embers, waiting" (Homer 174-176).
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- As Polyphemus enters his cave, he is unexpectedly greeted by men. Odysseus asks for gifts from the cyclops in the name of Zeus. Upon hearing Odysseus he states, " We Cyclopes care not a whistle for your thundering Zeus or all the gods in bliss; we have more force by far" (Homer 219-221). Then the cyclops decides to treat himself by eating two of Odysseus' men.
- As the cyclops leaves the cave to attend to his chores, Odysseus and his men stratagize on ways to kill him. When Polyphemus comes to his cave he is welcomed by Odysseus with a drink. Odysseus says, "‘Cyclops, try some wine. Here’s liquor to wash down your scraps of men'" (Homer 296-297). When the cyclops asks for Odysseus' name, Odysseus lies and says his name is Nohbdy. As the cyclops drinks, he becomes more drunk.
- When Polyphemus is drunk enough, the men rammed the spear into his one eye causing him to go blind. Odysseus states, "Eyelid and lash were seared; the pierced ball hissed broiling, and the roots popped" (Homer 339-340). In pain, the cyclops took the spear out of his eye and yells at the other cyclopes saying Nohbdy tricked him. Upon hearing the name, the other cyclopes went back to what they were doing.
- To escape the cave, Odysseus had the men and himself ride under the bellies of rams. As the rams exited the cave, the cyclops felt the rams but didn't detect the men. "Blinded, and sick with pain from his head wound, the master stroked each ram, then let it pass, but my men riding on the pectoral fleece the giant’s blind hands blundering never found" (Homer 392-395). Undetected, the men were able to leave the cave and run to their ship.
- As Odysseus and his men board the boat and set off to sea, Odysseus yells to Polyphemus, "‘Cyclops, if ever mortal man inquire how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye: Laertes’ son, whose home’s on Ithaca!’ (Homer 456-460). Odysseus' taunting caused the cyclop pray to the sea god. The sea god, Poseidon, heard his prayer and cursed the men by not allowing them to return home for many years.
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