Analysis - "The Odyssey" Excerpt, Homer

The Odyssey Excerpt (Book 9 - The Cyclops), Homer

"Next we beached in the land of the Cyclopes. We made a pleasant meal of their wild goat, then went over to the mainland. The first thing we saw was a big cave overlooking the beach. Inside were milking pens for goats and big cheeses aging on racks.

My men were for making off with the cheeses and the lambs that we found in the cave, but I wanted to see what manner of being made this his lair.

The Cyclops -- Polyphemus was his name -- came home that afternoon. He was as tall and rugged as an alp. One huge eye glared out of the center of his forehead.

He didn't see us at first. The first thing he did was drag a huge boulder into the mouth of the cave. Twenty teams of horses couldn't have budged it. Then he milked his ewes, it was when he stoked his fire for the meal that he saw us.

'Who are you?' asked a voice like thunder.

'We are Greeks, blown off course on our way home from Troy,' I explained. 'We assume you'll extend hospitality or suffer the wrath of Zeus, protector of guests.'

'Zeus? We Cyclopes are stronger than Zeus. I'll show you hospitality.'

With that he snatched up two of my men and ate them raw, picking them apart and poking them in his mouth, bones and guts and all.

We cried aloud to Zeus, for all the good it did our comrades. The Cyclops washed them down with great slurps of milk, smacked his lips in satisfaction and went to sleep. My hand was on my sword, eager to stab some vital spot. But I realized that only he could unstopper the mouth of the cave.

We passed a miserable night and then watched the Cyclops make breakfast of two more of our companions. When he went out to pasture his flock, he pulled the boulder closed behind him.

It was up to me to make a plan. I found a tree trunk that the Cyclops intended for a walking stick. We cut off a six-foot section, skinned it, put a sharp point on one end and hardened it in the fire.When the Cyclops came home and made his usual meal, I spoke to him. 'Cyclops, you might as well take some of our liquor to savor with your barbarous feast.'

I'd brought along a skin of wine that we'd been given as a gift. It was so strong that we usually diluted it in water twenty to one. The Cyclops tossed it back and then demanded more.

'I like you, Greek,' he said. What's your name?'

'My name is Nobody,' I told him.

The wine knocked him out, I put my plan into effect. Heating the end of the pole until it was glowing red, we ran it toward the Cyclops like a battering ram, aiming it for his eye and driving it deep. The thing sizzled like hot metal dropped in water while I twisted it like an auger.

Polyphemus came awake with a roar, tore the spike from his eye and began groping for us in his blindness. His screams of frustration and rage brought the neighboring Cyclopes to the mouth of the cave.

'What is it, brother?' they called inside. 'Is someone harming you?'

'It's Nobody!' bellowed Polyphemus.

'Then for the love of Poseidon pipe down in there!'

They went away, and Polyphemus heaved the boulder aside and spent the night by the open door, hoping we'd be stupid enough to try to sneak past him. Getting past him was the problem alright, but by morning I'd worked out a solution.

Tying goats together with ropes of willow, I hid a man under each group of three. When it was time to let them out to pasture, the Cyclops ran his hands over their backs but did not notice the men underneath. Myself, I clutched to the underbelly of the biggest ram.

'Why aren't you leading the flock as usual?' asked Polyphemus, detaining this beast at the door and stroking its fleece. 'I wish you could talk, so you could point out those Greeks.'

He let the ram go, and we beat it down to the ship as fast as our legs would carry us."

I read “The Odyssey” somewhat recently and found this Epic-form written novel to be quite interesting. The novel is packed with adventure and allows the reader to use their imagination when envisioning protagonist Odysseus’ adventures and journey from returning home to Ithaca. In this excerpt, I found it quite amusing how the Greeks are usually accustomed to hospitality, gifts, and kindness from their temporary hosts. The Cyclops on the other hand feel in no way obligated to make Odysseus and his crew feel welcome. Odysseus, the famous king of Ithaca, generally gets whatever he wants by name dropping himself. The irony in this passage is how Odysseus is able to fool the Cyclops and escape his comrades and himself out of the cave with his disguise. Instead of telling that his name is Odysseus, by going by “nobody,” Polyphemus’ neighbours believe Polyphemus is going insane. Another important theme demonstrated is how sometimes one cannot act out in the spur of the moment. If Odysseus’ crew had killed Polyphemus, there would be no way possible to remove the huge boulder blocking the cave exit. Odysseus using his intellect to devise a well thought out plan of hiding under the cattle to be released.