Polyphemus is a semi-human, man-eating monster with a single eye in the center of his forehead. He

Resulting in angering Polyphemus’ father, Poseidon, who has curse Odysseus to never return home with years of bad luck. Indicating that Odysseus cockiness has lead Odysseus to try too hard to be heroic in unnecessary situation. Though, a point could be made that the Polyphemus does do bad things to people on the island, but nobody really ask for help from Odysseus. He kind of just take self liberty to bring justice to the people by defeating the Polyphemus. Not to mention, that the Polyphemus offer him a chance to forget all about the incident and be friend, but instead of accepting that offer, Odysseus provoke him even more by saying, “If I could take your life I would and take your time away, and hurl you down to hell!” (line 480, pg. 997). To put in simpler term, Odysseus indicate that he will never befriend the Cyclops for he is horrible creature that should be annihilated. Showing the reader how rashly Odysseus made his decision, as he could have make friend with Polyphemus, and continue on to his voyage home instead of putting himself in a bad position by insulting the Cyclop. Lastly, another quality that is bad about Odysseus is that he is selfish. For once, when he has come across an island on his way from Troy, he had decided to raid the village and take women as hostages for sexual pleasure. Showing how he is only doing this for his own need and not caring about the people that live in that village. He

“Cyclops- if any man on the face of the Earth should ask you who blinded you, shamed you so- say Odysseus, raider of cities, he gouged out your eye, Laertes’ son who makes his home in Ithaca!” (Homer, 227). This act puts him and his crew in danger because the Cyclops is the son of the god Poseidon. Polyphemus then offers a prayer to his father to take revenge on Odysseus. “Hear me, Poseidon who circle the earth, dark-haired. If truly I am your son, and you acknowledge

He was about to be eaten but thought his way through the problem. Odysseus took a pointed stake and, “rammed it hard”(Homer 223), into Polyphemus's eye. Resisting his urges, Odysseus knew he would be trapped if he killed Polyphemus. Instead he blinded Polyphemus. Lying about his name, Odysseus said he was nobody. So when Polyphemus is crying out in pain saying, “‘Nobody’s killing me now”’(Homer 224), the other Cyclops do not suspect a thing. Weakening Polyphemus was a plan and not a rash decision. Odysseus uses his mind over force, and demonstrates a true

Odysseus’s escape from the Cyclops is one of great intelligence. A Cyclops is a giant one eyed monster. Homer said, “The booming voice and the very sight of the monster filled us with panic” (IX, 256). From the first moment Odysseus and his men set eyes on the Cyclops they know they are in trouble and will not be able to get out easily. The Cyclops, Polyphemus, eats two of Odysseus’ men from the start. As soon as this happens, Odysseus

A key event that delays Odysseus immensely on his journey home is Poseidon’s revenge. While sailing home, Odysseus and his men come to encounter Polyphemus, Poseidon’s Cyclops son. Odysseus and his men try to steal food from Polyphemus while he is away tending to his flock (Homer 362). When Polyphemus returns to his cave, he finds Odysseus and his men, and traps them in his cave. While trapped in the cave, Polyphemus eats many of Odysseus’

Odysseus thinks that his reasoning are final and his activities are constantly just and right, although he frequently allows his ego control his rational thinking, resulting harm to his group and messing with the gods’s plans. His men could have went back home Securely for it is the desire of Athena and the other heavenly gods who surround to her in Mount Olympus, however Odysseus takes it to himself to outrage and blind Polyphemus, the monstrous son of Poseidon, adored by his dad yet abhorred by the people, In this way distrusting their whole arrangement . Subsequent to being blinded by the heroine, Polyphemus tosses huge pieces of rocks at Odysseus's ship, nearly obliterating them at the same time. But instead of retreating for safety, Odysseus keeps on provoking Polyphemus and “[calls] out to the cyclopes again, with [his] men hanging all over [him] begging him not to”(Book 9, 491-492). His feeling of pride and presumption influences to disregard the requests of his people even in these critical circumstances . He will fulfill his own feeling of interest and pleasure without thinking of the result it would have on his crew. Despite the fact that he is bound to get away from all passings and assaults, his group isn’t so blessed. Their lives are in mortal peril since Odysseus considers them as child sheeps who should forfeit their lives for him when the circumstances comes, much the same as how mortals make conciliatory offerings of sheeps for the heavenly gods. He is willing to fulfill his own feeling of interest without thinking of his groups lives or their suppositions and is regularly infuriated when they negate his request. If they hurt his sense of pride and self-importance and pomposity , Odysseus will be overcome with outrage and

When the Cyclops returns, he kills some of the men. Odysseus tells the Cyclops that his name is Nobody and plans his escape from the barricaded cave with his crew. They trick the Cyclops into drinking lots of wine, he falls asleep, and the crew stabs Polyphemus in the eye. As they escape onto the ship and begin to sail away, Odysseus yells to Polyphemus: “Cyclops, if any mortal human being asks about the injury that blinded you, tell them Odysseus destroyed your eye, a sacker of cities, Laertes’ son, a man from Ithaca.”(9.662) The Cyclops in response prays to his father, “Poseidon, Enfolder of the Earth, dark-haired god, if I truly am your son and if you claim to be my father, grant that Odysseus, sacker of cities, a man from Ithaca, Laertes’ son, never gets back home.”(9.696) Odysseus tells Polyphemus his true name just to get credit for overpowering the Cyclops. In result, Polyphemus prays to his father Poseidon and this makes his father avenge his son and make Odysseus’ trip home as difficult and as painful as he can. After visiting Aeolus in Aeolia, Odysseus returns to the ship with a bag of winds and refuses to tell his crew what is

Six of Odysseus’ men are eaten because of his foolishness. Again, Odysseus’ arrogance came into play when Odysseus and his men escape from the cyclops, Polyphemus. He taunts the monster, despite the fact that his men tell him stop. He exclaims, “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 is Ithaca” (Fitzgerald 908). If Odysseus did not provoke Polyphemus, the curse laid up on his ship and crew would have never happened. If he did not mock the cyclops, his odyssey would have been non existent. Odysseus always wanted to be remembered as the grandest hero of Greece. This is object when his ship rolls past the Sirens and Odysseus demands that he listens to their song. His overly extensive hubris clouds his mind and wants the fame of being able to survived the Sirens’ song. He never once considers what might have happened if he had

In the cyclopes island Odysseus and his men wander into the cyclopes cave, once the cyclopes enters his cave he shut the only way out of his cave and spots odysseus and his men. The cyclops asks odysseus why he is here, odysseus responds him trying to convey the cyclopes to treat them like guests but odysseus insults poseidon the cyclops father the cyclopes get mad and eating too of odysseus men. The cyclops passes out and odysseus think of a way to get out. Odysseus blinded the cyclops and escaped by holding on to the sheep that the cyclops let out. Odysseus was the most heroic here because he was able to free the rest of his men and he stood claim while coming up with the plan to escape.

Odysseus ' strongest character trait is his cleverness. When he and his men are stuck on the Cyclops’ island, they find themselves trapped in the cave of Poseidon 's son, Polyphemus. In order to close the entrance to the cave, a huge boulder must be moved to seal the doorway. No man or army of men could move the rock even in their wildest dreams. Odysseus knew that the one-eyed giant is their only way out. On the spot, Odysseus devised a plan in which he and his men stab Polyphemus in the eye. In pain and seeking help, the giant moved the boulder and opened the cave. Polyphemus cried for help from the other cyclops on the island. The Cyclopes called back to him and asked who or what was harming him. Odysseus told Polyphemus that his name was Nohbdy, so Polyphemus answered, “Nohbdy, Nohbdy’s tricked me, Nohbdy’s ruined me!” (Book IX l. 444) In order to escape, Odysseus told his men to hold on to the

In the start of the epic Odysseus is arrogant and cocky. After blinding and escaping the Kyklops, Polyphemos, who is the son of Poseidon. Odysseus says, “Kyklops, if ever a mortal man inquire how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye” (9.548-551). As soon as Odysseus reveals himself, Polyphemos prays to Poseidon

After Odysseus and his men are on the boat, he calls out to Polyphemus, “Cyclops- if any man on the face of the earth should ask you who blinded you, shamed you so- say Odysseus raider of cities, he gouged out your eye, Laertes’ son who makes his home in Ithaca”(IX). His pride from escaping the Cyclops’s lair gives him a rush which causes him to tell Polyphemus his name. By telling the Cyclops his name, Odysseus seals his fate for the rest of his journey home. Once Polyphemus learns the name of his attacker, “,,,[Polyphemus] prayed and the god of the sea-blue mane Poseidon heard his prayer”(IX). Polyphemus is able to curse Odysseus’ journey home, because he knows his name. Once he curses Odysseus, the man’s way home becomes distorted, drawn-out, and difficult. Because Odysseus lets his pride get the better of him, his simple journey home becomes years of twists and

Odysseus’ lack of modesty assists his hubristic personality and the exasperated personality of Poseidon. Odysseus indirectly brought his own wrath upon himself by telling Polyphemus that when he (Polyphemus) is asked who blinded him, to say it was “Odysseus, raider of cities, he gouged your eye, Laertes son who makes his home in Ithaca” (Homer 99). Had he been more humble, gracious winner, he may have avoided his quarrel with Poseidon. Poseidon would have no reason to have a grudge against Odysseus, in fact Poseidon would not have had a name to lay his vengeance on. Without a name there is no face for counterpart, and there would be no need for Poseidon's anger to reside on Odysseus. However, Odysseus let his pride swoon by taunting the cyclops leading to the eventual ten year trek towards home. Odysseus’ self-centered values create a built up ignorance towards others values and needs. As mentioned before he made the mistake of calling out the cyclops and even taunting him, Odysseus also ignored his peers wishes in which they exclaimed “ Do not be mad enough to provoke this savage creature further” even after his crews pleading he “would not listen to them and shouted out to [Polyphemus] in rage” (Homer 100). Furthermore, his ignorance also reaches to his men when they reach Circe’s island where she turned his men “into pigs by the stroke her wand and shut them up in her pig styes” (107).

When the cyclopes were locked in Tartarus, Zeus was fighting the Titans. Gaea told Zeus to go to Tartarus and unlock the cyclopes and also their brothers, the Hekatoncheires. Zeus freed them. The cyclopes were so grateful that they made a lightning bolt for Zeus, a cap of invisibility for Hades and a trident for Poseidon. With the Cyclopes help the Olympians won the Titanomachy.

            Odysseus is no god.  He is man, and with that comes the mistakes and errors in all of us.  In many situations Odysseus' mortal side is seen.  An example of the power of Odysseus coinciding with his human flaws is his battle with Polyphemous the Cyclops (son of Poseidon).  After escaping the lure of the lotus-eaters and their island, Odysseus and his men find themselves on another island, rich with food and shelter.  After feasting, the men grab a large container of potent wine and go off exploring the new island.  Later in their search they stumble across a large cave filled with food.  Curious where the owner's whereabouts are the men encourage Odysseus to steal the food.  Odysseus (showing his hospitable and genuine character) decides to instead wait for the