The Adventure of Odysseus

Constantly throughout the book, Odysseus shows great courage in any and every situation he is put in. We see this glimpse of courage when he fights the suitors, or when he saves his whole crew from the Cyclops. In book 9 as Odysseus and his crew are journeying through the cave of a Cyclops, Odysseus decides to make a very bold decision and blinds the Cyclops. “Hoisting high that olive stake with its stabbing point, straight ingo the monsters eye they rammed it hard.” (page 223, line 427-428) In this scene Odysseus drives a stake into his eye, in result blinding him. This was a very courageous decision because of the fact that he and his men are up against a Cyclops. At the same time, Cyclops’s are very strong and big, and Odysseus could have easily been killed . It turns out that the Cyclops is a offspring of Poseidon which put him and his crew into a lot of trouble and danger later in their journey, and if Odysseus knew that or not it was still a brave thing to do in order to save him and his crew at that moment.

His curiosity costs him the lives of his men. He decides to take a group of men to go see what these creatures look like. When then go to a cave of one of the Cyclopes they are trapped in by a huge stone the Cyclopes has placed in the doorway. Odysseus, as usual, strikes a conversation with the Cyclopes only to have some of his men eaten. “His hands reached out, seized two of them, and smashed them to the ground like puppies.”

“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

‘Cyclops you ask my noble name, and I will tell it; but do you give the stranger’s gift, just as you promised. My name is Noman. Noman I am called by mother, father, and by all my comrades’” (86). Odysseus tells Polyphemus his name is Noman to ruse him. Odysseus soon gets Polyphemus drunk. Odysseus takes the staff and blinds Polyphemus. Polyphemus removes the boulder and asks for help from the other Cyclops. “Then in his turn from out the cave big Polyphemus answered: ‘Friends Noman is murdering me by craft. Force there is none.’

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

Moreover, the ancient Greeks held intelligence in high regard; so Homer made the decision to make Odysseus capable of solving complex problems in a creative manner. This intelligence is quickly shown when Odysseus creates a plan for him and his men to escape the cyclops cage. The stone in front of the entrance was monumental in size; something Odysseus and his men could never move without extreme aid. Therefore, he decided to manipulate the cyclops with wine into a languorous state and blinded him with a flaming stake. When the cyclops, Polyphemus, awoke he immediately cried

Odysseus and his men return to circles island. Odysseus are around 7 demons he is tied up , while the men sleep Circe takes Odysseus asides to hear about the underworld and to after adviser. the sirens crying beauty to be with men coasting by; woe to the innocent who hears that song. The opposite point seems more a tongue of land you'd touch with a good bow shot, at the narrow. it great wild Fig a foggy mass of leaves, grows on it , and Charybdis lurks below to swallow down the dark sea tide. The you will coast Thracian, the island where Helios cattle, graze, fine herds , and flocks of goodly sheep. The herds, and flocks are seven, with fifty beats in each. To put into them, standing over every oarsman, saying gently. But when she swallowed

Out to sea again!’ My men were mutinous fools, on stores of wine … -while fugitives went inland running to call arms to the main forces of the Cicones.” Odysseus is wise enough to realize that the enemy would slaughter him and his men if they stayed. His wisdom is also evident when he landed on the where the Lotus-Eaters live. The Lotus-Eaters are people whose only concern is to eat an addicting plant called the lotus. If one happens to eat the lotus, one becomes obsessed with browsing on the lotus. Odysseus does not send the entire crew out to this land; he sends small party of men to explore the land. When they do not return, Odysseus realizes something detrimental to their journey is on the land.

Later Odysseus' ship stops at an island inhabited by Cyclopes. One of the Cyclopes, Polyphemus, captures Odysseus' and his men. To escape, Odysseus stabs Polyphemus' eye. As Odysseus is sailing away he shouts out, " `Cyclops, if any mortal man should ask about the shameful blinding of your eye, then tell him that the man who gouged you was Odysseus, ravager of cities: one who lives in Ithaca--Laertes' son' " (185). Odysseus is being prideful, ignorant, and asking for trouble. Polyphemus now knows Odysseus name and where he lives; Polyphemus can now easily have revenge whenever he wants.

“ I drew it from the coals and my four fellows gave me a hand, lugging it near the Cyclops as more than natural force nerved them; straight forward they sprinted, lifted it, and rammed it deep in his crater eye”, (12). Odysseus came up with the brilliant idea to blind the Polyphemos, instead of killing him. He knew that if the men were to kill Polyphemus, they would never be able to remove the boulder from the opening of the cave. While under stress Odysseus was still able to think clearly and come up with an outstanding idea. Blinding the Cyclops wasn't the only good Idea the Odysseus came up with under pressure in the cave, when Polyphemus asked Odysseus for his name, Odysseus said, “ I shall tell you. My name is Nohbdy”, (12). Odysseus thinks about the effects of his actions.

What happened was that he was trying to see if that Giants were "Friend or Foe". As it would turn out they were pretty mean and brutal, but he wanted to see what the Cyclops would do if they were ever in his cave, well they found out really quick. He locked the in his cave an everyday hey would eat 2 of his men in the Moring and at night. But finally, they escaped by using a hot wooden stick and jamming it into the Cyclops's only eye. Odysseus thought he was all mighty and humble, well think again he tried to get his whole crew killed by trash talking the Cyclops, "now who do you think would do that."

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

Odysseus the Heroic The Odysseus, by Homer, is a story about adventure and courage. The Odysseus creates an atmosphere where it’s all about Odysseus and how he handles the danger. Three questions people have about the Odysseus are: what makes Odysseus an epic hero? What are his qualities and flaws? Why is Odysseus considered an archetype?

the gods; while he was fleeing from the Cyclops he yelled "If I could take

Odysseus is tempted again when he encounters the Cyclops, Polyphemus. Unlike his encounter with the lotus-eaters, he displays a more reckless side when he couldn’t resist screaming out his name in pride after escaping the Cyclops: