The Odyssey Major Work Data Sheet

Polyphemus is startled to see Odysseus and his men. Polyphemus snatches two men and makes his meal. Odysseus wants to take his sword to Polyphemus but knows if he kills him now he won’t be able to escape because of the giant boulder. The next day while Polyphemus is pasturing his sheep, Odysseus finds and hardens a wooden staff. When Polyphemus returns, Odysseus offered Polyphemus some wine. “‘Here, Cyclops, drink some wine after of human flesh, and see what sort of liquor our ship held. I brought it as an offering thinking that you might pity me and send me home. But you are mad past bearing. Reckless! How should a stranger come to you again from any people, when you have done this wicked deed?’ So I spoke; he took the cup and drank it off, and mighty pleased he was with the taste of the sweet liquor, and thus he asked me for it yet again:

They tried to stay quiet but the Cyclopes spotted them and asked what they were doing in his cave. He really didn’t care because he snatched two of his men up, smashed their heads, torn them limb by limb, ate them. Day by day he did this and when the Cyclopes was sleeping, Odysseus told his men that they needed to find a way to get out of there and so they did. When the Cyclopes awoke, Odysseus offered him some of his wine and he tried it and begged for more so Odysseus just kept giving it to him drink by drink until he was drunk. The Cyclopes asked Odysseus what his name was and Odysseus said “Nothing.” As soon he asked that, he fell over and slept peacefully. While he was sleeping Odysseus found a large branch and asked his strongest men to put the tip in the fire and when it was burning red, they shoved the hot part of the stick into the Cyclopes’ eye. The Cyclopes let out a loud roar that woke up his neighbors. They came running and asked if someone was killing him and the Cyclopes answered “Nothing is killing me!” So his neighbors left without second thought. When the Cyclopes let his herd of sheep out Odysseus and his men clang to the bottom of the sheep and left the island safely.

He is stricken with hunger and longs for nourishment, but he is able to triumph over this temptation by remaining mentally strong: “One day I withdrew to the interior / to pray the gods in solitude, for hope / that one might show me some way of salvation” (XII, 426 – 428). Instead of giving in to temptation, Odysseus heroically prays to the gods. In addition to physical and emotional challenges, Odysseus faces intellectual challenges, and is able to overcome these challenges with quick thinking. Odysseus must utilize his cunning wit when he devises a plan to surprise the suitors in an attack, and hide their weapons: “I / shall signal to you, nodding: at that point / round up all armor, lances, gear of war / left in our hall, and stow the lot away” (XVI, 335 – 338). This challenge tests Odysseus as a tactician, and he is able to succeed with intellectual valor. Odysseus encounters a mental challenge when he is on the Land of the Kyklopes. He quickly tells Polyphemos that his name is “Nohbdy”, and then once the Polyphemos is stabbed, the other Kyklopes think that “Nohbdy” hurt him. Then, Odysseus and his men are able to escape on the underside of sheep. Odysseus bravely risks the lives of his men and himself. Odysseus overcomes all these challenges, using his physical, emotional, and intellectual abilities. The courage he displays in each of these instances makes him more heroic.

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

Frightened by the large creature, Odysseus and his men scatter to the shadows of the cave before the large beast notices them. Directly after finishing his work, Polyphemus starts to poke at the fire in his cave, which was previously set by Odysseus and his shipmates. Once the fire flares up, Polyphemus notices Odysseus within the shadows, and without hesitation the gigantic creature questions who they men are, as well as where they’re from. This is when Odysseus begins speaking to the aforementioned creature, claiming his name to be Nohbdy, that he and his men are from Troy, and that their ship had crashed among the rocks of the island. After mentioning that his ship was broken up on the rocks, the mighty man picks up two of Odysseus’s men, bashes their heads in, then eats them whole, and goes to sleep. In the following morning, the cyclopes eats another two of Odysseus’s men. When the creature finally exits the cave, Odysseus looks to his

If the men stab Polyphemus in the eye, then he is incapable of seeing, which will allow them to escape the cave. If he is unable to see them he will not notice them escaping, when he lets the sheep out. Odysseus could have had his men attack the cyclopes to try and stab his eye, but that would have resulted in a lot of lives lost, and would have had a lower chance of success. He also could have attempted to use brawn and force the rock, blocking the opening, to move. When thinking that idea through, it would have become obvious that, him

When Odysseus becomes trapped in the Cyclops, Polyphemus’s, cave, he realizes that now is the time to use his strategy rather than strength. It all starts with his ‘libations’ to the Cyclops. Odysseus consistently gives Polyphemus wine “to top off the banquet of human flesh [he has] bolted down!” which is the crew members that Cyclops has eaten ( 9. 222). The most crucial part of Odysseus’s plan is when he tells Polyphemus his name is “Nobody- so my mother and father call me” (9. 223). This particular name that he tells Cyclops helps him escape the other cyclops on the island. Once they stab Polyphemus’s eye with a burning hot stick, the other cyclops wake up to ask him if anyone else is in there with him. Polyphemus, thinking that Odysseus’s name is actually ‘Nobody’, tells them that ‘Nobody’ is in there with him, While escaping death from the cyclops, Odysseus also blinds the cyclops, and saves the rest of his crew. Odysseus chose to use his strategy in place of trying to use his strength which would not have helped him escape. In this situation, strength is no use, seeing as the cyclops is ten times as strong as him.

Odysseus and his men land on the shore of cyclops island. They get trapped in a cave by Polyphemus, the cyclops son of Poseidon. Odysseus tells the cyclops

Because of their curiosity, Odysseus and his men were lead to the cave of the cyclops, Polyphemus. As soon as the men entered the great cave they were not welcomed with the "god's courtesy" that they were expecting but with the harsh rudeness of the cyclops (260). Odysseus knew that the only way to defeat the menacing beast was to outsmart him because they "could never move his ponderous door slab" and would perish in the cave (295). So, odysseus deceived a intricate plan to blind the cyclops which then leads the cyclops to move the cave rock and "set up a howl for cyclopes" who lived near by (395-396). The cyclops thought by just using intimidation and brute force that he could over power the, in comparison, feeble men. Conversely, Odysseus knew that he could out smart the monster and defeat him. In this instance, Odysseus grew as a character because he thought about his actions and overcame a daunting task. This not only affected Odysseus but it allowed him to save his crew, further revealing that Odysseus' wisdom was much more powerful than the brute force of the cyclops. By making the cyclops odysseus' other, Homer was able to display how odysseus developed as a character and how he over came his weakness of acting without

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 might’ve been a very strong mortal, but throughout the story he learns that cunning overpowers physical strength. In some parts of the story Odysseus knew that with his strength, he wouldn’t be able to defeat the obstacles by with his physical strength so he used his cunning powers and outsmarted his opponent. Just like in the passage The Cyclops, Odysseus states, “Cyclops, try some wine, there is some liquor to wash down your scraps of men,” (Line 296-297.) That explains that Odysseus knew that he couldn't out strengthen the cyclops with his physical strength, so what he did was that he gave the cyclops some wine to get Polyphemus drunk and stabbed his eye so then Polyphemus wouldn’t be able to see and they could escape with the sheep with no problem. Also in the story, The Challenge, the narrator says, “Penelope says she will marry the man who can string Odysseus’ bow… the suitors try and fail.

Odysseus exemplifies how men cause themselves more trouble. On his travels home, they find an island inhabited by Cyclops. Odysseus and his sense of adventure determine that they should ask for a gift from the Cyclops. So, Odysseus sails to a cove near one of the Cyclops’ camp and investigates the camp with twelve of his best men. Eventually, the Cyclops returns, traps, and eats some of Odysseus’s men. In the end, Odysseus and the remnants of his search party managed to blind the Cyclops and escape. While they are sailing away, Odysseus taunts the Cyclops twice. The first time the Cyclops throws a rock that pushes the ship to shore, and the second time he prays to Poseidon and then throws a mountain. Poseidon answers the Cyclops’s prayers later by making Odysseus’s trip home as difficult as possible. Odysseus laments to each person that he meets how unfair

This land is the land of the Cyclops, he and his men has enough supplies to last them while ashore, but Odysseus is very anxious to find out what lives there. He was only there for sheep and crates of milk and cheese. His men were eager to leave immediately, but Odysseus decides otherwise. They came across the Cyclops named Polyphemus, the son of Poseidon. The Cyclops shows a little hospitality at first to only turn around and devour two of Odysseus’ men right before his eyes. Odysseus was enraged and wanted to kill Polyphemus right there but he finally decided to use his mind. Odysseus noticed that if he killed the Cyclops, he and his men would not be able to escape the cave since a boulder is blocking the way and the Cyclops is the only one who can move it. He holds off on killing him and come up with a plan to get Polyphemus drunk and then blind him with a huge wooden staff. The plan works, Odysseus and his men escape safely only to having to deal with Odysseus’ moment of glory. He taunts the Cyclops and tells him his true identity which made the Cyclops ask his father to avenge him by throwing Odysseus of course going home. It took him and his men ten extra years to get home all because of

It is evident at this point that Odysseus’ cunning mind is already at work. Polyphenus soon falls to sleep and Odysseus’ men “seize the olive pole, they drove its sharpened end into the Cyclops’ eye, while I used my weight from above to twist it home”...(9;381;382). Polyphenus cries out in pain, and when his neighbors come to his aid and ask who stabed his eye he replies and says “nobody”. Odysseus knows that the boulder is too heavy to move even with the blinded Polpyhenus. So cunning Odysseus creates a plan for him and his men to ride on the bellies of the sheep when Polyphenus lets them out to feed. Polyphenus then runs his hand down the backs of the sheep, but doesn’t bother to check there bellies.

            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