Odysseus and his men reach the land of the Kyklopes, a rough and uncivilized race of one-dyed giants. They feast on some animals they come across. Though his friends ask him to move on, Odysseus, to their utter disappointment, lingers on. They reach a cave wherein they see herds of sheep and stacks of cheese. It is the cave of the Kyklops Polyphemus-the son of Poseidon. Initially, the giant makes a show of hospitality but later plays a cruel joke on them as he barbarously eats two of Odysseus’ companions to satisfy his hunger.
Odysseus and his men are rudely shaken. Odysseus plans to avenge his comrades’ death when for the second time the giant feeds on his friends and holds them all hostages. Enraged, Odysseus decides to outwit the giant. While Polyphemus is out pasturing his sheep, he finds a wooden staff in the cave and hardens it in the fire. When the giant returns, Odysseus gets him drunk on wine which he had brought from the ship.
Intoxicated, the giant asks Odysseus his name. “My name is Nohbdy: mother, father, and friends, everyone calls me Nohbdy.” (156) replies Odysseus. When the giant collapses, Odysseus and his select group of men drive the red –hot staff into his eye. Polyphemus wakes up with a shriek and when his neighbours come to see what is wrong, he roars out, “Nohbdy, Nohbdy’s tricked me, Nohbdy’s ruined me!” (157).
The next morning, unseen by the blind giant, Odysseus and his men escape from the cave by clinging to the bellies of the monster’s sheep as they go to graze. Safe on board, along with the giant’s sheep, Odysseus reveals his true identity:
‘Kyklops,
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 Ithaka!’(160).
Groaning in pain, the giant hurls boulders at them and prays to his father, Poseidon to wreak vengeance on Odysseus and his men. Odysseus taunts him.
This episode appears in chapter IX and is told by Odysseus as flashback of his wanderings to the Phaecians, in the palace.
The rich and celebrated instance of Odysseusean cunning is revealed. Odysseus believes that a hidden danger could be lurking around them so he takes wine along with him. The resourcefulness of the leader highlights the master craftsmen in the poet. Odysseus, in danger, plans slowly and subtly, to escape. The lie that his name is Nohbdy is a humorous twist as it is their grave necessity to keep the other Kyklopes from rescuing Polyphemus.
By revealing his true identity, Odysseus exhibits the lack of foresight which is in contrast to his cunning prudence as he plans their escape from the monster. His anger at Polyphemus for devouring his comrades is understandable but his taunts as the giant hurls rocks is unnecessary. He pits his moral indignation against Polyphemus’ divine vengeance. This act of hubris or excess of pride ensures that Odysseus and his men suffer serious consequences. Eventually the punishment costs him dearly. The revelation of identity also represents the cultural values of ancient Greece. It is to be noted that Odysseus does not utter only his name. This manner of introduction was very formalized and formulaic in Homeric Greece and should be seen familiar to the readers of the Iliad. (Homer 2006).
Like the heroes in Iliad, Odysseus confirms his kleos (the glory or renown that one earns in the eyes of others by performing great deeds) as he was the one who blinded Polyphemus and he wants to make others aware of this act. He believes that the height of glory is achieved by spreading his name abroad and through the propaganda of his great deeds. Homeric culture praises Odysseus for his cunning and at the same time there are others like Dante who see the negative side of this quality.
The stupidity and brutishness of Polyphemus is a sharp contrast to his tender- hearted and sympathetic appeal to his sheep at the end of book IX. He strokes them tenderly and is unaware of Odysseus’ trick.
This chapter makes an interesting study of the characters mentioned, ancient Greek culture and the prowess of Homer as a deft painter who portrays not only characters but also successfully intertwines them with the situations.
Works cited
Homer. The Odyssey. Book 9. SparkNotes. 2006. Web.