The Odyssey Character Essay On The Cyclops

Essay, Research Paper

The Cyclops

The Odyssey, by Homer, is an action packed epic poem and is one of

the most famous in Greek literature. It describes the adventures of a great

warrior called Odysseus, thus, the name of the epic. Odysseus faces many

enemies throughout The Odyssey one of them being, the Cyclops, also

known as Polyphemus. He is a colossal, one-eyed monster who lives alone

in a cave, leading an unsophisticated life. A cool character is someone that is

strong, easy to fool, and uncivilized monster who cares about no one but

himself. The Cyclops is a really cool character.

The Cyclops is strong and powerful. For instance, he can easily grab

two grown men in one fist. “He clutched at my companions and caught two

in his hand like squirming puppies”. Furthermore, Polyphemus blocks his

cave using an enormous boulder. In addition to that, Odysseus and his men

stab the Cyclops in the eye and flee out to sea where Odysseus taunts him. Out of rage, the Cyclops tears off a hilltop and hurled it at Odysseus’s ship. “The blind thing in his fury broke a hilltop in his hands and heaved it at us”. The Cyclops is cool because he can beat up despicable people such as thieves and outlaws.

The Cyclops is a gullible character. First off, the Cyclops believes

Odysseus when he tells him that his name is Nohbdy. “Nohbdy is my meat

and then I eat his friends”. Moreover, he accepted wine from Odysseus and his men, people he was continuously torturing. “Three bowls I brought him and he poured them down”. Also, the Cyclops leaves Odysseus and his men, who were complete strangers to him, alone in his dwelling when he goes out with his sheep. The Cyclops is cool because he can be easily fooled into doing things for people, for his stupidity and gullibility is evident.

The Cyclops is uncivilized and is concerned only about himself. For

example, he violently eats two of Odysseus’s men for no reason at all. “He

clutched at my companions and caught two in his hand like squirming puppies, to beat their brains out spattering the floor. Then he dismembered them and made his meal”. In addition to that, the Cyclops mistreats and mocks guests, as he does to Odysseus and his warriors when they first meet. “You are a ninny, or else you come from the other end of nowhere”. A civilized being would treat guests with honor and respect. Moreover, Polyphemus does not care and does not believe in gods. The Cyclops is cool because he can entertain people by mocking others.

Without a doubt, the Cyclops is a cool character. In the end, he gets stabbed in the eye by Odysseus and loses his vision. Odysseus escapes and flees off to another land to celebrate his victory, while Polyphemus prays to his father, Poseidon, to cause Odysseus harm and make him pay for what he did. Overall, the Cyclops is quite a diverse and entertaining character.