The inhabitant turns out to be a massive Cyclops; his name is Polyphemus, a son of the sea god Poseidon. As a Cyclops, he has one round eye in the middle of his forehead. Polyphemus, as soon as he notices Odysseus and his men, asks who they are; bad manners.
He then tells his first useful lie, Odysseus telling the Cyclops that their ship is nowhere to be found, it was destroyed on the rocks. This is a tight spot, and only through considerable trickery does Odysseus get most of his men out. As the Cyclops sleeps, Odysseus thinks seriously about killing the monster, even feeling for the place in his chest where he might stab him.
But the problem is obvious: That would leave them trapped in the cave. He and his men prepare a sharp stake, rolling an olive log in the fire to sharpen it. It is so powerful, it is meant to be mixed with water: 20 parts water to one part wine. But Polyphemus, uncivilized as he is, drinks it down unmixed, quickly gets drunk, asking for more. Only now does Odysseus introduce himself by name, telling the Cyclops that his name is Nobody.
As the Cyclops is passing out drunk, he promises a guest gift in return for the wine. Here is how Odysseus tells the story to the Phaeacians:. The final trick for Odysseus is the escape from the cave.
Odysseus comes up with one more clever scheme to get them out. He and his men cling to the undersides of the sheep and rams; as Polyphemus sends them out to pasture, he feels over the top and misses them on the underside. Odysseus has shown tremendous resourcefulness, and not a little restraint, in getting free. Another Homeric hero might have gone ahead and killed the Cyclops, entombing them all within the cave; another might have failed to consider the other Cyclopes coming to his aid.
But this demonstrated a lot of forethought and cleverness. Learn More: Homer—Odyssey. He yells once, taunting him, and the Cyclops hurls a huge chunk of a mountain out at the ship. He misses, throwing it beyond the ship and driving it back to the shore. In this way, she is very like Odysseus. Their marriage bed, literally rooted in the soil of Ithaca, is a powerful symbol of the permanence of home in a world where nothing else seems dependable.
The Odyssey begins with the invocation of the muse, which is a distinct literary characteristic typical of epic poetry. Athena helps Odysseus for several reasons. Lastly and perhaps most importantly, Athena has genuine respect and affection for Odysseus. By inviting Telemachus to the feast without knowing who he is, Nestor demonstrates the ancient Greek custom of hospitality known as xenia.
Calypso allows Odysseus to leave her island because she understands that, despite Odysseus sleeping with her, his heart longs for his wife and home. Odysseus refuses unless she meets his conditions: Circe must turn his men whom she earlier transformed into pigs back into humans, and she must promise never to use her magic to harm him. Once they strike a bargain, Odysseus sleeps with Circe. Odysseus and his men stay on her island for a year, and Odysseus only asks to leave when his men demand it.
When Odysseus approaches Circe to ask for help returning home, she tells him that he must first travel to Hades to speak with the ghost of the blind prophet Tiresias. Suitors fill his palace, and though Penelope seems to care only for her husband, Odysseus has experienced enough treachery along his journey to know that she could be covering up deceit. In Book 19, Penelope declares her intention to remarry. This fact hints that Penelope, despite her words, may know that shooting the bow cleanly is a near impossible task, a detail that would allow her to avoid choosing a new husband after all.
While Odysseus and Telemachus only have Eumaeus and a servant on their side, they also have a hidden weapon in Athena, disguised as Mentor, who joins them after the fight breaks out. How can you. Athena only physically engages in the battle once Odysseus and Telemachus have proven their worthiness by fighting with determination. Ace your assignments with our guide to The Odyssey! SparkTeach Teacher's Handbook. Why does Telemachus go to Pylos and Sparta? How does Odysseus escape Polyphemus?
Why does Odysseus kill the suitors? How does Penelope test Odysseus? What is happening at the beginning of The Odyssey? Why does Athena help Odysseus so much? Why does Nestor invite Telemachus to the feast before knowing his identity? Why does Calypso allow Odysseus to leave her island?
Why does Odysseus sleep with Circe? Why does Odysseus travel to Hades?
0コメント