The Great Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey

“The Great Odysseus” (172), will be held in the highest regard in my mental library. To me, his greatness stems from his ability to think on his feet, even in the most nerve wracking and deadly situations; whether it be sweet talking Phaeacians or outsmarting a Cyclops. Odysseus is consistently multiple steps ahead of his enemies. In conversation with Polyphemus, the giant “laid his trap but he never caught [Odysseus,] no, wwise to the world [Odysseus] shot back in his craft way (220).” Indeed, it is his craftiness that later rescue his men from certain doom. At times, his preparedness and his quick thinking seem to be so effective it makes me wonder if he has been in a situation like this before. My favorite line from Odysseus has been with …show more content…
“Nobody- so my mother and father call me, all my friends” (223). His cleverness is remarkable; he is already strategizing his escape! He seems to already know Polyphemus will call out to his brothers; his plan seems foolproof enough to get his men out of the cave alive. Additionally, his decision of riding the bellies of the sheep is perfect in order to stay hidden to Polyphemus. What is remarkable to me is how Odysseus stays calm in the most stressful of situations; examples like these are the most memorable to me, and I will always remember Odysseus as a man constantly ready to change plans and improvise effectively. The tale of Polyphemus is my favorite of The Odyssey for these reasons, and therefore, Polyphemus has grown to be particularly memorable to …show more content…
The first is his own craftiness. Although the giant may come off as a dumb brute, he creates some trickery of his own. Even though Odysseus is always a step ahead of him, Polyphemus seems to defy the stereotype that all Cyclops are foolish. This is evident from Polyphemus’s greeting to Odysseus. He ask Odysseus to “tell [him Odysseus’s] name now, quickly, so I can hand my guest a gift to warm his heart.” (222). Polyphemus pretends to offer Odysseus and his crew welcoming gifts, however, the giant contains an ulterior motive, which is to gain information about his captives, and attempts to hide it in the question. To me, it seems that Polyphemus has a few tricks up his sleeve. The second element of Polyphemus that interests me most is the art that depicts him. Almost all the paintings of Polyphemus depict a Cyclops with two closed eyes and one singular eye in the middle of the forehead; I previously had interpreted Cyclops with one singular eye. I am not sure whether this is from Westernization of ancient myths or just different interpretation of the fantastic creature. In summary, Polyphemus interests me because of his trickery and the art that depicts