Part 10: The Odyssey - The Cyclops (Polyphemus) Flashcards
Odysseus describes the Cyclopes as
“he seemed rather/ a shaggy mountain reared in solitude” He is saying Cyclops is huge, ugly, not man-like, no social niceties. He does not respect him and believes him to be uncivilized.
When Odysseus and his men reach the cave of Polyphemus, the men want to
Eat the sheep and cheese
Why did Odysseus tell the Cyclops that his ship had been wrecked?
He said this to hide the location of his ship from Polyphemus
Why didn’t Odysseus and his men attack the Cyclops when he went to sleep on the first night?
Odysseus and his men knew that if they killed the giant in his sleep then they could not remove the rock to get out of the cave
Odysseus fed the Cyclops strong liquor on the second night so that
he would get the cyclops drunk and fall asleep so he could blind it with a stake, then he would hide his men under the sheep to escape
Odysseus told the Cyclops that his name was “Nohbdy
so the Cyclops would not be able to tell anyone who injured him
Odysseus and his men escaped from the Cyclops by
Odysseus and his men tied themselves to the bellies of the sheep and slipped by the cyclops without him even knowing it.
Polyphemus does what to foreshadow the many years it will take for Odysseus to get home?
When Odysseus blinded Polyphemus and stole many of his sheep, the Cyclops prayed to Poseidon (his father and god of the sea) to keep Odysseus from ever returning home or at least to make his journey long, perilous, and hard, and that he would return home by himself, .
In several places in The Odyssey, the phrase “fingertips of rose” is used in reference to
The dawn, with her ever-present finger tips of rose - represent the pale rosy color of the rising sun.
After escaping from the Cyclops, Odysseus lost all of his ships an encounter with
The Laestrygonians. These vicious cannibals attacked the unsuspecting visitors, and all the ships except Odysseus’ were sunk
How do the Sirens lure travelers to their destruction?
island of the Sirens. Here beautiful women attracted sailors with their beautiful songs
What instructions does Odysseus give his shipmates as they prepare to deal with the Sirens?
Circe directed (Odysseus) to fill the ears of his men with wax, so that they should not hear the strain; and to cause himself to be bound ties to the mast, and his people to be strictly enjoined, whatever he might say or do, by no means to release him till they should have passed the Sirens’ island.
How does Odysseus keep his shipmates from hearing the Sirens?
Odysseus wisely plugged his men’s ears with wax so they would not hear the enchanting songs
