Examples Of Polyphemus In The Odyssey

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In the epic The Odyssey, Polyphemus creates a major conflict for Odysseus and his men when they are trying to return home to Ithaca. Polyphemus is a giant, one-eyed, man-eating Cyclops. He lives on the island Thrinacia and his father is Poseidon, god of the sea. Polyphemus does not really care to have visitors and using his strength he can make their time on the island miserable or even result in death.
The first adjective I have chosen to describe Polyphemus is strong. “Polyphemus may represent the brute forces that any hero may overcome before he can reach him” (760). This means Polyphemus is not going to be easy to get past. Also, it explains how he “represents brute forces” which means strong forces. Odysseus said, “He left his rams and …show more content…
Polyphemus said, “You are a ninny, or else you come from the other end of nowhere, telling me, mind the gods! We Cyclopes care not a whistle for your thundering Zeus or all the gods in bliss; we have no more force by far” (761, 763). From this quote, you can tell that Polyphemus is unfriendly because he tells them I do not care about the gods or you. Also, he is telling them how since they are on his island, they follow his rules, not the god’s rules. Then Odysseus says, “Neither reply nor pity came from him, but in one stride he clutched at my companions and caught two in his hands like squirming puppies to beat their brains out, spattering the floor” (763). Odysseus is explaining how he reached out and picked up some of his crew members like they were food. It is showing how he does not care about who or what you are, he will eat what he wants to eat. After Odysseus escaped Polyphemus said to him, “O hear me, lord, blue girdle of the islands, if I am thine indeed, and thou art father: grant that Odysseus, raider of cities, never see his home” (770). Polyphemus is telling his father Poseidon to not let Odysseus go home because of what Odysseus did. If Polyphemus would have let Odysseus and his crew leave, then all of the harm would have been avoided, but since he was rude he got what he deserved. Polyphemus should have been nicer and more understanding rather than rude and unfriendly because then the
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