The ancient Greeks have developed eight evil thoughts that describe behaviors that negatively affect the outcome of one’s life. The eight evils are common actions or thoughts that people partake in on a daily basis. In episode of “The Cyclops” in epic The Odyssey, Odysseus becomes captured by a Cyclops and must utilize his quick thinking to escape his and his men’s death. Odysseus shows two of the eight thoughts which include kenodoxia, extensive boasting, orge, holding in anger and expressing it at incorrect timing, and philargyria, greed. When Odysseus was acquainted with Polyphemus ,the cyclops, he demands that the cyclops be a good host. He tells his host that if he does not present himself as an excellent host, he will be avenged by Zeus (The Cyclops. …show more content…
Odysseus’ greed and desire to be treated as king causes Polyphemus to become enraged and hold his guests hostage. Polyphemus also began to devour his guests two-by-two and put Odysseus in danger, at his own fault. In seeing his greed, the reader can determine that Odysseus does not care for his men but only himself and his well being. In the execution of his plan to blind the cyclops, Odysseus launched the burning olive branch into Polyphemus’ eye as hard as he possibly could. After he lugged the branch in his eye, Odysseus proceeded to twist the branch and completely burn and destroy the cyclops’ eye ([374-380]). Odysseus extreme handling of the situation portrayed his anger being released. He drove the spear into Polyphemus’ eye in such a violent manner that the reader can infer that when Odysseus does not get his way, he releases his anger on the person whom offended him. At the conclusion of the episode, Odysseus sails away from the land shouting his victory to Polyphemus. In rage, Polyphemus hurls a large stone at the ship, almost crushing it and killing the entire group of men. When his men cried for him to cease, he continued to boast his victory
Earlier in the epic, Odysseus frequently abuses his role as captain of his crew because of his curious nature. He makes several stops on their journey home in search of more opportunities to prove his skillfulness, even though he is already a king and has won a major war. One of these stops is at the Island of Polyphemus, home to the cyclops famed for eating all humans that enter his cave. Even though Odysseus is well aware of the danger ahead, his curiosity tempts him to
As they sail away Odysseus calls out to the Cyclops “Your filthy crimes came down on your own head, you shameless cannibal” which the cyclops responds to by throwing a boulder into the water by their ship (9.534). Even though his crew begs to not “rile the beast again” Odysseus continues to push him even further by yelling out that “Odysseus, raider of cities, he gouged out your eye”(9.550, 9.560-561). The Cyclops then prays to his father, Poseidon, to curse Odysseus’ journey home. By teasing the Cyclops, Odysseus put all of his men in danger when the boulder was thrown. He also is risking their lives on the journey home since now the trip is doomed by Poseidon.
As Odysseus is trapped in a cave by Polyphemus, he tricked the cyclops by saying “Cyclops, try some wine. Here’s liquor to wash down your scraps of men” (Homer 1054). Odysseus tells him that to get the Polyphemus drunk so he will pass out stopping Polyphemus from killing more of his crew. When he is asleep, Odysseus and his crew make a huge spear to stab Polyphemus in the eye. This allows Odysseus and his crew to escape.
The eight Greek evil thoughts held a key part in how a person lived their daily lives and how a person lived by those rules that they held to a crucial part of their lives. These rules were the moral code of a Grecian daily life and were expected to be followed until the day that you die. The epic, The Odyssey, is written by the scholar Homer. When Odysseus travels to the Cyclops cave he does not expect that in a short amount of time that he would lose some of his men because of the Cyclops devouring them. Through, cunning wit and manipulation, also the use of alcohol, Odysseus and his men stab the Cyclops in his eye and escape the island with the stolen herd that had belonged to the now blind Cyclops.
Polyphemus was obviously much bigger and stronger than Odysseus and his men. There was no way Odysseus could take down the cyclops head on. Instead, Odysseus took advantage of Polyphemus’ strength and stupidity. By getting Polyphemus drunk with wine, Odysseus was able to get him to fall asleep. Odysseus and his men then stabbed the cyclops’ eye with a large wooden stick, thus blinding the cyclops (417).
Summary: Cyclops In the story, Odysseus is still speaking to the Phaeacians, but is now telling them of his encounter with Polyphemus, the cyclops. Strong winds blew Odysseus and his men to Polyphemus’ island, where they unloaded and entered a cave that Polyphemus happened to live in. When he entered the cave, he closed the entrance with a large boulder that only he could move, trapping himself, his sheep, and Odysseus inside. After he ate some of Odysseus’ men, Odysseus devised a plan to get the cyclops to move the boulder so that the men could escape.
The Odyssey In Homer’s epic, The Odyssey, Odysseus is bestowed with great abilities. But along with this potential, he is cursed with great arrogance. Conveying that even the labeled ‘perfect’ among us have fatal flaws that causes pain and suffering among the ones closest to them. The author, Homer, uses Odysseus’ arrogance to create a melancholic atmosphere to convey the idea that arrogance is a fatal flaw that will lead those around them to pain and suffering.
After blinding the cyclops, Polyphemus, Odysseus can not stand the thought of no one ever knowing his accomplishment, so he jeers at the cyclops and tells him that Odysseus of Ithaca is who blinded him. Obviously, Polyphemus is enraged, and since Odysseus had just basically given him his address, the cyclops prays to Poseidon, wishing that Odysseus never returns home. For the rest of the time Odysseus is at sea, he is dogged by Poseidon, as the surly god sends storm after storm to harry Odysseus and prevent his safe return home.
In the text, it says “If ever mortal man inquire how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye: Laertes’ son, whose home’s on Ithaca!”(669). This quotation shows that Odysseus is cocky. This makes him a bad leader because by revealing his identity and his hom of him and his crews’ home, he gave Polyphemus enough information to be able to pray to his father Poseidon to never let Odysseus reach his home Ithaca and also for him to lose all of his companions. So by revealing all of this info, he has cursed his crew and himself and put all of them in
If you were to think about a man with great abilities like being strong, courageous and intelligent, you could think of people you personally or like me, you could think of someone such as Odysseus. Odysseus fits the definition of an epic hero because he is quick thinking, strong and courageous. Odysseus is one quick thinking individual. He has gotten him and his crew out some some sticky situations with his clever plans. One of these plans were how to get away from Polyphemus, a cyclops who was the son of Poseidon.
Odysseus blinds and taunts the Cyclops Polyphemus, which leads to Polyphemus praying to his father, Poseidon, to curse Odysseus. The curse bestowed upon Odysseus by Poseidon is mentioned in book 9 lines 445-451 of The
The Greeks believed in a system consisting of 8 evil Greek thoughts. This is a social contract determining what would hinder oneself from their higher purpose. In the excerpt of the epic The Odyssey, “The Cyclops” consists of the supposed hero Odysseus and his crew outsmarting the cyclops Polyphemus. While doing so, Odysseus demonstrates multiple evil thoughts, thus endangering himself and his crew. During the episode of “The Cyclops,” Odysseus demonstrates Hyperephania (pride), Kenodoxia (boasting), and Orge (anger).
In the book of the Odyssey, Odysseus’s lied at times, but I think they all were an important part of this book. First reason, the Cyclops if Odysseus hadn’t lied to him, then what will happen? Maybe Odysseus will die there. Also, Odysseus’s crew, if he doesn’t omit the truth, they were already reaching their homeland. Finally, he reached his homeland Ithaca and disguised as a beggar and he lied his wife and the suitors.
Well, Poseidon and Athena both have cruel sides, and these traits play a primary role in changing Odysseus’s journey. “Obstinate one, many a man puts his trust even in a weaker friend than I am, one that is mortal, and knows not such wisdom as mine; but I am a god, that guard thee to the end in all thy toils. And I will tell thee openly; if fifty troops of mortal men should stand about us, eager to slay us in battle, even their cattle and goodly sheep shouldest thou drive off. Nay, let sleep now come over thee. There is weariness also in keeping wakeful watch the whole night through; and even now shalt thou come forth from out thy perils” (http://www.theoi.com/Text/HomerOdyssey20.html), which is a quote from Athena.
In Greek culture, they have this type of moral code called The 8 Greek Evil Thoughts. These thoughts include 8 immoral ways that can hinder human performance and efficiency. The episode “The Cyclops” of the epic The Odyssey by Homer include a small amount of these 8 Greek Evil Thoughts. In this episode, Odysseus and his men have gotten caught by the Cyclops and the way they got out was by tricking the Cyclops to become drunk and stabbing the giant in the eye to escape unnoticed when the giant let his sheep out. In the episode, it shows multiple evil thoughts that Odysseus commits and they were Orge (anger), Kenodoxia (boasting), and Hyperephania (pride).