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Foreshadowing. "'We soon reached his (the Cyclops') cave...we went inside and took stock of all that we could see. His cheese-racks were loaded with cheeses, and he had more lambs and kids than his pens could hold....as for his dairy, all the vessels, bowls, and milk pails into which he milked, were swimming with whey. When they saw all this, my men begged me to let them first steal some cheeses, and make off with them to the ship; they would then return, drive down the lambs and kids, put them on board and sail away with them. It would have been indeed better if we had done so.'" When Odysseus states, "It would have been indeed better if we had done so" he is foreshadowing that something bad must have happened with the Cyclops.
Characterization. '"We soon reached his (the Cyclops') cave...we went inside and took stock of all that we could see. His cheese-racks were loaded with cheeses, and he had more lambs and kids than his pens could hold....as for his dairy, all the vessels, bowls, and milk pails into which he milked, were swimming with whey. When they saw all this, my men begged me to let them first steal some cheeses, and make off with them to the ship; they would then return, drive down the lambs and kids, put them on board and sail away with them. It would have been indeed better if we had done so but I would not listen to them, for I wanted to see the owner himself."' In this section of the text Homer uses indirect characterization through Odysseus' actions. Because Odysseus will not leave until he sees the Cyclops for himself, it shows how curious he is.
Theme. "'Cyclops,' said I, 'you should have taken better measure of your man before eating up his comrades in your cave....and now the gods have punished you...cyclops, if any one asks you who it was that put your eye out and spoiled your beauty, say it was the valiant warrior Odysseus, son of Laertes, who lives in Ithaca.'....On this he lifted up his hands to the firmament of heaven and prayed, saying, 'Hear me, great Neptune; if I am indeed your own true-begotten son, grant that Odysseus may never reach his home alive; or if he must get back to his friends at last, let him do so late and in sore plight after losing all his men. Let him reach his home in another man's ship and find trouble in his house.'" This passage reveals one of the many themes of the story - having too much pride can lead to negative consequences. Odysseus boasts to the Cyclops, bragging about how he defeated him and revealing his true name. In return the Cyclops prays that Odysseus will have a rough journey home, and that is just what Odysseus had.
Suspense. "'He (the cyclops) got more and more furious as he heard me, so he tore the top from off a high mountain, and flung it just in front of my ship so that it was within a little of hitting the end of the rudder...the wash of the wave it raised carried us back towards the mainland, and forced us towards the shore. But I snatched up a long pole and kept the ship off, making signs to my men by nodding my head, that they must row for their lives.'" During the part of the episode, you are definitely feeling suspense. Just as you start to think that Odysseus and his men have freed themselves and gotten away, Homer pulls you back in. Odysseus reveals their location and the men are in danger again. You're on the edge of your seat wondering whether or not they'll be able to escape once more.
Odysseus as an Epic Hero. Odysseus fits the definition of an epic hero because he performs courageous acts throughout his journey, uses his cleverness to overcome many obstacles, and learns from his mistakes. After the Cyclops captures them in his cave, Odysseus knows better not to stab the Cyclops with his sword, because this would kill the beast but trap himself and his men in the cave. Instead, he and his men blind the Cyclops with a sharpened log. Then, Odysseus thinks of a plan of escape - to hide underneath the Cyclops' sheep. When they try to leave the cave, the brute pats the top of them and lets them pass thinking that they are sheep. This not only shows how clever Odysseus is, but how courageous he is.
poster yourself
An Epithet. "'Now tell me where you made your ship fast when you came on shore. Was it round the point, or is she lying straight off the land?' "He said this to draw me out, but I was too cunning to be caught in that way, so I answered with a lie; 'Poseidon, shaker of the shores,' said I, 'sent my ship on to the rocks at the far end of your country, and wrecked it.'" When Odysseus calls Poseidon "shaker of the shores" he is using an epithet, one that indicates how Poseidon is the god of the sea.
An Epic Simile. "The cruel wretch...with a sudden clutch he gripped up two of my men at once and dashed them down upon the ground as though they had been puppies. Their brains were shed upon the ground, and the earth was wet with their blood. Then he tore them limb from limb and supped upon them. He gobbled them up like a lion in the wilderness, flesh, bones, marrow, and entrails, without leaving anything uneaten." This epic simile compares Odysseus' men to puppies, and also the Cyclops to a mountain lion in the savagely he ate the men.
Here are some videos that tell the story of Odysseus and the Cyclops:
This terse video narrates and illustrates what happened to Odysseus on the Cyclops' Island.
This clip is a movie scene that also tells what happened the Cyclops' Island.
