Students familiar with some of the legends of the odyssey but new to the epic itself might be surprised to see that the section on the lotuseaters is only about twentyfive lines long 9. The laestrygonians in book 10 are the giant type cannibals that eat the crew, but the cyclops in book 9 also eats people, as well as the monster scylla in book 12. He starts by describing his homethe island of ithaca of courseand all of the surrounding islands. With such a large flock of sheep, the cyclops had a profusion of milk, cheese, and wool. Odysseuss narrative makes up books 9 through 12 of the odyssey. The odyssey book 9 the cyclops context summary odysseus introduces himself and begins his story, starting with the moment his men leave troy. Dec 04, 2011 50 thoughts on week of 124 the odyssey book 9 nick k 4 december 5, 2011 at 3. One of them, polyphemus, traps odysseus and a scouting party in his cave. My hand was on my sword, eager to stab some vital spot. Odysseus explains that he is the son of laertes, king of ithaca, who is attempting to travel home after battling in the trojan war. The odyssey book 9 lyrics ulysses declares himself and begins his storythe cicons, lotophagi, and cyclopes and ulysses answered, king alcinous, it is a good thing to hear a bard with such a. But when the cyclops had filled his huge maw by eating human flesh and thereafter drinking pure milk, he lay down within the cave, stretched out among the. Mistakes are mine, not his, but we went over this translation pretty. Usually, when mythic heroes undertake the dangerous voyage to the underworld, its for the.
Reluctantly, odysseus tells the phaeacians the sorry tale of his wanderings. In book 9 of homers odyssey, the title character tells about his adventures in the land of the cyclopes. We passed a miserable night and then watched the cyclops make breakfast of two more of our companions. Alcinous, majesty, shining among your island people. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. Odysseus and his men are in the cave of the cyclops, polyphemus. Then he tells of the arrival at the land of the wild and lawless cyclopes, giants with a single eye who dwell alone and have no. When autoplay is enabled, a suggested video will automatically. The odyssey book 9 the cyclops lyrics in this passage, odysseus and his men have just escaped the land of the lotuseaters, where they given fruit causing the crew to forget about going home.
Homer, odyssey book 9 theoi classical texts library. Odysseus insisted on entering the cave to befriend the cyclope polyphemus, therefor he was the one who initially put them in danger. Women had less power and occupied a subordinate status. There is nothing better or more delightful than when a whole people make merry together, with the guests sitting orderly to listen, while the table is loaded with bread and. What are some good examples of hubris in books 912 of the. In it are captured all the winds that might drive the ships off. Book nine my name is odysseus of ithaca, and here is my tale since setting out from troy. I took three semesters of homeric greek with the late anthony bolloch at berkeley, iliad 1, 6 and ody 1, 6, 9 not all of each book. Homers epic poem the odyssey tells the story of odysseus, greek hero of the trojan war, and his adventures at sea during his travel home. Eager to move on, odysseus receives an oxskin pouch from aeolus.
Alcinous, majesty, shining among your island people, what a fine thing it is to listen to such a bard. Odysseus draws his sword to kill the cyclops in his sleep, but he stops when he realizes that they can never escape the cave without the strength of the cyclops to remove the gigantic rock at the entrance. Having escaped the cyclops, odysseus and his men arrive at the home of aeolus, master of the winds, where they are greeted warmly and hosted for a month. One cyclops noticed the men in his cave and asked who they were. Homer has touched on a universal theme, the lure of oblivion through drugs.
Note the differences between how the cyclops is described as a lion compared to how odysseus is described as a lion in book b. These dwelt of old in spacious hypereia hard by the cyclopes, men overweening in pride who plundered them continually and were mightier than. Book ix of the odyssey is called nekuia, which is an ancient greek rite used to summon and question ghosts. Though odysseus shows lack of selfrestraint in the beginning of this episode, he shows good sense and selfrestraint in delaying his desire for revenge. He cant stop himself from insulting polyphemus personally, for a reason ill mention, and worst of all, ins. Achilles, son of peleus, athena, daughter of zeus, menelaus, son of atreus, etc. This is a special kind of homeric epithet used frequently in the iliad and the odyssey.
Chapter summary for homers the odyssey, book 9 summary. After odysseus had tied them up back on the ships, they sailed off into the night and stumbled upon the land of the cyclops, where they meet the cyclops named. Next we visited the lotus eaters, and three of my crew tasted this strange plant. The odyssey by homer book 9 summary and analysis youtube. In it, odysseus tells his king alcinous all about his fantastic and unusual trip to the underworld in which he did just that. Reread lines 523, and pay attention to the cyclopss actions. From troy, the winds sweep him and his men to ismarus, city of the cicones. Odysseus introduces himself and begins his story, starting with the moment his men leave troy. Insight book 9 of the odyssey in the cyclops perspective. Polyphemus makes a show of hospitality at first, but he soon turns hostile.
The cyclops, also quick on his feet, bends down, grabs two men, and promptly eats them. We sacked a city first off, but then reinforcements arrived and we lost many comrades. Jul 18, 2017 the odyssey book summary in under five minutes. Because of the greek belief that guests are protected by the gods and had to be treated with great courtesy, odysseus warns the cyclops that zeus will avenge the unoffending guest. What is an epic simile from book 9 of the odyssey answers. The caves inhabitant soon returnsit is the cyclops polyphemus, the son of poseidon. Homers the odyssey book 9 the cyclops flashcards quizlet. They stab him in the eye with a huge pencil shaped object. In book seven odysseus is welcomed by king alcinous into his palace and is asked to tell the story of how he arrived on the island of the phaecians. A nd odysseus answered, king alcinous, it is a good thing to hear a bard with such a divine voice as this man has. After leaving troy, odysseus and his men sail to ismarus, which they attack and plunder. Homers epic poem the odyssey tells the story of odysseus, greek hero of the trojan war. The cyclops planned to ravage odysseus and his men by eating them. Odysseus gets the cyclops to drink lots of wine, here, cyclops, try this wineto top of the banquet of human flesh youve bolted down, the cyclops believes odysseus is a fool for giving him all the delicious wine when in fact he has cunningly tricked the cyclops into asking for more.
Rather than give his guests a feast, the cyclops feasts on them. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of the odyssey and what it means. The notion of hospitality is so strong in the world of the odyssey that guests can even be considered part of ones family. This is to help study the importaint events and characters in book 9. Homer, odyssey book 6 theoi classical texts library. Lord alcinous, most illustrious of men, it is a fine thing, in truth, to hear a bard such as this, with a godlike voice. Odysseus does not discuss, at this point, why he was blown off course and unable to return directly to ithaca. They lost all desire to return home and had to be carried off by force. Book i athena inspires the prince sing to me of the man, muse, the man of twists and turns driven time and again off course, once he had plundered the hallowed heights of troy. He proceeds to tell the phaeacians stories of his long and arduous journey since the fall of troy. The odyssey books 79 summary the odyssey by homer books 79 summary and analysis. Lord alcinous, renowned above all men, verily this is a good thing, to listen to a minstrel such as this man is, like unto the gods in voice. In the evening the cyclops came home, closed the entrance to the cave with a giant rock, milked his sheep and goats, and lit a fire. As he begins his narrative, he relates that the cyclopes are.
Odysseus declares himself and begins his story the cicons, lotophagi, and cyclopes. But i realized that only he could unstopper the mouth of the cave. This is an edit of the hallmark channels made for tv movie, the odyssey. Describe what happens in the land of the lotuseaters. Odysseus is most responsible for the deaths in book 9 of the odyssey. The next stop is the land of the cyclops, lawless oneeyed giants.
Odysseus relied on the cyclops to respect the same rules of piety that govern men though one could also argue that odysseus was also driven by a vainglorious desire to seek adventure. The first place odysseus and his men traveled to after they left troy was the land of the cyclops. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Feb 04, 2018 actually, the best example is odysseus loss of his cool at the end of book 9, when he has triumphed over the cyclops and is sailing away.
Homer repeats the lion imagery, but he uses it in a more animalistic and barbaric way here to further contrast these two characters. The men plunder the land and, carried away by greed, stay until the reinforced ranks of the cicones turn on them and attack. Odysseuss encounter with the cyclops polyphemus reveals why poseidon has such antagonism toward him. Cyclops, in the end it was no weak mans companions. Book 9 the odyssey 15 questions by kalihannah last updated. Find a summary of this and each chapter of the odyssey. Homers epic poem the odyssey tells the story of odysseus, greek hero of the trojan. The next four books books 912 deal with the heros wanderings and are the most widely known in the epic. Here is this stranger, i do not know who he is, come wandering suppliant here to my house from the eastern or western people. Actually, the best example is odysseus loss of his cool at the end of book 9, when he has triumphed over the cyclops and is sailing away. Many cities of men he saw and learned their minds, many pains he suffered, heartsick on the open sea.
He tells of the battle with the cicones at ismarus and the luckless nineday detour to the land of the lotuseaters, where two of his men are narcotic fruit and forgot their homes. As he begins his narrative, he relates that the cyclopes are a lawless people, which should. Homer odyssey book 9 odysseus and the cyclops polyphemus. In the odyssey book 9 where did the cyclops live answers. Odysseus finally reveals his identity to alkinoos and the phaiakians.
Start studying homers the odyssey book 9 the cyclops. The odyssey book 9 lyrics ulysses declares himself and begins his storythe cicons, lotophagi, and cyclopes and ulysses answered, king. I say myself there is nothing more delightful than when all the people feel this joy, and the banqueters sit in their rows, listening to the minstrel in the hall, tables in. Summary and analysis book 10 the bewitching queen of aeaea. Odysseus is telling his stories to king alcinous i, odysseus, sailed with my crew away from the safe shores of aeaean, circes island. In book 9 of homers the odyssey, we learn more about his travels after the trojan war ended and why he still has not made.
He then waits until the cyclops is asleep to attack him. Next i told the rest of the men to cast lots, to find out which of them must endure with me to take up the great beam and spin it in the cyclops eye when sweet sleep had come over him. The cyclops, though, show no piety to the gods, but he is no mere mortal as the son of a god, he lives under different rules. They stumbled into a cyclops cave, and the resident cyclops polyphemos sealed the entrance to the cave with a huge boulder and ate a few of the ithakans. The basic geographic orientation of the odyssey begins with troy, which was on the coast of the country known today as turkey. He laments that he was held captive by calypso, and actually declares in our lattimore. What does zeus do to odysseus and his crew after they visit the cicons. The cyclops washed them down with great slurps of milk, smacked his lips in satisfaction and went to sleep.
641 15 218 69 190 592 689 166 419 659 164 413 1536 494 891 941 1524 1496 608 473 650 300 1371 150 674 446 973 374 1581 172 639 1152 280 106 397 279