POLYPHEMUS

SUMMARY

• Odysseus and his men arrived in Sicily where Polyphemus captured them ate some of them
• In retaliation Odysseus blinded the cyclops

CONFLICT

• Odysseus v Polyphemus
• Man v nature
• Odysseus’ pride
• Man v self

HERO/MONSTER CHARACTERISTICS

• Odysseus:
• Bravery, cunning, strength
• Polyphemus:
• Rage, foolishness, selfishness

HISTORY

• Setting is the island of Sicily
• The story takes place after the Trojan war (11 century BCE)

ACTION

• Polyphemus eats some of his men
• Odysseus gets the cyclops drunk and stabs his eye out

QUEST

• Odysseus’ quest was to return to his wife in Ithaca
• Along the way many obstacles presented themselves

QUESTION 1

• The identification of heroes and monsters shows that Greek culture and literature established long lasting archetypes.

QUESTION 2

• The myth reveals that people have a tendency to retaliate
• This is shown by Odysseus’ blinding of Polyphemus