I mentioned in class yesterday during mine and Lydia's presentation that there is a lot of debate over whether or not Polyphemus is a sympathetic character. Because Odysseus is the hero of the story, it's a little hard for me to think of the cyclops who ate his crew as sympathetic. However, looking a little closer into it, I think I do have some sympathy for Polyphemus.
Polyphemus is really just a shepherd who tends to his flocks everyday and makes cheese. He minds his own business, until a crew of men he's never seen before show up in his cave indulging in his possessions. This is where judging the situation becomes difficult because Odysseus is used to hospitality wherever he goes, as it's a tradition and he expects basically everyone he meets to be nice, and thinks it's perfectly acceptable to help himself to whatever he wants in Polyphemus' cave. He's used to being treated well by strangers. However, Polyphemus doesn't believe in hospitality and is incredibly offended that Odysseus and his men would do such a thing. I don't think what Odysseus did here was completely wrong because he's used to hospitality, but it is rude. On the other hand, if I were Polyphemus, even knowing about the tradition of Greek hospitality, I think I would also be mad at the intruders. As a two-eyed, pint-sized human, I can't say I would have been so angry that I would eat Odysseus' men, but I can kind of understand Polyphemus' reasoning.
I'm not sure if I completely pity the Cyclops or not. I initially saw him as simply the villain, but after considering what happened in Polyphemus' perspective, I definitely think there's more to the story than that. The different views on hospitality complicate the scenario, but overall I think that I do pity the Cyclops a little bit; Odysseus' actions don't make him seem like a perfect hero.
(if you have any thoughts on this please comment them, I would love to see different opinions!)
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I think that Polyphemus actually is a sympathetic character. He is just minding his own business when Odysseus and his crew come through and eat his food. I don't even know if it's really a question of hospitality because in all the other situations, the guests are invited to eat the food. Odysseus just straight up invites himself in and eats Polyphemus' hard earned food. Even the suitors, although they have overstayed their welcome where probably invited in and welcomed by Telemachus at first.
ReplyDeleteI would be upset if someone came in and started eating my food without asking. So, I feel for Polyphemus' anger towards Odysseus and his men. But eating Odysseus' crew men for doing only that is absurd. I think I am more against Polyphemus because he is against the Greek tradition of hospitality. All ancient and even modern Greeks value hospitality greatly. Polyphemus, however, is one of the few that doesn't.
ReplyDeleteI was really pleased that you guys added this point into your presentation! I think the cyclops is by far the most sympathetic villain we have seen in this story, and it is sort of refreshing. I do have a fair amount of sympathy for Polyphemus, which might be partially because I lost a lot of sympathy for Odysseus when he decided to brag after blinding the cyclops.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post, and nice presentation a couple of days ago!
I feel somewhat sympathetic towards Polyphemus. I wouldn't be pleased if a group of total strangers invited themselves into my house and ate my food, so I can see why Polyphemus lashed out at Odysseus and his crew. I think that Polyphemus reacted too harshly though.
ReplyDelete(I'm writing my research paper on this topic now and I'm revisiting this blog post, so that's why I'm replying so late to your comment!) I think it makes the sense that we see Polyphemus' reaction as so extreme because when we're upset at people for going through our stuff (or anything else, really), our first reaction isn't typically to kill and eat them. I'm not sure about Cyclops tendencies, but I believe Polyphemus' reaction might have been more justified than we think.
DeleteIf hospitality is the governing ethos among "civilized" Greeks, the implication may be that this same idea doesn't apply to Polyphemus, living a solitary life outside of social spheres. But even still, it's not clear to me that Odysseus is even *owed* his hospitality in the traditional sense--by barging into the cave and helping himself (indeed, he and his crew are stocking up, a clear case of breaking and entering and theft), he is not depending on hospitality but taking what he wants without being offered. It's not too far afield from the suitors' offenses in Ithaca, an abuse of hospitality.
ReplyDeleteIt's really a matter of perspective, and our narrator, from the first words of the poem (reflected in the title) is aligned with Odysseus. But it's certainly possible to reimagine this episode from the point of view of the one-eyed sheep-loving artisan cheese maker whose cave has just been ransacked by a bunch of tiny strangers.