The Odyssey – Book Nine - 1 The Odyssey – Book Nine A. Odysseus (O) introduces himself 1. Son of Laertes 2. “formidable of guile” – famous for being skillfully sly and crafty 3. O is bragging trying to impress his host – possibly earning respect B. Ithaca – O’s home – has been gone 20 years 1. faraway 2. beloved home – misses Ithaca terribly C. After Trojan War 1. O and his men – land on Ismarus – Cocones, who are friends of Trojans they kill 72 of Odysseus’s men 2. Lotus Eaters – they don’t want to hurt anyone i. O sends 3 men to find out who lives there – they eat the Lotus ii. If you eat the Lotus, you don’t care about anything – forget about home iii. This is dangerous because O wants to get home to Ithaca iv. O makes the 3 who ate go to the ship and ties them down – O is loyal to his men (indirect characterization) 3. Cyclopes (plural of Cyclops) [Sigh’ cloe peeze] – lines 86ff. i. Cyclopes 1. one-eyed giants – each lives by himself; no community 2. Lawless, reckless – do what they want; uncivilized ii. O watches the Cyclopes sends expedition to find out whether the Cyclopes are friendly or unfriendly O is a brave, smart, cautious leader (indirect characterization) iii. O sees one Cyclops (huge, savage, brute) – like a “shaggy mountain” 1. Takes 12 best fighters – brings a pouch of special wine 2. Cyclops isn’t home, so O and his men explore the house, which is full of animals and cheese – men want to steal food and leave 3. O wants to see Cyclops, so they make an offering, eat, and wait 4. Cyclops comes home and wants to know if they are friends or enemies O tries to scare and impress him to earn respect – asks to be treated nicely Cyclops calls O a ninny (fool) 5. Cyclops asks where O’s ship is, so Cyclops can kill others O lies, saying ship is destroyed hopes to make Cyclops sympathetic 6. Cyclops eats 2 men takes nap; men can’t escape because of boulder in entrance 7. When Cyclops wakes up, he eats two men; then he goes out, leaving boulder blocking the exit The Odyssey – Book Nine - 2 iv. v. vi. vii. viii. ix. x. xi. 8. O prays to Athena O finds a tree makes a stake by sharpening the end, so they can grind it into Cyclop’s eye 9. Cyclops comes home eats 2 more men 10. O gives Cyclops wine by tricking him Cyclops gets drunk and asks O his name O says his name is Nohbdy Cyclops says he will eat Nohbdy last Cyclops is drunk sleeps; he drools (little pieces of men come out) 11. O puts the spear back in the fire, charring and hardening the end he and his 4 men ram it into Cyclops’ eye the eyeball hisses and the roots pop 12. Polyphemus screams and yells for help – “Nohbdy has hurt me; Nohbdy has ruined me” 13. Other Cyclopes reply that if no one is hurting him, then be quiet and leave us alone. 14. Odysseus is pleased with his trickiness Polyphemus tries to trick Odysseus 1. Polyphemus opens cave entrance and feels for men in case they’re trying to escape 2. Odysseus and his men stay far away from Polyphemus 3. Odysseus tells his men to hold onto the bottom of the sheep; they will go out when the sheep go out 4. Odysseus and the men escape and run to the ship 5. The men are sad because of the men who have been eaten. 6. Odysseus says take the sheep and look out toward the sea. Odysseus calls back to the Cyclops, Polyphemus, mocking him, saying that he beat the Cyclops, laughs at him Polyphemus throws a boulder at O’s ship O again mocks him, telling him who he is and where he is from Polyphemus now says: 1. He had been told that a man named Odysseus would come and blind him – Polyphemus expected Odysseus to be some kind of giant, not a small, pitiful man with hwine 2. Tells Odysseus to come back, that he, son of Poseidon, will treat Odysseus well Odysseus yells back that he would take Polyphemus’s life if he could Polyphemus prays to Poseidon: 1. asks that Odysseus never see his home 2. if he is to see his home, make his trip very long and have him lose all his companions The gods hear Polyphemus Polyphemus throws another boulder O makes offering to Zeus Zeus scorns his offering