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Analyzing Odysseus The Cyclops In Homer's The Odyssey

377 Words2 Pages

During the episode of “The Cyclops” in epic The Odyssey, Odysseus falls prey to several of the eight Greek evil thoughts. His pride, boasting, and greed make his character evil because of the way the Greeks used to believe. Odysseus decides to roam the cave that Polyphemus lives, and tries to take the Cyclops’ food; Polyphemus then eats two of Odysseus’ men on the spot and decides to imprison Odysseus. Odysseus then develops a plan to mess with the Polyphemus because he is the son of Poseidon, and Odysseus believes that hassling the son of Poseidon, Zeus’ brother that does not like Zeus, he would be doing Zeus a favor. Odysseus portrays 3 of the 8 Greek Evil Thoughts of Philargyria (greed), Hyperephania (pride), and Kendoxia (boasting). …show more content…

The story states, “It is Odysseus’s famed curiosity that leads him to the Cyclops’s cave and that makes him wait on the barbaric creature,” (The Cyclops.). Odysseus’s curiosity is a show of greed or Philargyria because he went into the cave for himself with no thought of others. Odysseus displays pride when he speaks to the Cyclops. Odysseus exclaims “If I could take your life I would and take your time away and hurl you down to hell,” (525-526). Odysseus declares that he could kill Polyphemus and send him to hell, which presents his voice with arrogance because he feels as though he is strong enough to kill a giant Cyclops, that is the son of the god Poseidon. The last evil thought that Odysseus portrays is kenodoxia or boasting. When Odysseus announced to Polyphemus, “grant that Odysseus, raider of cities, never see his home: Laertes’ son, I mean who kept his hall on Ithaca,” (531-533). Odysseus is boasting that Polyphemus could not hold him captive and will not find him, so he tells the Cyclops where he

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