By far, my favorite book of the Odyssey is when Odysseus faces the Cyclops. This is where I feel Odysseus really shows off the cunning he will need later on. Despite his reckless and often dangerous behavior, he is fully capable of thinking his way out of a bind quickly. When Polyphemus is given wine and asks for Odysseus' name, he responds with "Nobody-that's my name. Nobody- so my mother and father call me, all my friends." (Book 9, Line 410) Odysseus has thought this out, planning their escape out to the detail. By giving his name as Nobody, he has created an illusion for the other Cyclopes on the island. Upon blinding Polyphemus and sneaking away from his cave, Polyphemus cries out that Nobody has blinded him, which the other Cyclopes takes to mean that nothing is wrong. I feel this is where Odysseus' first shines as a clever thinker as well as a great warrior.
I commented on Natalie Shuler's blog.
I was a bit surprised when i read this portion of the book in all honesty. He was very clever to use the the name "Nobody" and it sure worked out for him the end, but I'm curious to know how he forsaw the problem in the first place. How did he know the cyclops was going to call out specifically, "Nobody is hurting me"? Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteThat very well could have been an example of the "gods" being on his side. Many times they make references equating good things happening to a god guiding them. Possibly this cunning and charm came through the "gods" in some fashion.
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