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The Daily Insight

Why is Polyphemus blinded

Author

Mia Kelly

Published Feb 15, 2026

The Greeks gave Polyphemus undiluted wine to drink, causing the giant to become drowsy. When asked for his name, Odysseus told the giant that he was called Nobody. Eventually, the cyclops fell asleep. The Greeks then proceeded to sharpen a large stake, which they drove into the cyclops’ single eye, blinding him.

Why did Odysseus poke Polyphemus eye out?

Polyphemus, the Greek mythological one-eyed giant, had the bad habit of eating Odysseus’s men, and threatened to eat Odysseus as well. Odysseus out-maneuvered the giant by getting him drunk and then poking his eye out with a sharp stick …. and then his men were able to escape.

Why did Odysseus blind Polyphemus instead of killing him?

Polyphemus says that he’ll eat Odysseus last. Why does Odysseus blind Polyphemus rather than kill him? … To ensure that the man is really Odysseus because he is the only one who knows everything about their bed.

How did Polyphemus get drunk?

Polyphemus, who had never drunk wine before, drank his fill and became very drunk. Thanking Odyssesus, Polyphemus asked him his name. Odysseus told him his name was “No man”. The Cyclops then fell fast asleep in a drunken sleep.

Why did Odysseus blinded Poseidon's son?

In order to seek shelter, Odysseus and his crew were shipwrecked on a mysterious island. … When he fell asleep, Odysseus blinded him before he and his remaining crew members snuck out. Poseidon was justifiably not happy to learn that his son had suffered in this way, which made him hate Odysseus even more.

Who blinded Polyphemus?

Odysseus at length succeeded in making Polyphemus drunk, blinded him by plunging a burning stake into his eye while he lay asleep, and, with six of his friends (the others having been devoured by Polyphemus), made his escape by clinging to the bellies of the sheep let out to pasture.

How does Odysseus wound Polyphemus?

How is Odysseus able to wound Polyphemus? … When Polyphemus returns to the cave with his flock, Odysseus offers him the potent wine he has brought along. Polyphemus drinks it and falls into a stupor. Then the men heat the point of the log and drive it into his eye while he sleeps.

Why did Odysseus tell Polyphemus his real name?

Q: Why does Odysseus tell the Cyclops his name is Nobody? Odysseus tells the Cyclops his name is Nobody as he knows that when he attacks, the Cyclops will cry out and be asked by other Cyclopes if it needs help. Of course, the Cyclops replies that “nobody” is bothering or killing it.

Why do some Cyclopes not help Polyphemus?

5. The Cyclops’ name is Polyphemus. The other Cyclopes don’t help him because he says “Nohbdy” is hurting him (A trick by Odysseus). 6.

What does Odysseus stab Polyphemus with?

Explain what Odysseus did to the Cyclops. Odysseus and 4 other men stabbed Polyphemus’ eye with the spear they made, piercing and boiling his eyelid and eye.

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What is the first villainous thing the Cyclops does?

What is the first villainous thing the Cyclops does? He eats some men. Why doesn’t Odysseus kill the Cyclops when he has a chance? He’s not strong enough to open the stupid door.

Who killed Cyclops?

Apollo slew the one-eyed race of giants, the Cyclops, because they had provided Zeus with the thunderbolts which killed his son, Aesculapius.

What does Odysseus blind Polyphemus quizlet?

When we meet Odysseus on Calypso’s, he has been held captive there for 7 years, and he is there without his men. How do Odysseus and his men blind Polyphemus? They strike him in the eye with a charred spike.

Is Odysseus drunk?

Odysseus thus devises and executes a plan. The next day, while Polyphemus is outside pasturing his sheep, Odysseus finds a wooden staff in the cave and hardens it in the fire. When Polyphemus returns, Odysseus gets him drunk on wine that he brought along from the ship.

Does Artemis hate Hades?

Artemis doesn’t hate Hades, nor did she ever interact with him in her myths.

Who is the Neptune God?

Neptune, Latin Neptunus, in Roman religion, originally the god of fresh water; by 399 bce he was identified with the Greek Poseidon and thus became a deity of the sea. His female counterpart, Salacia, was perhaps originally a goddess of leaping springwater, subsequently equated with the Greek Amphitrite.

What is the name of Zeus's wife?

Zeus was well known for his amorousness—a source of perpetual discord with his wife, Hera—and he had many love affairs with both mortal and immortal women.

How did Odysseus outwit Polyphemus at the end?

How does Odysseus escape Polyphemus? The cyclops Polyphemus traps Odysseus and his men in a cave, behind an enormous rock. … Next, he gives the cyclops wine to get him drunk, and he tells the cyclops his name is “Nobody.” When the cyclops falls asleep, Odysseus blinds him with the hardened stake.

What happens after Polyphemus finds Odysseus and his men in his cave?

What happens when Polyphemus finds Odysseus and his men in the cave? … They stab Polyphemus in the eye and they plan to latch onto the sheep’s wool the next morning knowing the cyclops will have to let the sheep out.

How do you escape the cave of Polyphemus?

Odysseus’s plan is to make a stake from a six foot section of an olive tree. The men will hew (hack) the wood so it has a pointed end and toughen it in the fire. When the Cyclops falls asleep, Odysseus and his men will ram the stake into the Cyclops’s one eye. The blinded Cyclops will not then see the men escape.

Are Polyphemus siblings?

Polyphemus was one of the many children born to Poseidon, and to Thoosa the daughter of the primordial sea-god Phorcys. Polyphemus and his brothers are not to be confused with the three Cyclopes that were born to Uranus and Gaia, along with their 12 Titan siblings.

Who are Cyclops friends Greek mythology?

Originally, there were three of them: Arges, Steropes, and Brontes; capable blacksmiths, these were the sons of Uranus and Gaea and the brothers of the Hecatoncheires and the Titans.

What did Polyphemus eat for supper and breakfast?

What does Polyphemus have for supper and breakfast? Polyphemus eats Odysseus’ men for supper and breakfast. 2 men and milk or whey. Why don’t the men escape during the day?

What did Cyclops eat for dinner?

Odysseus recounts that when the Cyclops comes home, he brings with him a great load of wood, “for his dinner.” The word I have translated “for his dinner” is odd; it occurs only 4 times in extant Greek, and only twice in Homer.

What curse did Poseidon put on Odysseus?

For this, Poseidon punished Odysseus with what turned out to be a ten year journey home to Ithaca. Further insults against Poseidon complicated this journey. One insult includes the blinding of the Cyclops Polyphemus, who was the son of Poseidon. For this, Poseidon vowed Odysseus would never see his home.

Why is it ironic that Polyphemus says he will eat Nobody last?

There is also some wordplay going on as a result of Odysseus telling Polyphemus that his name is actually “Nobody.” Unbeknownst to the Cyclops (hence, the dramatic irony identified by the other commenter), this isn’t Odysseus’s real name, and so his assertion that he will eat Nobody last could be considered ironic; he

Who knows the beggar's true identity before he touches the bow?

Name the type of irony that is used when the suitors say, “see how he handles it, the old sly buzzard!” (1183). Verbal Irony. Who knows the beggar’s true identity before he touches the bow? Telemachus and Eurycleia.

Who did Odysseus stab in the eye?

On this vase, Odysseus’ companions are preparing the stake they will use to stab the Cyclops’ eye. On the right you can see two satyrs, whose presence indicates the role of wine in making Polyphemus drunk.

Why did Odysseus men open the bag from aiolos?

Aeolus presents Odysseus with a bag containing all of the winds, and he stirs up a westerly wind to guide Odysseus and his crew home. Within ten days, they are in sight of Ithaca, but Odysseus’s shipmates, who think that Aeolus has secretly given Odysseus a fortune in gold and silver, tear the bag open.

What mistake does Odysseus make in Book 10?

Odysseus makes the mistake of telling Polyphemus his real name and he makes the mistake of taunting the cyclops. The result of the taunting conducted by Odysseus was rocks being hurled his way by Polyphemus. The result of him yelling his name at Polyphemus is Polyphemus praying to his father Poseidon to curse Odysseus.

How heavy was the door of the Cyclops cave?

When eaten, the Lotus makes you never want to leave a place. How heavy is the door of the Cyclops’ cave? The door was incredibly heavy (weighed tons).