Odysseus really shows his cleverness when he thinks to tell Polyphemus, the Cyclops, that his name is "Nobody." He determines, early on, that it would not behoove him and his men to kill the one-eyed monster because then there would be no one capable of moving the great stone from the mouth of the cave. Odysseus forms a new plan to get the Cyclops very drunk, wait until he passes out, and then drive an olive stake through his eye. This plan alone is pretty clever, as it debilitates the monster so that he won't be able to see the men, making it much harder to catch them, but it doesn't destroy his ability to move the stone. Moreover, telling Polyphemus that his name is "Nobody" means that when the other Cyclopes come to check on him after they hear him screaming, he can tell them that "Nobody is hurting [him]," and they will leave. It's pretty clever.
No comments:
Post a Comment