“I want to find out what those men are like,
Wild savages with no sense of right or wrong
Or hospitable folk who fear the gods.”
The Odyssey, Book IX: Lines 169-171
In Book IX of Homer’s Odyssey, there is emphasis placed on the difference between civilized people and savages. As Odysseus and his crew land upon the island of the Cyclopes, he already has the impression that the Cyclopes are “lawless savages who leave everything up to the gods” (lines 105-106). It is shown to be true that Polyphemus is a savage when he eats several members of his crew after they sneak into his cave. This shows a stark difference in how people have behaved throughout the epic so far, as no one has crossed the line into eating human beings.
However, Polyphemus is not the only savage in this episode. Odysseus and his crew, before landing on the island of the Cyclopes, had just come from pillaging the town of Ismaros. After killing the men, raping the women, and stealing their treasure (or at least allowing his crew to do so), Odysseus cannot exactly be considered perfectly civilized. In this sense Odysseus is both the civilized and the savage, because he exhibits traits of both at different points of the story. Odysseus’ savagery is also shown when he deliberately goes out looking for a Cyclops and also seemingly looking to cause trouble, as Polyphemus points out when questioning Odysseus and his crew as to their business there. He deducts that they are “pirates probably, roaming around causing people trouble” (lines 247-248). This is true in a sense because they have caused trouble in the last two places they’ve been. It also shows that Odysseus is being a bad guest, regardless of if Polyphemus is being a bad host, which is very important in Greek culture and civilization.
It is also worth noting the irony in Odysseus’ statement (mentioned earlier), about savages leaving everything up to the gods. This is ironic because Odysseus’ path and his current predicament is almost entirely based on the gods’ (particularly Poseidon’s) wills. At this point in the story Odysseus has very little control over his own fate, so if he were to leave everything up to the gods, like a “lawless savage”, not much would be different. Therefore, having everything decided by the gods is not necessarily a trait of savages, as an individual’s decisions and wills mean little when the gods will interfere anyway.
This is excellent. I really appreciate your comparison of Odysseus and his man to Polyphemus. I had not given much thought to the savagery of Odysseus. Throughout most of my reading, I had perceived him as a hero and, at the very least, as an innocent protagonist. But your reading is certainly bringing to light another perspective. Further, it brings to mind the end of book IX when Odysseus and his crew swiftly escape. They board the ship and began sailing way. Odysseus is yelling things to the now blinded Polyphemus who proceeds to throw giant rocks at their boat. Odysseus’s crew members say to him, “Why provoke the savage to anger in this stubborn way? The rock he threw into the sea just now drove the ship back on shore, and we thought we were done for. If he had been able to hear us speak but a word, he would have hurled another jagged stone, and crushed our heads and the ship’s timbers with the power of his throw.” Odysseus is so overcome by anger, frustration, and excitement (for having escaped) that he almost causes the savage to savagely destroy them all.
You analyze a breakdown between the civilized and the barbaric in a seamless way, an approach that I believe can be followed throughout the book.
This is great, Alex-Nicole. I am very impressed. I, too, was struck this time through with Odysseus’ occasional (to us, very serious) lapses from typical ‘guest’ behavior–he is warlike in peaceful places, greedy when he should be humble, including when he first arrives at Polyphemus cave. Does he CHANGE, over the course of these books?