I picked lines 360-365 from Book IX.
Before Odysseus speaks the lines that I’ve chosen, he has gotten himself trapped inside a cave with a Cyclops named Polyphemus after being curious about the way these individuals treat “guests”. The Cyclops has already feasted on some of Odysseus’ men who came along with him off the boat. Odysseus once again proves how wise he is and presents the Cyclops with wine and after three bowls of wine, the Cyclops begins to feel the effects of the alcohol, of which he has consumed “every last, sweet drop”. After being asked his name, Odysseus responds using what seems to me to be a non-threatening, tranquil tone despite having recently witnessed the Cyclops devour two of his men. Odysseus is trying to not enrage the Cyclops, especially one who is inebriated, as he tries to figure out how he can escape and not have to suffer the same fate that his other two men did. He says “my glorious name” and mentions that his mother, father, and all his friends call him the name he says, which made me wonder whether he’s trying to show or present the idea that he’s not just a simple commoner from any place.
In this passage and immediate scene, Odysseus does not reveal his name or boast about his identity but instead, he says that his name is Noman. Noman, as mentioned in the footnotes, sounds like Odysseus in Greek. This, as we’ve previously mentioned and discussed in class, is not the first time that Odysseus has not revealed his name. In Lord Alcinous’ home, Odysseus does not reveal his name and identity for a while. He arrives at Alcinous home, pleading for help in returning home, and is taken in by this generous family. He is given a bath, fed, respected, and even offered Lord Alcinous’s daughter’s hand in marriage, as well as wealth, all without having given up his name to his hosts. As a guest, Odysseus has seemed to prefer not revealing who he truly is for a certain time. He does so this time, but not through the way he previously did at Lord Alcinous’ home, but by giving a false name that sounds like his own. This is perhaps another testament of how wise Odysseus is. Revealing his true name in this case, a name that is known by others, would have potentially made things more dangerous and would have put his life at further risk.
The tone of Odysseus’s saying to Cyclops was not afraid of the giant and comfort, so that makes cyclops take some wine and food comfortable, and get sleep. If the tone of him was uncomfortable, Cyclops could be not deceived from his trick, even if his saying was make sense.
This happened to be one of my favorite scenes in the book because it actually made me laugh out loud. As well as the audience is able to truly see the speed of Odysseus’ cunning abilities. Under the stress of seeing his comrades savagely eaten, he didn’t allow the fear to cloud his mind. Instead an eerie calm settles over him and he is able to think several steps ahead. At first I wondered why he chose to tell the cyclops his name was Noman, but after stabbing The Cyclops in the eye, Odysseus had already anticipated his neighbors coming to investigate. So when they asked who is harming you? To which the Cyclops answered no man is killing me. I had to step back and realize this is the true power of Zeus born Odysseus.
This is a thoughtful and well-written post. I am particularly struck, here, by your brief analysis of the speech’s tone. “Tranquil” is a great word for it–he presents himself as very calm, and acts as though the horrors he has just witnessed are nothing out of the ordinary. In so doing, he maintains the fiction that he and Polyphemous are participating in a proper guest-host relationship, marked not only by the exchange of gifts and stories, but by calm and courteous speech. As a reader, I wanted to hear more about his invocation of his father, mother, and home–are these just standard elements of this kind of self-declaration, or is Odysseus quietly importing some of his real sense of self, and pride in his origins, even as he tells a lie about his name? Is there a veiled sort of truth to that lie, perhaps encapsulated in the echo between “Noman” and Odysseus in the Greek? (Maybe comparing this passage to others like it–moments when he really DOES reveal himself–would be a way to begin answering this question, and the questions you raise at the end of paragraph one. I’m thinking, here, not just of his revelation of himself to Alcionous, but some moments coming up in the later books, when he reveals his identity on Ithaca).
I think your comparison of this moment to the long period in which he does not reveal his name to the Phaeacians is correct, and revelatory. I’d like to hear more, though, on the differences between these two decisions to conceal himself. With the Cyclopes, he is very clearly protecting himself from obvious danger (though as Tiannis points out, just how strong this strategy is does not become clear til later). With Alcinous & co., there seem to be a slightly different set of motives–perhaps also wise or cunning, but not quite motivated by the same level of fear.
Strong work overall.
Prof Kolb