Greek mythology abounds in heroic figures and monstrous anti-heroes, and Polyphemus, the son of Poseidon, the god of the sea, and the sea nymph Thoosa, is one of the latter. Polyphemus is first described in Homer’s Odyssey as a terrible Cyclops who eats human beings. However, Polyphemus is a complex character, despite this appearance, and later descriptions portray him in a completely different light. Thus, in Theocritus’s “Idyll XI”, Polyphemus is the main comical character, and in Ovid’s Metamorphose, he appears as a tragic antihero. The present paper will analyze the three accounts of Polyphemus. First, it will discuss the manner in which Homer and Theocritus portray Polyphemus in their respective works. Then, it will analyze these versions in an attempt to look at the differences and similarities between them. Finally, the paper will look at Ovid’s own portrayal of the Cyclops and establish how the poet creates Polyphemus as a complex and even tragic character, which combines Homer’s and Theocritus’s accounts and restores Polyphemus’s dignity as a terrible creature, rather than a buffoon.
The first portrayal of Polyphemus is that of a monstrous being whose terrible acts frighten the audience. In the “Odyssey’, Homer describes the Cyclops Polyphemus as a giant who lives on a distant island, in a cave, surrounded by other cyclops. He is described as the strongest of all Cyclops being comparable to a god in this respect (Homer 76-77). Odysseus meets Polyphemus in his journey back to Ithaca when he reaches the Cyclopes’ island. Together with some of his men, he enters the cave, only to find themselves imprisoned. Next is a terrifying description of the way in which the cyclops Polyphemus eats a few of Odysseus’s men: “His hands reached out, seized two of them, and smashed them/ to the ground like puppies. Their brains spattered out/ And oozed into the dirt. He tore them limb from limb/ To make his supper, gulping them down (Homer 280-285). After this occurrence, Odysseus blinds the Cyclops and takes his men out of the cave. In“Idylls 11”, Theocritus envisions Polyphemus in love with Galatea, the sea nymph. He sings songs to her, trying to lure him to his island, out of the sea. Singing makes him feel less despaired and lonely.
In both works, Polyphemus is a monstrous creature with one eye, even though his appearance has different impacts in each. There are several differences between these versions of the mythical character. Homer’s horrible account of the men’s death is meant to make Polyphemus appear as a worthy opponent for the mighty Odysseus. Also, he is easily outwitted by Odysseus not once but twice, which suggests that he is not a smart being. In Theocritus’s “Idylls 11”, Polyphemus becomes a completely different creature. Even though he preserves his main physical characteristics, being the same character, he is portrayed in a more positive tone. He loses his terrible features, and becomes so infatuated with the nymph Galatea that he appears harmless. Considering that he is a giant and brutish monster, his songs and romantic talk may appear comic to the readers. For example, the monster says, “I know how to play the syrinx like no other Cyclops here,/ and about you, my dear sweetie-apple, and also about me, I sing/ often, at all hours of the night (Theocritus 38-40). The Cyclops appears to behave like a teenage boy, singing and calling Galatea his “sweetie-apple”. Later, he also declares that he would allow her to put his soul on fire, and even his eye which he holds dearest. This is also a comic line, because the fire actually refers to passion, but the mention of his eye may allude to Homer’s work, when the Cyclops really lost it. Here however, he offers his eye gladly in return for love.
In Ovid’s “Metamorphoses”, Galatea tells about Polyphemus’s love for her. In this work, Polyphemus is completely devoted to her, but she loves Acis and would not pay any attention to Polyphemus’s love confessions. After spying on them together, Polyphemus turns to being like Homer’s monstrous character, and kills Acis smashing him with a stone.
In this version, Polyphemus takes from Theocritus the idea of the Cyclops in love. In Galatea’s eyes, he is like a buffoon, because he combs his hair and trims his beard and his monstrous features are all gone (Ovid 916-922). However, when hearing the Cyclops’s own complaint about the unreturned love, the audience may feel compassion for him. He is trying to show Galatea that he is a good match for her, due to his richness and might. He asks her, “don’t hate my gifts! I know what I look like” (Ovid 999-1000). This lamentation is almost sympathetic. However, there are certain signs that this Cyclops is not as tame as Theocritus, and under his loving appearance, Homer’s monster is asleep the reference to the bear cubs seems to represent a warning in this respect, because when they grow, bears become deadly. Similarly, when the Cyclops discovers Galatea and Acis together, he becomes as cruel as Homer’s character, and crushes Acis without mercy. However, here, the Cyclops kills out of passion, and therefore, his murder is less monstrous, and seems something a human would do.
Therefore, Ovid’s representation of the Cyclops Polyphemus is the most complex, but also, the most distant from the original image of the monstrous being constructed by Homer. Here, Polyphemus is not a monster, or a buffoon, he is a tragic anti-hero, who is driven by mad love to kill Acis. Ovid is inspired by both Homer and Theocritus, but creates an entirely different character.
Works Cited
Lombardo, Stanley. The Essential Homer. Indianapolis, Indiana: Hackett Publishing Company. 2000. Print.
Lombardo, Stanley. The Essential Metamorphoses. Indianapolis, Indiana: Hackett Publishing Company. 2011. Print.
Trzaskoma, Stephen, Scott Smith, R. and Brunet, Stephen. Anthology of Classical Myth. Indianapolis, Indiana. Hackett Publishing Company. 2004. Print.
