Odysseus Vs Polyphemus Essay

In Homer's The Odyssey Odysseus can perceived in many different ways from heroic adventurer to a conniving liar. The same goes for Polyphemus. He is referred to as a ruthless brute in the beginning of book 9, the quotation I will be using is from the end of chapter 9 lines 490-514 and percives him in a different way. Polyphemus is much more than a heartless monster like he is often thought of as. In my opinion Odysseus is more of a monster than Polyphemus. The passage I chose starts out the day after Odysseus leaves and Polyphemus is left in torment in his cave. "As soon as young Dawn with her rose-red fingers shone once more the rams went rumbling out of the cave towards the pasture, the ewes kept bleating round the pens, un milked, their udders about to burst"(9 488-491). Polyphemus's animals represent his loss, they have milk to give bu Polyphemus can not help them because he can not see. His rams run away from him, this shows that Odysseus has taken more than just Polyphemus's sight. The next passage demonstrates polyphemus's human like sympathy towards his beloved sheep. "Their master now, heaving in torment, felt the back of each animal halting before him here"(9 891-893). Polyphemus is in so much pain but yet he is still feeling all of his animals, he seems to have sympathy for them.
" Oh only if you thought like me, had words like me to tell me where that scoundrel is cringing from my rage!"(9 510-511) He is once again relating to his friend the ram wishing they could think and speak alike. He is wishing he could ask hist trusty ram where Odysseus is. Ironically he is hiding under the ram. This is why I think the ram is the last to leave. It wants to help Polyphemus find Odysseus but can not. Polyphemus refers to Odysseus as a scoundrel and wants to know where he is hiding. Odysseus is always coniving and hiding never a man that fights or battles