polyphemus: barbarian or victim?
Prof. Giannopoulou's lectures have been fascinating. She takes what seems on the surface like a simple text and delves deeper, looking at multiple sides of the story.
I think the most memorable part of her lectures was when Professor Ginnapolou took us, the readers, out of Odysseus' narrative and utilized a new third-party point of view to humanize Polyphemus and even make us feel pity for him. By deconstructing Odysseus' rationalizations and focusing on the facts of the narrative, we obtain insights that breaks the illusion of the simple villain/hero dichotomy and gain an entirely new perspective.
Initially a lawless brute who violates xenia, thus ensuring his downfall, the second part of the lecture series, Deconstructing Odysseus, gives us a fresh look at Polyphemus. Not only is Polyphemus capable of feeling love (see: his one-sided yearning for the sea nymph Galatea), he seems to treat his rams with affection and maintain neighborly ties with the other Cyclopes.
Moreover, he may even be the victim in this scenario: after all, Odysseus was the one to first enter his home unannounced, steal his food, and use wine to lull him into a drug-induced stupor. For all of Polyphemus' failings as a host, Odysseus isn't exactly an ideal guest, either.
Polyphème et Galatée s'enlaçant. Polyphemus and Galatea kissing.
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Ultimately, whether Polyphemus is a lawless barbarian or a victim of Odysseus' clever attacks comes down to framing, narrative, and strategic storytelling. There is a limit to how much we as readers can keep an entirely objective third-party point of view because we are seeing the world and the events through Odysseus' eyes. However, there is always more than what meets the eye and always multiple sides to a story.
This is the power of rhetoric: it makes us take sides. Believing Odysseus' narrative is as natural as breathing because it is easy to take the events of the story at face value and leave it at that. Going deeper and seeing the other side is much harder. Depending on which angle you view the story from, Polyphemus can be the host from hell who deserved what was coming to him-- or he can be the pitiful victim who was one-sidedly attacked by Odysseus and his men. This is precisely why philosophers like Plato encourage us to seek and love the Truth: so that we can see past rhetoric and expand our ability to think critically.