Cyclops: The Cyclopes were brutish giants with one eye who lived
in caverns and fed on human flesh, if the opportunity offered. Lowell
is recalling in these lines the adventure of Ulysses with the Cyclops,
in the ninth book of Homer's _Odyssey_.
The Annotated Edition
Cyclops: The Cyclopes were brutish giants with one eye who lived by James Russell Lowell
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This poem by James Russell Lowell revisits the well-known scene from Homer's *Odyssey*, where the hero Ulysses (Odysseus) cleverly outsmarts the Cyclops, Polyphemus.
- Core theme
- Courage
§01Quick summary
What this poem is about
This poem by James Russell Lowell revisits the well-known scene from Homer's *Odyssey*, where the hero Ulysses (Odysseus) cleverly outsmarts the Cyclops, Polyphemus. Lowell uses this myth to delve into themes of intelligence triumphing over sheer strength and the threats that exist in a chaotic world. It's a retelling that highlights how cleverness and bravery can prevail, even when faced with daunting challenges.
§02Themes
Recurring themes
§03Line by line
Stanza by stanza, with notes
in caverns and fed on human flesh, if the opportunity offered.
Editor's note
Lowell begins by immersing the reader in the mythological realm of the Cyclopes—massive, brutal beings who dwell in dark caves away from civilization and have no qualms about devouring humans. This establishes a setting where sheer power prevails and human life holds little worth, highlighting the significance of Ulysses' eventual escape.
§04Tone & mood
How this poem feels
The tone is both epic and straightforward, reflecting the calm confidence of someone recounting a familiar adventure without exaggeration. There’s a hint of dark humor in the casual mention of the Cyclops's cannibalism, echoing Homer’s own unflinching approach to horror in the *Odyssey*.
§05Symbols & metaphors
Symbols & metaphors
- The Cyclops's single eye
- The single eye symbolizes a limited, brutish way of seeing — the Cyclops can see in a physical sense but lacks awareness of cleverness, strategy, and the vastness of human creativity. It perfectly embodies power devoid of wisdom.
- The cavern
- The cave represents the chaotic world beyond the structured human society. It embodies darkness, danger, and lawlessness — everything that contrasts with the safety and comfort of the hearth and home that Ulysses seeks to return to.
- Human flesh as food
- Cannibalism here identifies the Cyclops as the ultimate outsider to civilization. Eating people is the most severe breach of the sacred guest-friendship (*xenia*) in ancient Greek culture, turning the monster into a symbol of everything that endangers the social order.
§06Historical context
Historical context
James Russell Lowell (1819–1891) was a prominent American poet and intellectual in the nineteenth century, known for his connections to the New England literary scene alongside figures like Longfellow and Holmes. He wrote extensively on classical themes during a time when a solid understanding of Greek and Latin literature was viewed as essential for an educated individual. This poem references Book IX of Homer's *Odyssey*, where Ulysses and his crew find themselves trapped in the cave of Polyphemus, a Cyclops and son of Poseidon. Ulysses manages to blind the giant with a sharpened stake and escapes by hiding under the bellies of the sheep. This episode is one of the most retold tales in Western literature, and Lowell's revisit of it showcases the nineteenth-century American fascination with classical myths as a means to delve into themes of bravery, cleverness, and the ongoing battle between civilization and barbarism.
§07FAQ
Questions readers ask
It’s a poetic retelling of the Cyclops episode from Homer’s *Odyssey*, Book IX, where the Greek hero Ulysses (the Roman name for Odysseus) meets Polyphemus, a one-eyed giant who captures him and his crew in a cave and begins to eat them. Ulysses cleverly blinds the Cyclops to make his escape.
The Cyclopes were a race of giant beings with a single eye. In Homer's *Odyssey*, they are depicted as lawless shepherds who inhabit caves, lack any form of government or social customs, and show no regard for treating strangers with respect—this sharply contrasts with the Greek ideal of hospitality. Polyphemus is the most well-known among them.
Nineteenth-century American poets often drew on classical mythology to delve into enduring themes. The tale of the Cyclops illustrates the clash between raw power and human intellect, a concept that deeply resonated with Lowell's time, which valued reason and civilization.
The Cyclops embodies sheer, mindless power—strength devoid of wisdom or morality. His single eye hints at a narrow, one-dimensional perspective on the world. He epitomizes everything that civilization, law, and reason aim to shield people from.
It directly references Book IX of the *Odyssey*, one of the most well-known episodes in ancient literature. Rather than retelling the entire story, Lowell uses the myth as a lens, confident that his educated readers from the nineteenth century would be familiar with the source material.
The main themes include courage, the fight for survival, and the conflict between civilization, shown through Ulysses' cleverness, and barbarism, embodied by the Cyclops. Additionally, there's a persistent theme of mortality — Ulysses' men are literally being consumed, and their survival is always in doubt.
Absolutely. It pairs nicely with a reading of Book IX of the *Odyssey* and allows students to explore how a nineteenth-century American poet interacted with ancient texts. Comparing Lowell's approach to Homer's original opens up a valuable discussion about how myths are retold over time.
Lowell is associated with the Fireside Poets, a group of New England writers that includes Longfellow, Whittier, Holmes, and Bryant. This group was influential in American poetry during the mid-to-late nineteenth century. Their work featured formal, approachable styles and frequently explored themes from history, mythology, and morality.
Citation
Cite this poem
MLA
Lowell, James Russell. "Cyclops: The Cyclopes were brutish giants with one eye who lived." Storgy, https://storgy.com/poems/cyclops-the-cyclopes-were-brutish-giants-with-one-eye-who-lived-james-russell-lowell/.
APA
Lowell, J. R. (n.d.). Cyclops: the cyclopes were brutish giants with one eye who lived. Storgy. https://storgy.com/poems/cyclops-the-cyclopes-were-brutish-giants-with-one-eye-who-lived-james-russell-lowell/
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