Cyclops

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The Cyclops ( Greek  Κύκλωψ , German The Cyclops ) by Euripides is the only completely preserved ancient satyr play . The dating of the work is controversial; it was probably between 411 and 408 BC. Have been written. Besides the Cyclops , the Ichneutai by Sophocles are the only other ancient satyr play that has survived only in fragments.

action

It tells the story of the meeting of Odysseus and Polyphemus . Homer's Odyssey serves as a template and is referred to again and again with irony.

In the prologue , Silenus , the eldest of the satyrs , tells that he was shipwrecked in search of Dionysus and that he was found on the island of the Cyclops . Here he and the satyrs eke out their lives as servants of Polyphemus. One day Odysseus and his companions stranded on the island and asked the Silenus if he could sell them food in exchange for wine. After a short wine tasting, he immediately agrees and goes into the Cyclops cave to fetch lambs and cheese.

When he comes back and wants to make the deal, Polyphemus appears and immediately accuses Odysseus of theft. The Silenus hits Odysseus in the back and confirms this statement. There follows a duel between Polyphemus and Odysseus, whereupon Odysseus and his companions are led into the cave. Soon Odysseus comes out of the cave and tells that two of the companions had been eaten. There is a difference here from the Homeric episode. In the Odyssey , the Cyclops had closed the cave with a stone so that no one could escape. Euripides had to drop this motif, however, as the whole satyr play takes place in front of the cave and the viewer cannot see what is going on in the cave.

Odysseus now forges a plan of revenge together with the satyrs. He wants to get the Cyclops drunk and then blind him. At first the satyrs approve cheerfully, but when Odysseus calls them to action, they pinch. Odysseus nevertheless manages to blind the Cyclops. When the companions flee, the choir of satyrs helps at least to lead the Cyclops astray. The Companions can flee, and Polyphemus curses them for wandering the seas for years.

literature

Issues and comments
  • Euripides: Cyclops . ed., with introduction and commentary by Richard AS Seaford, Clarendon Paperbacks, Oxford 1988.
  • Werner Biehl: Euripides Kyklops (Scientific Commentaries on Greek and Latin Writers). Winter, Heidelberg 1986, ISBN 3-533-03708-8 .
Secondary literature

Web links