The Cyclops by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Driven to Sicily by storms, Ulysses seeks food and water and trades wine with Silenus, who serves Polypheme alongside his enslaved satyr sons. After Polypheme kills and eats two companions, Ulysses gets him drunk, gives his name as Nobody, and blinds him with a burning stake using his own comrades' help when the satyrs refuse. Ulysses reveals his name and heads toward the shore, while the satyrs declare themselves his shipmates and Polypheme threatens to crush the fugitives with a stone.
By Percy Bysshe Shelley · Genre: Classical Literature, Drama, Mythology · 9,362 words
First lines
SILENUS. / ULYSSES. / CHORUS OF SATYRS. / THE CYCLOPS.
Genres
- Classical Literature — The opening identifies the work as a satyric drama translated from Euripides, with Ulysses, Silenus, a chorus of satyrs, and the Cyclops as its characters.
- Drama — Named speakers exchange dialogue, the satyr chorus sings, and stage directions mark changes in the characters present.
- Mythology — Ulysses blinds Polypheme after the giant eats two of his companions; enslaved satyrs join the escape, and Ulysses appeals to Pallas and Jupiter for help.
Tags
satyr play · wine · cannibalism · deception · escape · mythology · drama · blinding
What this Textopian page supports
The Cyclops is listed on Textopian as a play by Percy Bysshe Shelley, dated Date unknown.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Play
- Author: Percy Bysshe Shelley
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Classical Literature, Drama, Mythology
- Length: 9,362 words
- Structure: 1 section, 248 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Cyclops by Percy Bysshe Shelley
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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