Source edition
Euripides. Euripidis Fabulae, Vol. I. Murray, Gilbert, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1902.
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This work is the only surviving complete satyr play from ancient Greece, based on the famous episode of the one-eyed giant Cyclops (Polyphemus) from Homer's "Odyssey". Set at the foot of Mount Etna, the story begins when the shipwrecked Odysseus and his crew arrive at the island where Silenus and the chorus of satyrs are enslaved by the giant. Odysseus attempts to trade wine for provisions, but the returning Cyclops, who rejects the laws of the gods, imprisons the Greeks and devours some of his men. Facing grave danger, Odysseus devises a cunning plan to intoxicate the monster with fine wine and blind his single eye with a heated olive stake. Despite the comical cowardice and shifting loyalties of Silenus and the satyrs, Odysseus successfully executes his plot using the famous "Nobody" pseudonym trick. In the end, Odysseus reveals his true identity and escapes the island, leading the newly freed satyrs away in a triumphant and lively conclusion.