06/21/2026
The Ancient Philosophy of Brutality in Euripides’ Cyclops.
Euripides explores these questions in the world’s only extant complete satyr play. Euripides’ Cyclops is the only satyr play that has survived intact. We do not know anything about the performance history of this play, or why or even when exactly it was written.
The plot borrows from well-known versions of Odysseus’ encounter with the cyclops Polyphemus.
The plot is simple and brutal, but with comic elements provided by Silenus and the satyrs. The play is perhaps easy to dismiss, but Euripides raises some interesting questions about power and brutality.
The three main characters in the play are Polyphemus, a cyclops; Odysseus, the cunning Homeric hero; and Silenus, the former companion and tutor of Dionysus.
There are also a number of satyrs, described as Silenus’ sons, that act as the chorus. Odysseus’ shipwrecked crew is present, but none have speaking roles and were probably not depicted on stage.
Silenus has a few guises in Greek mythology. Sometimes he is depicted as a drunken man and other times as a satyr-like creature. In Euripides’ Cyclops, he is depicted as an old man. In the play, Silenus is toadying, coarse, sly, and greedy.
He is there for comic effect, as are his sons, the satyrs.
Odysseus is the same character we see in the Odyssey. He uses his cunning to outsmart the cyclops and escape. However, in Euripides’ play, we do not see all of the tricks Odysseus uses in Homer’s story.
Polyphemus is a cyclops. He lives on an island with his cyclops brothers.
They are referenced but not seen. Cyclopes are solitary creatures and self-sufficient.
Polyphemus lives off the sheep, which he forces the satyrs to look after. They were captured and enslaved after becoming shipwrecked on the island.
Polyphemus is brutish but not unintelligent. He believes himself to be superior to the gods by virtue of his brute strength.
The play opens with Silenus outside the cave of Polyphemus, a cyclops. Silenus has a rake in his hand, and he is speaking aloud about his woes. His speech is a convenient piece of exposition that quickly fills the audience in on what is happening.
He calls out to Bromius (another name for Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, fertility, and theater, of whom Silenus was a tutor and companion). We learn that Silenus, along with his children, was shipwrecked after setting off on a quest to find Dionysus, who had fallen foul of Hera.
The island on which they found themselves is occupied by the cyclopes, monstrous one-eyed ogres. They were taken prisoner by Polyphemus and forced to serve him.
This story would have been well known to Euripides’ audience. They would also have recognized the Cyclopes and Polyphemus from The Odyssey.
After Silenus’ speech, we see his children return from tending to Polyphemus’s sheep and hear news of the arrival of a Greek ship. Silenus does not yet know that this is Odysseus’ ship, but the Greek audience would have had no doubt about who had just arrived.
Odysseus and his crew quickly arrive and introduce themselves. We get a bit of backstory and learn more about the cyclopes from Silenus.
One thing that is established is that there is no wine on the island.
The audience would know what a hardship this would be for Silenus! Odysseus promises to share some wine from his ship in return for food.
The wine is exchanged for food, and Silenus is delighted to taste “the drink of Dionysus.” The scene is quite merry as Silenus enjoys his first taste of wine in some time, but suddenly Polyphemus returns home.
Polyphemus is angry and wants to know (a) if all the day’s work has been done, (b) the status of his dinner, and (c) who Odysseus and his crewmates are.
The satyrs reply that Polyphemus’ dinner is ready and that he can have anything he wants. Silenus, lying, claims that the strangers beat him up and attempted to steal Polyphemus’ goods.
He also says that they bragged about capturing Polyphemus and selling him as a slave. In response to this revelation, the cyclops asks for butchering tools and a fire to be prepared. He intends to eat the newcomers.
Odysseus appears and starts talking to Silenus’ sons. We learn that Polyphemus has already slaughtered, butchered, and eaten two of Odysseus’ crewmates.
None of the gruesome details are spared as the horrible fate of these men is recounted. Odysseus says that while the other sailors were huddled together in terror, he was forced to act as the cyclops’ servant during the meal. But while doing so, he formulated a plan.
The wily Greek, known for his cunning, gave Polyphemus some of the wine to drink. Since there is no wine on the island, the cyclops is not accustomed to alcohol and is unaware of its effects.
Odysseus plans to wait until the monster passes out drunk, and then, with the help of Silenus’ sons, he plans to burn out Polyphemus’ single eye with a huge wooden beam, sharpened and glowing red from the fire.
The drunken Polyphemus enters, carrying the wineskin, and tells the others that he is going to visit his brothers, the other cyclopes on the island, to share the drink with them. Obviously, this would ruin the plan, and so Odysseus (and Silenus, who has joined the scene) convinces Polyphemus to keep the wine to himself.
As they sit in the grass basking under the warm sun with Polyphemus drinking wine, the cyclops tells Odysseus he will eat him last as a reward for introducing him to such a fine drink. He asks Odysseus his name, and the cunning Greek tells him it is “Nobody.”
Silenus’ sons readily agree to help: they hate the cyclops as much as Odysseus and, like him, they are desperate to escape the island. Once Polyphemus is blinded or killed, they will all slip away to Odysseus’ boat and make their escape.
Picture: Appliqué with Satyr Walking to Left by an unknown artist, 2nd Century BC.
Source: The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore
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