Metamorphoses
Metamorphoses
by Ovid

The Cyclops Character Analysis

The Cyclops is a giant creature with one eye. He falls in love with Galatea and tries to seduce her by trimming his beard and gathering animals for her. Despite the Cyclops’ professions of love, Galatea rejects him for Acis. Angry and envious, the Cyclops chases Galatea and Acis and tries to crush Acis by throwing a mountain at him.

The Cyclops Quotes in Metamorphoses

The Metamorphoses quotes below are all either spoken by The Cyclops or refer to The Cyclops . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Metamorphosis Theme Icon
).

Book 15: Pythagoras Quotes

The earth supplies nourishing food in lavish
abundance; she offers you feasts that demand no slaughter or bloodshed.
[…]
Here is the wondrous wealth which the earth, the kindest of mothers,
produces; and yet you are happy to bite cruel wounds in your victims,
chomping them up with your teeth in the grisly style of the cyclops.
You have no way of relieving the hunger-pangs of your greedy,
uncivilized bellies except by destroying the life of another.

Related Characters: Pythagoras (speaker), The Cyclops
Page Number and Citation: 81
Explanation and Analysis:
This quote is a passage from Pythagoras’s speech in which he urges people to stop eating meat. Pythagoras describes the earth as “the kindest of mothers” because she willingly offers an abundance of food to human beings, laying a generous feast out of sheer goodwill towards humanity. Pythagoras points out that, since these feasts are so “wondrous” and “abundant,” it is insupportable that humans start killing animals to eat. Since the earth willingly offers this “wondrous wealth,” no one needs to slaughter or shed blood in order to feed themselves. Whereas eating a diet of fruits, vegetables, and dairy is Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magn
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The Cyclops Character Timeline in Metamorphoses

The timeline below shows where the character The Cyclops appears in Metamorphoses. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Book 13: Acis, Galatea and Plyphemus
Love and Destruction Theme Icon
...story: Galatea is in love with Acis, the teenage son of a woodland nymph. Meanwhile, the Cyclops , a giant creature with one eye, falls in love with her and stubbornly pursues... (full context)
Love and Destruction Theme Icon
The Cyclops climbs to a high cliff over the sea, neglecting his herd of sheep. He pulls... (full context)
Love and Destruction Theme Icon
The Cyclops calls to Galatea in his song, asking her to emerge from the water and live... (full context)
Love and Destruction Theme Icon
The Cyclops finishes his song, then lumbers away through the woods. Suddenly, he notices Galatea and Acis... (full context)
Book 14: Achaemenides’ Story: Ulysses’ Men in Polyphemus’ Cave
Time, Fate, and Poetry  Theme Icon
...the Greeks had sailed away, Achaemenides wanted to call after them, but he was afraid the Cyclops , who was wandering nearby, would hear him and kill him. The Cyclops tore through... (full context)
Gods and Humans Theme Icon
Achaemenides was afraid the Cyclops would eat him, just as he ate several of the Greeks before they managed to... (full context)
Book 14: Macareus’ Story: Ulysses and Circe
Metamorphosis Theme Icon
Gods and Humans Theme Icon
Wary after their encounters with the Cyclops and King Antiphates, only a small group of Greeks went to Circe’s palace. A pack... (full context)