The third and final lesson Odysseus learned is patience. When Odysseus and his men reach the island of the Cyclopes, they take shelter in a cave. In there, they find an assortment of delicacies, including blocks of cheese. That’s when the owner of the cave, the Cyclops Polyphemus, shows up.
There he brutally eats two of Odysseus’ companions. The huge stone door, is impossible for a mortal to open. With no way out, they’re doomed.
That is, until Odysseus, being a good leader, which is a trait of an epic hero, comes up with a plan. They offer Polyphemus bowls of wine with nectar and ambrosia. The cyclops is now in a drunken slumber. Meanwhile, the next day, Odysseus and his shipmates fashion a crude wooden stake and blind Polyphemus.
Polyphemus immediately awakens, with agonizing pain. He then opens the prodigious stone door, allowing both his rams and ewes, plus Odysseus and his men to escape. Patience is one lesson Odysseus learned. If Odysseus and his crew killed Polyphemus, they would have no way out since Polyphemus was the only person strong enough to open the hulking, colossal stone door. With Odysseus’ quick reactions and smart wit, they were able to escape the island.
