Question

How did Ulysses prove that “manly wisdom excels brutish force”?

Answer 1

Instead of directly attacking the Cyclop, Ulysses selected a stake from the pile of woods that the Cyclop had collected. He sharpened and hardened the stake in fire. After this, Ulysses instructed his men to attack the Cyclop with the heated edge of the stake once the Cyclop felt drowsy after drinking the wine.

After the Cyclops returned, Ulysses offered him Greek wine and told the Cyclop that his name was Noman. On drinking the Grecian wine, the Cyclop fell asleep and Greeks acted on Ulysses' instructions. When the Cyclop called out for help, his fellow Cyclops demanded who had hurt him. In answer to this the Cyclop replied that he had been hurt by Noman. Since, the Cyclops couldn't understand that Noman was the name of the person who had attacked Polyphemus, they left him alone. This helped Ulysses accomplish the first step towards escaping the island with the Cyclop's sheep. Hence, this proves that manly wisdom excels brutish force.