Monster and Hero?: Rethinking Polyphemos and Odysseus in Homer’s Odyssey

Pratt, Kim Emmerson (2023). Monster and Hero?: Rethinking Polyphemos and Odysseus in Homer’s Odyssey. Limina: A Journal of Historical and Cultural Studies, 28(2) pp. 31–42.

URL: https://www.limina.arts.uwa.edu.au/__data/assets/p...

Abstract

In this article I will challenge the supposed binaries between monster and hero by offering a new reading of the Odyssey which invites us to rethink the monstrosity of one of Homer’s most memorable monsters, the Cyclops Polyphemos, and the monstrosity of the poem’s eponymous hero, Odysseus. While most definitions of the word monster have negative connotations usually referring to appearance, it can also be related to behaviour. By drawing on Cohen’s Seven Theses as set out in his book Monster Theory and comparing the behaviour of both the supposed ‘monster,’ Polyphemos and his antagonist hero, Odysseus, I will show through selected examples from the text that a close reading of the Odyssey reveals signs of ambiguity and ambivalence towards both characters – breaking down the binaries between the two and creating a more sympathetic understanding of the ancient Cyclops

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