Monsters, Gods, and Magic

The supernatural is always present in this story. Odysseus faces many different monsters and magical dangers on his journey home from the Trojan War. These cannot necessarily be fought with brute strength or skill in fighting, and so Odysseus must use a different kind of heroics in order to win out. He uses his cunning, his resourcefulness, and his clever plans. When all else fails, he relies on sheer endurance to get through. Monsters and magic are not always rational, and it is clear that they have no place in civilized society, in the Greek world. They represent the fear of the unknown, the terrible kinds of people that might live far away, outside the civilized world. They are monstrous because they do not respect the laws of the gods and of society; they do not show hospitality, they eat people, they turn...