Circe In Homer's Odyssey

Words: 760

Pages: 4

Open Document

Come join me on my magical island to experience the wonders of the redoubtable and awe-inspiring Circe. Circe, an immortal sorceress and goddess, uses her power, in The Odyssey, to transform Odysseus’s followers into swine. She lives on the island of Aeaea, a mythical land off the coast of Italy (“Circe”). In many myths, Circe has a variety of qualities and purposes affecting Greek culture.
To begin, Circe displays an assortment of qualities similar to both the average mortal and many divine goddesses.For Example, Circe resembles a human, unlike many other mythical beings. Similar to many humans, she is isolated and lonely. She is all deserted on her island, only having her animals. Furthermore, when Odysseus arrives, she desperately wants his fondness and company. Circe is also extremely seductive; she makes Odysseus stay instead of continuing on his important journey. Gillespie writes, “Odysseus remains on Aeaea for five years” (290). She is also tricky, sly, and mischievous; she “welcomed them and gave them as much food and drink as they wanted-but she also put a powerful drug in …show more content…
Circe is a symbol of an independent woman in a primarily male-dominant society. In Greek society, women were not as powerful, influential, or important as men. Gillespie writes, “Strong women are often portrayed as evil” (290). Circe is an example of Gillespie’s writing; she is an outlier to the Greek culture as she is a forceful and commanding women. She casts “powerful spells” and turns “Odysseus's men into swine” (Daly “Circe”). Plus, women in this society are not as knowledgeable as men due to a lack of education. However, Circe is extremely clever; she knows many “potions and incantations” (“Circe”) and tells Odysseus how to “resist the deadly Sirens and avoid other dangers” (Sacks). Circe is a deviation from the Greek culture being both knowledgeable and

The Credibility Of Circe In Homer's The Odyssey

In Homer’s The Odyssey, Circe affects the plot and enhances the other characters by informing Odysseus of the upcoming danger. At the beginning of the story, Odysseus goes to Circe’s island to get advice about the course ahead and avoiding the Sirens. This information given to Odysseus was essential for him to protect his crew and himself. Circe tells him that the Sirens “lure sailors to their destruction,” and tells them that they will be lured to a location that will “destroy even birds in flight”…

Words 223 - Pages 1

Circe In Odysseus In Homer's The Odyssey

As the Odyssey continues Odysseus finds himself sailed ashore to an island home to a goddess named Circe. Circe was a wicked goddess in my opinion with all her deadly tricks, especially after turning Odysseus’s men into pigs. With this knowledge of his men and a little help from Hermes with an herb for protection Odysseus was bent on killing Circe. Once meeting Circe and drinking her deadly potion she was most impressed with the hero not being bewitched and immediately wanted to take Odysseus to…

Words 145 - Pages 1

Examples Of Power In The Odyssey

Slusarz Lang and Lit Honors C Period Mr. Scott 19 May 2024 The Feminine Power of Promises and Potions in The Odyssey Power is defined as the ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events. Power can be expressed in different ways depending on the situation and the goal in mind. Homer’s Odyssey was set in Ancient Greece, where the men held the power of society. The Odyssey is a story following Odysseus’s journey home from the Trojan War. He goes through many trials and tribulations…

Words 583 - Pages 3

Favorable Light In The Odyssey

Vocabulary.com defines the word odyssey as “a long, wandering, and eventful journey”. In the Odyssey, Odysseus goes on his own odyssey that lasts for 20 years and includes a lot of women who help him tremendously. Homer uses the names of ships, Odysseus’ wife, Penelope, Queen Arete, princess Nausicca, the goddess Circe, and the goddess Athena, to help Odysseus with his odyssey, or journey, back to Ithaca. Because of this, The Odyssey portrays women in a favorable light. To begin, an example of Homer…

Words 1187 - Pages 5

Roles Of Women In The Odyssey Essay

Women in the odyssey are different from their personality and relationship with men. All of them are different but all help define the role of women in the odyssey. At the time men structured civilization was all put together and the women had position in society, that position was to serve the men and were dominated by what men allowed. Those women were valued in society but weren't important and had no power to control. Homer really depict women as a strong subject. In this epic poem women are…

Words 742 - Pages 3

Examples Of Femininity In The Odyssey

d i n h i s e p i c p o e m H o m e r uses Helen of Troy and Circe to show positive and negative portrayals of women by showing their good and bad intentions in contrast to each other; however, despite the progressive nature of showing women as equal to men, Homer portrays women in his own overgeneralized interpretation, and as objects rather than people. While both Helen of Troy and Circe are used as models of femininity in T he Odyssey, Homer separates Helen by showing her good intentions and wellmeaning…

Words 940 - Pages 4

Similarities and Differences in the Aeneid and the Odyssey. Essay

Both the Odyssey and the Aeneid describe the journeys of the two Greek heroes –Odysseus and Aeneas, as they struggle towards their goal through the crises and deadly situations caused by the wrath of the gods upon them. In the Odyssey, we see that Poseidon (god of the sea/earth shaker) has a grudge against Odysseus while Athena, god of wisdom, aids him throughout his journey. Similarly in the Aeneid, we see that goddess Juno dislikes Aeneas as he is destined to destroy the city of Carthage loved…

Words 1419 - Pages 6

Archetype Odyssey

and Homer’s The Odyssey is no exception. The men go to war and do heroic deeds, as opposed to most of the female characters, who seem to be not allowed to participate in such things. In The Odyssey by Homer, most female characters have a sexual role or one somehow related to beauty and represent the temptress archetype, and a few have a different type of role, but all of them are unified in that they add complexities to Odysseus’ journey; this is exemplified by characters like Calypso, Circe, and…

Words 839 - Pages 4

Penelope In The Odyssey

remarkable birth of his child, he embarked on a journey with his men to battle in a brutal and callous war. The Odyssey is a Greek epic written by Homer which captures the boundless journey of Odysseus, as he strived to return to Ithaca after battling in the Trojan War. Homer had been a prominent writer who expressed the legends and myths of Greek goddesses throughout his epic, The Odyssey. As Odysseus embarked on an endless journey filled with agony, to battle in the Trojan War, he had been greatly…

Words 807 - Pages 4

Odysseus Leadership In The Odyssey

In Homer’s famous epic, The Odyssey, the main character, Odysseus, displays multiple examples of poor leadership. For example, during the story “Circe,” the goddess of sorcery tricks some of Odysseus’ men and traps them on her island, and while their leader saves them, he also stays on Circe’s island for a while instead of returning home. The story explains: “Now Circe, ‘loveliest of all immortals,’ persuades Odysseus to stay with her.After many seasons of feasting and other pleasures, Odysseus and…

Words 372 - Pages 2