Circe: A Study of Power, Family, and Mortality

 ** My thoughts are very disconnected and jump from one topic to the other, so this is my apology beforehand: sorry! 

Circe was a novel I’d gone into expecting witchcraft, bloodshed, and cruelty, and while it did deliver in some aspects, it wasn’t in the way one would think. Circe is best known for her ruthless transformation of Odysseus’ men into pigs, but in this book, she is given a proper coming-of-age story. 

Circe’s family are cruel and callous, and she, with her mortal voice, is the black sheep and thus bears the brunt of their cruelty. Circe’s arc begins her journey to free herself from her family, and ends with the creation of her own. To get there, though, she had to first break the cycle of her family's cruelty while acknowledging that she had participated in it herself. Circe’s renunciation of immortality and murder of Scylla, a monster she had created in a fit of jealousy, is her final act in separating herself from her blood. She goes on to live with Telemachus, who similarly denounces the cruelty of his father, Odysseus, and breaks the cycle in his family. 

Circe’s empathy is displayed in the very beginning through her interaction with Prometheus, whose fascination with mortals sets the stage for Circe’s own curiosity. She brings him nectar after he is beaten for giving fire to mortals, and inquires about what they are like. This empathy and curiosity sets her apart from the other gods, whose power and immortality have stripped them of these qualities. They rarely feel pain and do not scar, a recurring detail throughout the novel. Circe is fascinated by mortals and their scars because scars tell stories; they’re visual proof that someone has experienced the world. Gods, on the other hand, remain perfectly unscarred, blank slates with no record that they’ve truly lived. Mortal fragility makes them more appreciative of the things around them, while gods only look to serve themselves. The novel, instead of showcasing Circe’s godhood and immortality, paints it as a curse. 

In our lessons, we discuss women in Greek Mythology. They are rarely the center of their own story, and oftentimes act as an object for men to use. When they do, they are suppressed by men in power. The women in Circe are prime examples of this. Circe is neglected her entire life because she, like all nymphs, are seen as lesser–even on par with mortals. When Circe reveals her witchcraft, she is quickly sent to Aiaia by the gods, who fear her power. Similarly, her sister, who also possesses witchcraft, is married off and expected to be kept in check by her husband. Women in power are feared and thus subdued, and women who aren’t are neglected. The fact of the matter is, women in mythology can never win.

Now, for my opinions: 

It’s been a while since I first read the book, but I remember finding the middle a little slow. Madeline Miller has incredible prose, but in this novel and The Song of Achilles I found myself getting bored at some points–her language is beautiful, but sometimes I wish we’d just get on with it. Obviously there’s not much you can do when your protagonist is exiled to an island, so I don’t fault Madeline Miller too much for this. But, I do wish she would’ve dove into the feminist themes more, considering how much the label “feminist” was used in the books marketing. I feel the handmaids on her island, other women exiled by gods, were underused and it would’ve been cool to see them play a larger role. Most of Circe’s positive relationships in the novel are with men. I wish Miller had showcased Circe’s relationship with the women in her life, and explored her dynamic with her sister, Penelope, and Scylla instead. 

I also wish Madeline Miller had showcased more of Circe’s magic instead of her gathering the herbs for her spells–more moments like the infamous pig scene where Circe really lets loose. (But maybe she did, and I just can’t remember it. If that’s the case, oops.) 

Overall, I’m still conflicted on how I feel about the book, even a year after reading it. Circe’s development was beautiful, but it feels like Miller has only scratched the surface of other compelling topics. She has lyrical writing and interesting themes, but is that enough?