Research Final

Project
Classical Allusions in the Novel Circe by
Madeline Miller

Research Paper
By
Zoha Shafiq

Abstract:
 2

The present research investigates the representation of the female character in

literary works, as well as the retelling of Greek mythology from the perspective of
Madeline Miller's female protagonist. Greek mythology's gender stereotypes
demand that women be obedient and marginalised. Women characters who do not
fit these preconceptions are referred to as negative characters. Furthermore, this
stereotypical categorization of women is done through prepared language that is
guided by male-ruling sexist ideology. Feminist stylistic analysis is required to
confront these linguistic choices. This research will examine Circe's character in
the selected book Circe by Madeline Miller (2018) via the lens of feminist stylistic
analysis, using Sara Mills' feminism model (1995). It will look at how Madeline
Miller transforms Circe's unfavourable representation into a positive and strong
character in her retelling through questioning gender stereotypes. The study will
specifically investigate Circe's character at the level of speech in order to show
her as a positive and powerful character.

INTRODUCTION

Greek mythology is a collection of epic stories about Greek gods, goddesses, heroes, monsters,
and rituals. Most of these stories were passed down through the decades by the Ancient Greeks
to their family and friends. The stories frequently included conflicts and heroic fights, as well as
terrifying monsters, and they taught the values of bravery, intelligence, terror, love, fun, and right
and wrong. It is impossible to pinpoint when Greek mythology began. My research is focused
on a modern literary work with allusions to Greek mythology. It is a book name” CIRCE”
by Madeline Miller. Madeline Millar is a novelist from the United States. Circe is a pensive
and engaging novel by Madeline Miller Circe, a captivating and entertaining book by Madeline
Miller, reimagines the myth of Circe. She has reinvented ancient myths, concepts, and
individuals in a modern and stylish manner.

LITERATURE REVIEW:
 3

Circe is a feminist retelling of the ancient Circe myths. Circe is the daughter of Helios, the sun
god, and Perse, the Oceanid nymph. She has a human voice that is not liked by gods. She isn't as
powerful as her father or as beautiful as her mother. Her parents aren't happy with the way she
looks.

To preserve her out of the sight of people, Circe’s father banishes her to the underground halls
of his palace. Even yet, many others see her and make fun of her. Circe also has an impotent and
whining demeanour, which makes her a source of embarrassment for her family. She has
struggled to hold her parents' and siblings' attention since birth. Her divine family despises her
and considers her a misfit in the god's household.

She mostly spent her time in solitarily. Her siblings were not found of her and humiliate her.
Until Aeetes, her youngest brother, is born, she feels the pains of solitary. Circe's dearest friend,
Aeetes, turns into Circe's most trusted friend .However, it was time that Aeetes must abandon
Circe alone once more when he ascends to the throne of his own nation. She then spends most of
her time depressed.

Circe's loneliness and misery drive her to seek friendship in the mortal world. This proves to be
an important point in her life. She finds comfort in her love for Glaucos who is a mortal and he is
bound to die and leave her alone. She desperately begins experimenting with various herbs and
potions to save him from death.

Circe was able to find her talents and strength in the power of witchcraft while experimenting
with various herbs and potions at the time. She also learns that through her black magic she can
transform convert people into creatures.

With the help of her power, she was able to convert her lover into immortal an everlasting sea
god. After Circe converts him into a sea god, Glaucos falls in love with Scylla, a nymph. Circe,
enraged at Scylla's beauty but malice, transforms her into a six-headed sea monster. For
witchcraft, Zeus, the god of the sky, banishes her from the palaces of Helios to the desolate land
of Aeaea. She is imprisoned in Aeaea for the rest of her life.
 4

Rather than being terrified of being alone on a deserted island, she begins to pursue witchcraft.
With the passing years, she becomes stronger and stronger. She makes the island her permeant
home and there she is surrounded by lions and wolves.

Circe encounters some unexpected visitors on the island of Aeaea, who are also well-known
figures from Greek mythology. The craftsman Daedalus, his fatal son Icarus, the monster
Minotaur, the evil Medea and her adored Jason, and the legendary king of Ithaca, Odysseus, are
among the visitors. Odysseus falls in love with her and, to ease her loneliness, leaves her with a
kid.

Circe has learned a lot of important lessons from her life. Whether in the halls of Helios or on the
remote island of Aeaea, each incident has taught her something important. Her long-term grief
leads to the discovery of her true self in the world. She then stands up to those who have treated
her badly in the past. Her life has been marked by difficulty since she was a child, and as a result,
she has developed in courage and bravery. She loves mortality despite being the daughter of a
god.

ANALYSIS

Now I am going to talk about how allusion is used in the novel. Miller explores the myth of
Circe, a prominent sorceress from Greek mythology, in Circe. Circe is depicted as Titan, a
nymph, in most legendary stories. She is the daughter of Helios, the sun god, and Perse, a lovely
nymph. Circe is also the aunt of one of Greek mythology's most famous figures, Medea, and the
sister of notable legendary figures such as Pasiphae, Perses, and Aeetes. Circe is believed to be
knowledgeable about plants, brews, and poisons. She lives on the barren island of Aeaea.

She is best known as the character of Homer's epic poem "The Odyssey". She is represented in
this epic poem as as

"The bewitching queen of Aeaea, a sorceress who is dealing with wicked drugs / to wipe from
their [men's] memories any thought of home" (The Odyssey.)

As a result, two aspects of her character are highlighted in The Odyssey: her being a malevolent
sorceress and her being a sexually charged woman. Circe also appears in Ovid's Metamorphoses
 5

as a witch who has "unearthly powers". She is portrayed as a ruthless sorceress who uses her
power to avenge her unrequited love. In both Homer's and Ovid's versions, Circe is portrayed as
a ruthless sorceress who deals with magic out of evil, hatred, and jealousy, and none of these
stories elaborates on Circe's motives, her emotions, and her experiences.

Miller, on the other hand, gives Circe a voice, allowing her to tell the world her very own
journey from a childish and outcast witch to a strong and confident lady becomes the story of her
identity.

Circe rewrites her own story from a new perspective and with a new ending. She tells:

"[m]y whole life, I had waited for tragedy to find me. I never doubted that it would, for I had
desires and defiance and powers more than others thought I deserved, all the things that draw
the thunder-stroke"(Circe, 15)

Circe starts by recounting about rough life and the abuse she received from her father. She
opened her eyes into a world dominated by men who put beauty before everything. Her father
was dissatisfied with Circe's appearance when her mother gave birth to her. The nymphs were
supposed to be delicate and attractive. They were expected to sing well and move gracefully.
Circe was not attractive, and her voice was dreadful. Circe looked unattractive that could be the
offspring of a powerful god of sun and a lovely nymph.

Circe’s first act of disobedience was to offer a cup of water to Prometheus, imprisoned at court
of Helios at the time. Prometheus had been found guilty of assisting mortals and was waiting for
Zeus' retribution. Circe was unaware that supporting Prometheus would enrage the gods, hence it
was not a deliberate act on her part. She helped Prometheus because she was kind.

Her second act of disobedience was to use "pharmaka" or witchcraft, to transform her lover into
a god. It also was her first experience with witchcraft. Circe was desperate for a husband to flee
court of Helios, and she also was determined to show that she was not unattractive. Her mother
loathed Circe’s appearance and believed "no one else will want her." Circe begins to like
Glaucos who is a mortal fisher, after meeting him. She was willing to go to any length to gain
Glaucos' attention. Glaucos was the first man to compliment and cherish her in her life. Circe
used plant sap to transform him into a sea god and brought him to her father's castle in order to
 6

present him to all gods. Everyone in the hall felt it is because of a divine act by fates but Circe
recounts this to them.

"I longed to tell him that it was I who had given him such gift, but I saw how it pleased him to
believe his godhead wholly his own and I did not want to take it from him"(Circe, 67)

Circe had worked hard to please Glaucos and get his recognition. As a result, she was
heartbroken to learn that Glaucos had found love with Scylla, another nymph. She was anger at
her since she was gorgeous and beautiful. Scylla was converted into a horrible creature with six
heads and twelve legs after Circe poured a potion into a pool where she was bathing. Circe then
confessed her witchcraft in front of the entire world. She mentions

“I used wicked pharmaka to make Glaucos a god, and then I changed Scylla. I was jealous of his
love for her and wanted to make her ugly. I did it selfishly, in bitter heart, and I would bear the
consequence".(Circe , 79)

Circe wants acknowledgment by the other gods that she is strong. Helios was skeptical of her
claims, believing them to be the work done by the Fates. But she persisted, infuriating Helios not
just because she worked with pharmaka, but rather because she refused the sun god.

"You dare to contradict me? You who cannot light a single flame, or call one drop of water?
Worst of my children faded and broken, whom I cannot pay a husband to take. Since you were
born, I pitied you and allowed you licence, yet you grew disobedient and proud. Will you make
me hate you more"(Circe, 89)

Helios denounced Circe as unskillful, useless, and ugly in a fit of rage.Circe was exiled for the
rest of her life because she was regarded to be unattractive, passive, indolent, and inferior, while
also being unpredictable, menacing, and wicked. She soon discovers her identity and her strength
in Aeaea. When she was free from the rules and restrictions of the male-dominated world, which
allowed her to develop a new personality. Circe felt alone and unappreciated among the nymphs
and gods. She came to terms with the thought of loneliness and exile in Aeaea, and she realized
and accepted the magnitude of her power. She experimented with herbs, grew herbs, and
domesticated wild animals.
 7

Finally, she had the chance to grow as a person because of her experiences. She was alone on a
remote island, and because she lacked both male figure in her life, she was easy "prey" for males.
The sailors around Circe's table were all asking the same questions, such as "When will your
spouse return?" "You are far too young to marry”.” Then we must thank your father ", and so
forth. Her loneliness and solitude aided sexual predators. Circe was raped by a sailor, and to
defend herself, she began to convert sailors into pigs. Her power became a way of saying
"[s]orry that you thought I was weak, but you were wrong". Her well-known myth about
converting men into swine is a way of self-defense.

Circe's picture is brought close to human form by the author, allowing contemporary readers to
empathies with her. Circe's life grew complicated and stressful after she gave birth to a son with
Odysseus. She had to deal with the challenges of parenting a child on her own as a single parent.
Like every mother usually does, she says that she had to "wash and boil and clean and scrub and
put to soak" She would have to bathe, feed, and put an infant to bed all at the same time. She had
to deal with despair in addition to such daily duties. She expresses and demonstrates a tangle of
strong feelings and thoughts that have been linked to postpartum depression. Her exhaustion,
passion, wrath, fear, and thrill are all recognizable to today's reader.

Telegonus was supposed to kill his father, according to a prophecy. Hence, the goddess of war,
Athen, decided to murder the infant in order to preserve her Favorite, Odysseus. Circe stood
against the goddess in order to protect her child. She could not stop her son from looking for his
father, no matter how hard she tried. Unfortunately, Telegonus unintentionally killed his father,
fulfilling the prophecy. Odysseus' widow Penelope and Telemachus, Odysseus' son by Penelope,
arrived in Aeaea with Telegonus. Telemachus and Penelope were tired of dealing with suitors
and Odysseus' foes, so they sought refuge at Aeaea. Circe got the opportunity to speak with
Telemachus and learned a great deal about Odysseus. Odysseus, she eventually learned, was not
a great hero, but an arrogant and opportunistic human.

Odysseus lied about many things, Telemachus said Circe, and he caused his family grief and
misery. He was not looking for glory, but a treasure. She believes Penelope would have been
happier if she had been able to rely on her free will. Circe has grown from an inexperienced and
weak nymph harassed by both her family and predators to a powerful lady who defends herself
 8

and her child. She has made significant blunders, benefited from her mistakes, confronted her
anxieties, developed, and improved her abilities in the same way that a normal mortal does.

CONCLUSION
Circe is a lonely woman because a woman who is alone is always in danger. She goes through a
lot of hardships on her trip. She unintentionally becomes a source of rage for both gods and men,
pitting herself against one of the most powerful and furious Olympians. Circe battles valiantly
for her place in a world which is divided between mortals and gods. The book Circe is an
important work of feminist literature that is highly recommended. It deals with important themes
similar as gender dynamics, power politics, and particular growth, mortality vs. eternity fate,
self-determination, freedom, and maturity. The book inspires women to be bold and aspire to be
more than what society perceives them to be. In the context of the prevailing gender and power
dynamics of classical tradition, Miller’s Circe can be seen as a revolutionary who refuses to
conform to the morals under which she and other women are victimized.

References:

Notes, E. (2021, December 29). Circe by Madeline Miller | Summary & Review. ElifNotes.

https://elifnotes.com/circe-by-madeline-miller-review-summary/#:%7E:text=Circe

%20book%20by%20Madeline%20Miller,hero%20of%20her%20own%20epic.

Preston, A. (2018, April 8). Circe by Madeline Miller review – Greek classic thrums with

contemporary relevance. The Guardian.

 9

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/apr/08/circe-madeline-miller-homer-odyssey-

retelling-review

Hill, L. (2019, July 22). Circe, by Madeline Miller. ANZ LitLovers LitBlog.

https://anzlitlovers.com/2019/07/22/circe-by-madeline-miller/

Edemariam, A. (2018, April 21). Circe by Madeline Miller review – myth, magic and single

motherhood. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/apr/21/circe-by-

madeline-miller-review

ALTIN, M. (2020). Aeaea is Revisited: Revisionist Mythmaking Strategies in Madeline Miller’s

Circe. Ankara Üniversitesi Dil ve Tarih-Coğrafya Fakültesi Dergisi, 60(1), 145.

https://doi.org/10.33171/dtcfjournal.2020.60.1.8
10