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Chapter 9
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Circe, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Power, Fear, and Self-Preservation
Women, Power, and Misogyny
Change, Initiative, and the Self
Mortality, Fragility, and Fulfillment
Family and Individuality
Summary
Analysis
Circe and the men keep sailing. Daedalus continues to be civil, but he no longer converses with Circe. Regretting her Helios-like outburst, Circe assumes that Daedalus is avoiding her because of it. They finally reach Crete and moor at the wealthy city of Knossos. Circe imagines Minos, king of the bustling port-city, collecting all the gold from the docks, inns, and brothels.
Judging from the wealthy city of Knossos, Circe is certain that Minos has a lot of power. As a king, he is benefiting off all the commerce going on in his city. In this way, he benefits from people being in need—whether that is their need to moor their ship, have lodging, or make money through sex work.
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As soon as they land, Polydamas orders Daedalus and Circe to the palace. He leads them to Pasiphaë’s rooms and knocks on the door. Just as Daedalus begins to apologize for what lies within, the door opens, and Pasiphaë calls for them. Struck by her sister’s beauty, Circe is amazed at how Pasiphaë, in pain and horrifically bloated, still dominates the room, “leeching the world around her pale as mushrooms.”
Even when Pasiphaë is vulnerable—she is in pain—she still commands the room with her beauty. As a woman, her sexuality and beauty are her tools to get and maintain power. She doesn’t let go of this power at any time, which speaks to the ruthlessness of the world in which she lives. She feels that she can never let her guard drop but must always be ready to exert her dominance over others.
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As she enters, Circe announces that 12 men died because of Pasiphaë’s desire to torment Circe. Pasiphaë laughs at Circe’s pain and taunts her, guessing how many people Scylla kills each year. When Circe threatens to leave, Pasiphaë tells her to cheer up, that she is going to give money to the families of the dead men. When Circe counters by saying that “Gold does not give back a life,” Pasiphaë retorts that “the families would rather have the gold.”
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Pasiphaë abruptly goes into labor. Circe orders all the attendants out, pleased at how quickly they obey. Screaming in pain, Pasiphaë demands that Circe, who knows nothing of childbirth, cut out the “thing.” When Circe hesitates, Pasiphaë orders Daedalus to do the cutting and hints that it’s his duty to do so. He steps forward and cuts without argument, Pasiphaë threatening him all the while.
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Once her belly is opened, Pasiphaë orders Circe to get the baby out. Circe looks warily at her sister’s womb, but she reaches inside. Suddenly, she feels teeth clamping down on her fingers. She yanks upward, bringing with it a hooved and horned creature that she throws to the ground. Circe pins it by the throat, forcing it to open its mouth so she can rip her hand out. She has lost several fingers.
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Daedalus offers to kill the creature, but Pasiphaë demands that it live. He and Circe capture it in a blanket, and he stuffs it in a cage. Gasping from pain, Pasiphaë orders Circe to sew up her stomach, but she refuses to do so until Pasiphaë explains the source of the creature. Pasiphaë bitterly concedes and then orders Daedalus to explain. He announces that this is his fault, saying that he crafted a fake cow for Pasiphaë to hide in so she could get closer to a sacred bull. Pasiphaë interrupts that she had sex with the bull.
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As Circe sews up her sister, she says that Pasiphaë will be punished. But Pasiphaë laughs at this statement, saying that “gods love their monsters.” After Pasiphaë’s maids carry her to take a bath, Daedalus approaches to thank Circe, telling her that, had she not been there, he would have been the one who lost a hand. She kindly tells him that she is glad that he wasn’t harmed—her fingers will grow back. Daedalus leaves to make a bigger cage, leaving Circe alone.
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Circe can’t stop wondering why Pasiphaë had asked her, of all people, to attend the birth. But her horror at the existence of this new monster eclipses her confusion, and, deciding to try brewing an antidote, Circe seeks out her sister’s workroom. She finds it and is disappointed to find only some sloppily harvested basic herbs. At that moment, Circe realizes that she is a much better witch than her sister.
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Circe exits the palace and heads to nearby Mount Dicte, where rare and unique herbs are rumored to grow. She reaches the mountain quickly and feels it humming with power. She collects several plants and seeds before washing herself in a pool. Recalling Helios’s gift of prophecy, Circe decides to try to glimpse the bull-baby’s future. She touches the water, asks for a vision, and, sure enough, watches a scene appear on its surface: a man kills the creature. Disheartened, Circe realizes that the monster has many gory years to live before it will be killed.
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Literary Devices
An idea forms in Circe’s mind. She gathers more herbs, which she grounds to a paste and mixes with some water from the pool. The next day, she returns to the palace, outside of which she spots a young girl dancing in a courtyard. The girl approaches and introduces herself as her niece, Ariadne.
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When Circe tells Ariadne that she must speak with Daedalus, the young girl offers to take her to his workshop. When they arrive, Circe tells him that the monster will die, but not for many years. It wants human flesh, but she hopes that her spell will contain its appetite to just the harvest season of the year. Daedalus accepts the information with resolve and promises to finish the new cage soon. As they leave, Ariadne asks whether they were referring to her new brother.
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Accompanied by Ariadne, Circe stands before Pasiphaë and Minos, the latter of whom is old and ghastly. He demands to know what she has been doing and is furious to learn that she has only prepared a draught—he wants the monster to die. But Circe tells him that the monster cannot die yet, although she can restrict its hunger until its fate comes. Pasiphaë is delighted to know that her beastly son has a destiny and implies that Minos may be one of his victims.
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Eyes blazing with hatred, Minos jabs a finger at Circe, exclaiming that the whole situation is the fault of Circe and her family. They cursed him with Pasiphaë, who torments him. Pasiphaë interrupts him, urging him to tell Circe of the deaths of the countless serving girls he has had sex with. As Minos continues to rant, Circe understands that her sister, who must have felt outperformed by her siblings, chose to breed a monster for power and fame.
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As Pasiphaë jeers at Minos, asking whether he thought the girls died from pleasure, Circe takes Ariadne with her as she leaves. They walk back to the courtyard, where Ariadne asks whether Circe’s spell will make her brother more docile. Circe says that that is her hope. After a moment, Ariadne asks Circe to stay while she dances. As she watches, she realizes that while mortals win fame through practiced craft and talent, gods find it through destruction and the mortals’ offerings that accompany it.
