Themes
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 is overwhelmed with terror for what will happen to Telegonus. She wracks her brain to think of some spell to protect him, keeping the boy tied to her at all times. At last, she thinks of a plan. Gods, except those that rule the dead, are not allowed to step into the underworld. Circe begins to work with the blood that Odysseus collected from his visit with the dead.
Circe uses the power that she has to protect Telegonus. Significantly, she doesn’t ask anyone for help. At this point in the story, Circe has learned that it is usually ineffective to trust other people to help her.
Themes
The two potions Circe creates are complicated: one of them contains the blood from the underworld, and the other contains bits of all parts of the island. She is exhausted but is at last ready to cast the spells. She pours the blood-based draught onto the highest peak of Aiaia and speaks the words of power to create a protective layer of “living death,” which Athena will be unable to penetrate. The other spell binds the whole island to Telegonus, so that it—and all the creatures and plants on it—will protect the boy if he is threatened.
While Circe’s previous act of defying the gods—transforming Glaucos and Scylla using forbidden magic—was done out of selfishness, disobeying Athena is done out of love for her son. Additionally, when she was determined to keep Glaucos for herself, she was ready to commit evil deeds, which she did eventually do when she transformed Scylla into a man-eating monster. Now, however, she commits no evil or violent acts in protecting Telemachus. The difference in her approach demonstrates how she is determined to no longer add to the cruelty of the world in which she lives. Although she cannot stop all the violence of the world, it is in her power to refuse to contribute to it.
Themes
Circe waits for some response from Athena, but none comes. She is exhausted from the work. Plus, the spells need renewing every month, which means that her work is never finished. But Circe will do whatever it takes to protect her son. Feeling relieved at last, she joyfully tells Telegonus that they are safe at last.
The fact that Circe has to continually renew her spells is representative of how her work as a mother, and as someone dedicated to standing against evil, is never done. Her commitment to protecting her son is also a testament of her love for him. None of the other immortal parents have shown such love for their children, possibly because they knew that their children would continue to exist, with or without help. Circe’s love for her son and her understanding of mortality set her apart from her immortal family.
Themes
Looking back, Circe calls herself a fool. Telegonus is an impossibly restless child, and Circe spends her days trying to catch and calm him. The only thing that brings him peace is the sea. He is always most difficult when Circe is hurriedly working to renew to the protective spells. It is during one such period when Telegonus has a particularly wild screaming fit. In a moment of fury, Circe brews a sleeping draught, something she had forbidden herself to do, as it is too reminiscent of something Aeëtes would do.
Even though Circe had forbidden herself from using magic on her son to calm him, she lets her anger get the better of her. Both her fury and her willingness to use magic to control her son show that, in some ways, she is still similar to her family. Her fury reflects Helios’s terrible temper, and her sleeping draft is reminiscent of how Aeëtes used magic to wipe away men’s minds and control them. Even though Circe makes constant efforts to confront her family’s vices—like their cruelty and selfishness—she is still not rid of them.
Themes
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Circe gives Telegonus the potion and then, as he continues screaming, says the word of power. He drops to the floor, his eyes revealing his panic. Horrified at what she has done, she breaks the spell. Telegonus crawls away from her in fear, causing Circe to weep with shame. She apologizes profusely until Telegonus lets her hold him.
Circe immediately regrets giving Telegonus the draught. She doesn’t want her son to be terrified of her; she has always preferred receiving love instead of fear. Her instant guilt and undoing of the spell show how Circe realizes her fault more readily than in the past. She doesn’t want to be like her family, using power to control or abuse others.
Themes
That night, when Telegonus is asleep, Circe desperately asks the slumbering boy why he is so wild. At her question, she envisions Helios’s halls and remembers how she had wanted to run about, shake her father from his work, and learn all there is to know. She, of course, never did, as she knew that Helios would scorch her. Looking down at her son, it dawns on her that Telegonus is not afraid of being punished for his curiosity.
Circe realizes that the reason why Telegonus is bolder than she was as a child is because he isn’t afraid of his parent, the way Circe was afraid of Helios. Because she raises him with love instead of fear, he knows that he can explore and test boundaries without being afraid of punishment. By treating Telegonus with kindness and patience—even though it is difficult and requires self-discipline—Circe sets herself apart from her family.
Themes
Years pass, and at last, Telegonus calms. He is a sweet boy, happiest when he is by the sea. As he grows older, he begins to make up imaginative stories with clear morals about the value of bravery and integrity. Circe cherishes Telegonus’s innocence and how he sees the world as a simple place of right and wrong. She knows that Telegonus’s worldview is unrealistic, but she doesn’t want to ruin it for him.
Telegonus hasn’t grown up knowing that the world is a vicious place—he hasn’t witnessed gods squabbling for power and the violence that these conflicts leave behind. Because Circe brought him up lovingly and without fear, he is ignorant of how the world of the novel is structured on a hierarchy of power that is maintained through fear.
Themes
One evening, Circe decides to answer Telegonus’s questions about his father. Although he has asked many times before, it is not until now that she is ready to tell him. When Telegonus asks whether Circe thinks that Odysseus is still alive, she confirms that she believes he is (she guesses he is about 60 years old). Telegonus presses her to tell more stories of his father. As she tells him the tales that Odysseus had told her long ago, she finds herself altering them to make them less brutal, realizing that her impression of Odysseus has since changed.
Circe doesn’t want to ruin Telegonus’s innocence by telling him the truth of Odysseus’s brutality. In fact, in the face of Telegonus’s naïveté, Circe finds herself questioning Odysseus’s character. It is perhaps because Telegonus is so pure that Odysseus’s acts seem so brutal now, and Circe—determined to keep her son safe and sweet—wishes for the world to be as safe and wholesome as Telegonus assumes it to be.
Themes
The few times that Circe does tell a tale in all its brutality, Telegonus, upset, tells her that she must have gotten it wrong, believing that Odysseus must be honorable through and through. Sometimes, Circe wonders how she would tell Telegonus her own stories. But he never questions her about her past and only ever clamors for more stories of his father.
Telegonus is more interested in his father than he is in Circe. Although one might assume that this is because Telegonus is adopting ancient Greece’s sexist ideas, the truth is that he is isolated from society, as he is alone with Circe on Aiaia. It is likely that he is so much more curious about Odysseus because Odysseus is new to him. While Circe is a familiar figure, Odysseus is distant and mysterious to Telegonus, which is what makes him interesting.
Themes
One day in fall, Telegonus spots a floundering ship near their island. He begs Circe to lift the spell so that they can help them, insisting that the men onboard would be thankful for any aid. Circe hesitates, darkly thinking how “men in most need hate most to be grateful, and will strike at you just to feel whole again.” He continues to pressure her, so she at last relents, under the condition he stay in his room until the men have drunk their wine.
While Telegonus is eager to help people in need, Circe is less willing. She knows firsthand that men are not always grateful for the help that they receive—the man who raped her had accepted her help only moments prior. Given her experiences warding off men’s attacks, she believes that men resent needing help, especially from those who they believe to be inferior to them, as it makes them look and feel weak. Therefore, they are often eager to show off their power in other ways, so they look for ways to exercise their dominance. In Circe’s case, the men she helped were anxious to abuse her to prove to themselves that they were still dominant over women, whom they saw as inferior to them.
Themes
Circe quickly mixes the same old potion to combine with the wine. When the men come, she wants nothing more than to cast them out—but, aware of Telegonus’s silent presence in the other room, she welcomes them to her hall. After the men eat, the captain, his eyes hungry, rises toward her, asking whom to thank her for the meal.
Circe is cautious and expects the men to attack her, just as they did before. Sure enough, she sees the captain acting in the same way that the man who raped her did. Notably, the man never thanks Circe for the meal, not expecting that she, a woman, would be the head of the house.
Themes
At that moment, Telegonus, who is 15 at the time, steps into the hall. He confidently announces that they have the goddess Circe, Helios’s daughter, as their host. He introduces himself as Circe’s son and welcomes them. The captain kneels at Circe’s feet. Telegonus tells the man to stand and then sits among the ship’s crew to eat with them. Circe watches with astonishment as the men, eyes filled with admiration, gather around Telegonus, eager for his attention. The men stay on the island for three days, all the while seeking out advice from Telegonus as they fix their boat.
While the men appeared to be ready to assault Circe, they instantly respect Telegonus, which demonstrates the misogyny of ancient Greece. Simply put, men readily respect other men while they are generally quick to abuse women. Even though Telegonus is young and uneducated about boats, they accept his direction and advice simply because he’s male.
Themes
For the following months after the boat’s departure, Telegonus spends most of his time by the beach and away from Circe, at one point asking if he can have a cave to himself. She allows him, knowing that all young people need secrets. On his 16th birthday, he brings her down to the cave, inside of which is a boat of his own creation. Circe is impressed, until Telegonus accidentally lets slip that Hermes has been helping him build it. Furious, she demands to know everything the god has told him.
Because Odysseus is descended from Hermes, Telegonus is also related to the god. But his helping Telegonus is unlikely to be simply out of kindness; given that Hermes has never done a selfless act throughout the entirety of the story, it is likely that his helping Telegonus will somehow serve him. Hermes’s intervention shows that the gods do sometimes take interest in specific mortals, although it is almost always for their own benefit.
Themes
Telegonus reveals his intention to sail to Ithaca to meet Odysseus. He informs Circe that Hermes has promised to help him. She scoffs at that and warns him that Hermes is a liar and trickster. Telegonus tries to reassure her, saying that he is bringing his bow and has been learning how to use a spear. He gestures toward the makeshift spear that he has constructed from a stick and a kitchen knife.
Circe knows that Hermes is not to be trusted; if he is trying to help Telegonus leave Aiaia, it is because he hopes that his descendent will do some great deed that will reflect well on him. Meanwhile, Telegonus shows his innocence by assuming that his bow and spear will help him in the face of Athena’s wrath. Telegonus still doesn’t understand that the gods are brutal and unforgiving of those who threaten to disrupt their power.
Themes
Fury flooding through her, Circe sharply tells Telegonus that he cannot be sure that Odysseus, let alone Telemachus, will welcome him—he is a bastard son, after all. She reminds her son that Athena still wants him dead. When Telegonus still does not back down, Circe tells him she forbids him from leaving and threatens to burn his boat.
Circe realizes that even if Athena doesn’t kill him, Odysseus or Telemachus might. Telemachus, as Odysseus’s rightful heir, may be especially unwelcoming to Telegonus. He may view Telegonus as a threat who will try to take away Telemachus’s chance at ruling Ithaca after Odysseus’s death. Having grown up with such an innocent view of the world, Telegonus doesn’t understand Circe’s fears.
Themes
That night, Telegonus prepares to sleep outside to show his defiance. On his way out, Circe tells him that he has to acknowledge the threat that Athena poses. He snaps, ranting that fearing the gods is the only thing Circe cares about while he longs to freely live his life, like so many fearless, happy people around the earth. He exclaims that she has never let him live and that, even if he dies, he will accept that price if it means getting to see life beyond the island. Gripped by rage, Circe threatens him to drug him so that he will never leave. To Circe’s satisfaction, Telegonus looks afraid at last. He runs out the door.
While Circe is right that Athena does pose a constant threat, Telegonus makes the argument that a life lived in fear is not worth living, a philosophy that Circe herself embodies. After all, she defied Athena because she knew that she would rather keep her son than obey the gods out of fear. Just as she has decided to live life as independently as her exile allows, Telegonus is seeking his own freedom. His struggle for independence enrages Circe, which shows that she still has Helios’s anger when she is disobeyed. To keep control over Telegonus’s, she makes him afraid, threatening to wipe away his mind, an act that Aeëtes committed. Her reaction shows that she is still resistant to letting go of her power, even if she is using it to keep her son safe.
Themes
Thinking of Telegonus’s childhood, Circe sees that her wish for him to grow up unafraid has come true. Now, she wonders whether she should have told him more of the cruelty of the world. Perhaps, she thinks, she should have made him observe every process of her protective spell work, so that he would know the labor she has put into keeping him alive. But Telegonus has always wanted to leave—he has always loved the sea. Knowing she will do anything to keep him safe, she starts crafting a plan.
At first, Circe wishes that she had made Telegonus realize the cruelty of the world and the work that she put into keeping him safe, all so that he would realize how indebted he is to her. This thought is reminiscent of Tethys’s suggestion to Circe at the beginning of the story, that she should make Glaucos sacrifice something in order to make sure that he appreciates her help. This is a transactional approach to giving that takes away the generosity behind the act of helping someone. But Circe is able to put aside these thoughts, demonstrating again that she is overcoming her family’s selfishness through reflection.
Themes
