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
Contrary to Circe’s expectation that she will be swiftly punished, no one comes for her. That evening, she hurries to the dinner feast. When she arrives, there’s a big crowd listening to Circe’s aunt Selene tell a story. Circe starts listening and realizes that Selene is detailing a horrific transformation that happened to Scylla: the nymph has become a 12-tentacled, six-headed monster who now lives in the sea. Circe is surprised to see that the other nymphs and gods maliciously rejoice in Scylla’s fate; the nymph had been a favorite in the hall for so long. As the whole hall revels in Scylla’s demise, Circe thinks back to when Prometheus was punished.
There is very little sympathy among the gods, as is apparent from their delight at Scylla’s terrible transformation. Clearly, being a “favorite” had very little to do with genuine appreciation or affection and likely had to do with her beauty, which she wielded as a tool to get what she wanted. Circe’s reminiscing of Prometheus connects her cruelty to that of Zeus; just like Zeus, Circe committed a terrible crime for personal gain. Circe’s transformation of Scylla reflects the same selfish cruelty as the rest of her family.
Themes
When Glaucos arrives at the feast, Circe can tell that the rest of the hall can’t wait to tell him of the disaster that has befallen his love, Scylla. But Helios pulls him into another room. Circe follows and overhears them: Glaucos asks if Scylla can be turned back, and Helios informs him that no one can undo what another divinity has done. Circe finds herself hoping that Glaucos will mourn Scylla’s loss and pledge undying love for the nymph. But he shrugs off the situation and asks after another nymph.
Other beings’ suffering is amusing to the gods—they eagerly await the opportunity to destroy Glaucos’s hopes of marriage to Scylla, which once again demonstrates their cruelty. Circe wants Glaucos to mourn Scylla’s transformation because it would signify that he still retains his former tenderness and humanity. When Glaucos is unaffected and asks after another nymph, Circe realizes that the kind, mortal man she once knew is long gone, replaced by a cruel immortal.
Themes
Circe is devasted. She knows that her future holds no happy union with Glaucos. She senses all the other nymphs and gods passing around her, and it strikes her how similar they all are. She recalls what Prometheus had told her long ago: “Not all gods need be the same.” The night of his punishment rises in her mind, and she remembers her relatives’ zeal as Prometheus was tortured. She knows that she is not like them. Prometheus’s voice speaks in her mind, asking what she will do that others won’t.
To Circe, the gods are all alike in their cruelty, as proven by their collective thrill regarding others’ pain. Although her selfish transformation of Scylla does suggest that Circe is like them—she shares their vices—she has not always been so cruel. As she remembers, she did not relish Prometheus’s pain when he was tortured, which shows that she does have empathy, unlike so many of her family members. This suggests that one does not automatically inherit their family’s vices through birth, but that one adopts their family’s patterns of behavior over time. Circe, for instance, implements the same philosophy that she sees in her family: she has learned that using power indiscriminately is how a person gets what they want. But Circe doesn’t want to be like her family, who have caused her pain. She thinks about Prometheus, whose sacrifice inspired her to realize her own agency. To cast off her family’s cruelty, she must do more than think differently from them—she must act differently than they do, too.
Themes
While Helios is in conference with other gods, Circe announces that she used pharmaka to transform both Scylla and Glaucos. Helios dismisses her claim, telling her that the flowers she references were stripped of their properties long ago. When Circe doesn’t back down, Helios reminds her that if such magic existed, wouldn’t every god and goddess use it? He callously adds that Circe is far too insignificant a person to discover such power, even if it did exist.
Circe decides to show that she is different from her family by doing what Prometheus did: she turns herself in. But her confession doesn’t have the same effect as Prometheus’s because Helios dismisses her, likely for two reasons. On one hand, Scylla, as a nymph, is unimportant to the rest of the gods—her absence only causes a stir because the other gods find it amusing. On the other hand, Helios doesn’t believe that Circe, a woman, could possess such remarkable power.
Themes
Get the entire Circe LitChart as a printable PDF.
Circe keeps insisting on her guilt and the flowers’ power, even telling Helios that he is wrong. In a flash, Helios unleashes his white-hot rage on Circe and begins to melt her. He calls her worthless as she dissolves in agony on the floor. At last, she begs forgiveness, and he stops the heat and turns back to the other gods, blaming Perse for his children’s unruliness.
Helios becomes furious with Circe when she contradicts him because he sees her disobedience as a threat to his power. In response, he tortures her, demonstrating how those in power use abuse to subjugate those beneath them—even their own family members. Circe eventually gives in to the pain and begs forgiveness, which shows that, while she is willing to confess her guilt, she is not willing to fully defy and denounce the gods as Prometheus did. By recanting her confession, Circe reaffirms Helios’s power over her. Helios doesn’t appear to care whether or not she transformed Glaucos and Scylla, as he has no sympathy for either. He only cares that his power is acknowledged and respected. Circe, who started the conversation to confess her guilt, hasn’t quite pieced together that Prometheus’s sacrifice was significant in part because he challenged the gods’ power. He withstood the pain out of principle to disrupt and condemn the gods’ cycle of power and abuse; by disobeying them, he showed that the gods do not have unlimited power. By taking back her confession, Circe’s makes her defiance meaningless.
Themes
Skin charred and bubbled like wax, Circe is unable to move from the pain. Helios and the other gods don’t pay her any attention. She finally manages to pull herself from the floor and staggers to some woods, where the shade and wetness are gentle to her damaged skin. Circe’s skin begins to heal itself at last. When night comes again, she goes to the field of yellow flowers. She plucks a few, hoping for some sign that she was right about their powers. While holding them, she feels again the humming that she had sensed before. For a moment, she considers eating the sap to see what it reveals her to be, but she is too afraid to know what her “truest form” might be.
None of the other gods intervene to help Circe—they are too selfish—so she has to care for herself. Her encounter with Helios has made her doubt her abilities; she has already internalized society’s expectation that women have little or no power, so Helios’s show of power crushed the little confidence that she gained by transforming Scylla. When Circe confirms that the flowers do have power, she almost drinks the sap to discover her “true self” but is afraid to do so. She committed such a terrible act in transforming Scylla that she is unsure of her own character and fears that her wickedness defines her.
Themes
Circe’s uncle Achelous finds her the next morning. He informs her that her brother has come and that she must return to Helios’s halls. When she arrives, she sees Aeëtes, who is dressed in richly embroidered robes and standing beside Helios. Thrilled to see him, Circe greets him joyfully. He responds by asking what happened to her face, which is still peeling from Helios’s heat. Helios interrupts and demands that Aeëtes explain his visit. Aeëtes says that he has come because he knows of the transformations that Circe has done.
Aeëtes unemotional greeting of Circe signifies his callousness. He doesn’t respond to Circe’s joy and instead greets her by pointing out a physical imperfection. Whether he ever loved Circe is unclear, but what is certain is that he doesn’t reciprocate her love now—he has become as self-obsessed as many of the other gods.
Themes
Helios contradicts Aeëtes, telling him that Circe has no such powers. But Aeëtes insists that Helios is wrong and that he, Aeëtes, also shares these abilities. He names these skills pharmakeia, a form of magic based in pharmaka, herbs that come from both divine blood and from common plants. Pasiphaë and Perses, Aeëtes elaborates, also practice pharmakeia. Helios is dumbstruck.
Helios reacts very differently to Aeëtes’s contradiction of him than he did to Circe’s, which is likely because he both respects and fears Aeëtes—a man—more than he does Circe, whom he sees as a powerless woman.
Themes
To demonstrate, Aeëtes takes out a small container, which contains a liquid that he smears on Circe’s face while whispering something that she doesn’t catch. Almost immediately, her face heals. Aeëtes goes on to say that this “is the least of [his] powers.” Additionally, because these powers come from the earth, they aren’t restricted by the gods’ laws. After a pause, Aeëtes acknowledges that Helios must discuss the situation with the other gods and adds that, if needed, he can perform some of his greater powers to Zeus. While Aeëtes eyes glitter “like teeth in a wolf’s mouth,” Helios’s expression betrays his fear.
Notably, Aeëtes heals Circe’s face in order to show off his own capabilities. He could have healed it as soon as he saw her, but he chooses to wait and use her pain as an opportunity to establish his power. He is careful to make his father fear his powers, even explicitly stating that his powers are not bound by the gods’ usual rules. Helios is indeed frightened—as one of the most powerful Titans, he is not used to people threatening his power.
Themes
Helios confirms that he must speak with the other gods. He orders Aeëtes and Circe to stay in the hall until they reach a decision. Aeëtes assents. After Helios departs, Aeëtes asks Circe, who is both confused and hopeful, what took her so long to figure out that she is a pharmakis. Circe doesn’t respond but only repeats the word, unknown to all until now.
Although confused, Circe is relieved and hopeful to discover that she may indeed have power, which means that she will have more control over her life. Aeëtes further demonstrates his callousness as he insults her, asking her why she didn’t realize her powers sooner.
Themes
The news of Circe and Aeëtes’s powers travels fast; by dinner, the other gods and nymphs avoid her. Aeëtes nonchalantly tells her that she’ll get used to being alone. But Aeëtes, it seems, is never alone; he still joins the other Titan gods, talking and drinking. After the others leave, Circe spends time with Aeëtes and asks him about his kingdom. He tells her stories of what he has been able to accomplish with his magic, but when she asks if he can teach her, he staunchly refuses, saying she has to discover it for herself. Although Circe wants to be affectionate with her brother, she holds back, finding him intimidating.
While Aeëtes always has company, Circe is alone, as the other gods avoid her. She is experiencing how, in a misogynist society, people often fear women who defy societal expectations and have power. Their distrust of her leads to her isolation. Meanwhile, the other gods welcome Aeëtes—because he is male, others expect him to have power and respect him for this reason. But his acceptance of their company doesn’t mean that he seeks emotional connection. He is so cold to Circe that she doesn’t feel comfortable being affectionate with him. His power has only integrated him deeper into the heartless cycle of power and abuse, making him more callous and egotistical than ever before.
Themes
After Aeëtes tells Circe that he has always known of his powers, she feels betrayed, but she can’t bring herself to confront him. Instead, she asks if he was afraid of Helios’s wrath. He tells her that he wasn’t, that he is smart enough not to announce his powers in a way that embarrasses Helios. He is also sure that Helios will see these powers as a tool to use against Zeus.
Aeëtes is very attuned to how those around him react to power. He knows that those with power—like Helios—are quickly enraged when others threaten it. Aeëtes knows that provoking Helios could encourage Helios to try to curb or take away his (Aeëtes’s) power, which is why he approached Helios in a calculated manner. Aeëtes is very aware that people in their society are always looking to accumulate more power, so he purposefully presented his abilities in a way that would encourage Helios to protect them for his own benefit (he wants to use them against the Olympians). There is no emotion or familial affection in any of these exchanges—each person is just looking out for themselves.
Themes
Circe asks Aeëtes whether she has the same powers as he does. He tells her no, that he is the most powerful of their siblings, but that she does seem skilled with transformation. Circe dismisses his statement, declaring that it was the flowers that reveal one’s “truest form.” Aeëtes asks if she doesn’t see the coincidence that both Glaucos and Scylla became exactly what she wanted; after all, Scylla was just the same as every other pretty nymph. But Circe stays firm, saying that Scylla really was especially cruel.
Circe’s deflection of her power has two sources. On one hand, she still doubts that she, a woman, could possess such capabilities. On the other hand, it is also likely that she is trying to distance herself from the atrocity of Scylla’s transformation. She doesn’t want to believe that she could commit such evil, so she finds something to blame for her actions instead of confronting her faults.
Themes
Aeëtes then says that Circe missed the opportunity to really punish Scylla. As a monster, “she always has a place.” She will be hated, but she will be famous and will answer to no one. Had she just been made ugly, she would have truly suffered. Pretty nymphs already have next to no power; an ugly one would be despised and rejected, doomed to live alone in obscurity. Meanwhile, after two days of conference, Helios leaves for Olympus. The tension in the halls is thick. Only Perse celebrates, proud of her powerful children.
Because women in this society typically only have their sex appeal to use as a form of power, ugly women are at the very bottom of the social hierarchy. So, although some women can benefit from the current system of power, the system actually hurts all women, as it encourages them to compete with one another instead of working together to challenge the men who hold the majority of power, which they use to subjugate all women. Circe’s transformation of Scylla illustrates this phenomenon: Scylla flaunted her little power over Circe, who retaliated by attacking her, but neither of them is any better for their fight. Aeëtes thinks that Scylla is better off as a monster, which shows how little he cares about the women around him, and how little power and respect women generally have in ancient Greece—it is better to be a senseless monster than a woman.
Themes
Helios returns in a blaze of light. To everyone’s relief, he announces that he and Zeus have reached an agreement. They both acknowledge that these powers are new to the world and come from the children of Helios and Perse, who looks smugger than ever. Helios says that they have decided that his children’s magic doesn’t pose a threat at the moment: Perses is far away from the gods, Pasiphaë will be checked by her husband (who is a son of Zeus), and Aeëtes will agree to be watched. Circe glances at her nodding brother, whose eyes betray his defiance.
Anxious to protect their own powers, Helios and Zeus reach a decision that relies on checking the power of those who challenge them. Notably, neither Aeëtes nor Perses is very affected. Perses is deemed out of the gods’ control, and Aeëtes agrees to supervision, although Circe can tell that he plans on deceiving Helios and Zeus to maintain full control of his powers. Pasiphaë, however, will have to answer to her husband, which reveals that the gods are willing and eager to curb a woman’s power.
Themes
Helios explains that all his children discovered their magic by accident—all except Circe, who had been warned about pharmaka but experimented anyway. Circe catches sight of Tethys’s stony face. Circe will be punished for her transgression: she will be exiled to an island, starting tomorrow. Speechless with dismay, Circe looks to Aeëtes for a friendly face, but his expression is blank. Lastly, Helios announces his promise to Zeus that he will have no more children with Perse, whose gloating expression dissolves into sobs.
Circe gets no sympathy from her family, all of whom are more interested in guarding their own power than in helping her. It is suggested that Tethys betrayed Circe by telling Helios that she had warned Circe against pharmaka. Tethys wants to keep her own power, which she believes pharmaka threatens. Aeëtes is also unsympathetic to Circe. He doesn’t show her any affection, probably to avoid any possible association with someone whom the gods want to punish, lest they punish him and limit his powers as well. Perse, meanwhile, doesn’t care about Circe’s fate—she’s only upset that she can’t have more powerful children to associate herself with.
Themes
The evening feast begins, and no one speaks to Circe, so she starts packing, although she’s unsure what to bring. While packing, she looks at a tapestry of a wedding that an aunt gave her, unsure of whether to bring it. Aeëtes stops by her room and reminds Circe that her punishment could be much worse: Zeus wants her to be a warning to others, but luckily, Helios has to show some control. After he makes a jibe about the folly of confessing, Circe sarcastically asks whether she should start “deny[ing] everything” like he does. He responds that she should. Her exile is her own fault, he says, because she was foolish enough to admit guilt.
Circe is collateral damage in the gods’ battles for power. Zeus is using Circe as an example to discourage anyone else from threatening his power, similar to what he did to Prometheus. The only reason why Circe doesn’t receive a worse punishment is because Helios wants to show that the Olympians do not have unlimited power over the Titans. Circe is a pawn to both of them. Aeëtes has no sympathy for Circe, telling her that she deserves her punishment for not playing by the established rules in the game of power, namely that she blatantly challenged someone who is much stronger than she is. Aeëtes makes it clear that honesty has no place in a society obsessed with power, in which one must always jealously guard the power one has. In his argument, Aeëtes demonstrates that he has taken his family’s attitudes and patterns of behavior to heart.
Themes
As Aeëtes expresses his incredulity at her confession, Circe realizes that he won’t understand her decision because he didn’t see Prometheus being punished. She coolly thanks him for his advice and, looking again at the tapestry, decides that the family depicted looks stupid. She has always hated it and will leave it.
Circe realizes that Aeëtes will probably never understand her actions because he never witnessed someone standing up for their principles, like she did when she met Prometheus. Her rejection of the tapestry symbolizes her rejection of her family—she hates them and everything they stand for, and she’s ready to leave them behind.
Themes
