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Odysseus is a warrior who, on his way home to Ithaca from Troy, stops on Circe’s island. Odysseus is extremely clever, which attracts Athena to be his patron. Odysseus is also extremely proud, and he gets his men in trouble many times because of his vanity and greed. When he arrives on Aiaia, he sends his men ahead to her house, where Circe—still traumatized from the violent rape she suffered at the hands of previous sailors—turns them into pigs. Odysseus then arrives bearing moly, which Hermes (his ancestor) gave him to protect him from Circe’s magic. He and Circe have an enjoyable conversation, and they become lovers, with her restoring Odysseus’s men to their original forms after she and Odysseus have sex. Odysseus and his men stay on Aiaia for several months: first to rest from their journey and fix their ship, and then because Odysseus enjoys Circe’s company. Circe falls in love with Odysseus and his sharp intelligence. She particularly loves Odysseus’s scars, which she sees as integral to his identity. Before Odysseus returns to Ithaca, Circe becomes pregnant by him, although Odysseus never learns of this. When Penelope and Telemachus come with Telegonus to Aiaia, Circe hears the rest of Odysseus’s tale: after returning to Ithaca, Odysseus killed all the men who hoped to marry Penelope. And he didn’t stop there; he wanted to send a message about what happens to those who try to usurp his power, and so he killed everyone connected with the suitors, even the innocent bystanders and the serving girls whom the suitors raped. Telemachus is especially haunted by what happened and feels guilty for having been a part of the murders. Odysseus continues a downward spiral into paranoia and violence until he accidentally kills himself on Telegonus’s poison spear when he attacks Telegonus, thinking that he is a pirate.
Odysseus Quotes in Circe
The Circe quotes below are all either spoken by Odysseus or refer to Odysseus. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 16 Quotes
The scars themselves I offered to wipe away. [Odysseus] shook his head. “How would I know myself?”
I was secretly glad. They suited him. Enduring Odysseus, he was, and the name was stitched into his skin. Whoever saw him must salute and say: There is a man who has seen the world. There is a captain with stories to tell.
I might have told him, in those hours, stories of my own […] His face would be intent as he listened, his relentless mind examining, weighing and cataloguing […] He would gather my weaknesses up and set them with the rest of his collection, alongside Achilles’ and Ajax’s. He kept them on his person as other men keep their knives.
I looked down at my body […] and tried to imagine it written over with its history: my palm with its lightning streak, my hand missing its fingers, the thousand cuts from my witch-work, the gristled furrows of my father’s fire […] And those were only the things that had left marks.
There would be no salutes. What had Aeëtes called an ugly nymph? A stain upon the face of the world.
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Chapter 21 Quotes
“You pity me. Do not. My father lied about many things, but he was right when he called me a coward. I let him be what he was for year after year, raging and beating the servants, shouting at my mother, and turning our house to ash. He told me to help him kill the suitors and I did it. Then he told me to kill all the men who had aided them, and I did that too. Then he commanded me to gather up all the slave girls who had ever lain with one of them and […] kill them as well.” […]
“I hanged them” […] Each word was like a blade he thrust into himself. “I had never seen it done […] I had some thought that it must be more proper. I should have used the sword instead. I have never known such ugly drawn-out deaths. I will see their feet twisting the rest of my days.”
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An owl passed its wings over my head. I heard the sound of scuffling brush, the beak snap, A mouse had died for its carelessness. I was glad Telemachus would not know of those words between me and his father. At the time I had been boasting, showing off my ruthlessness. I had felt untouchable, filled with teeth and power. I scarcely remembered what that was like.
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Chapter 22 Quotes
“When I was young, I overheard our palace surgeon talking. He said that the medicines he sold were only for show. Most hurts heal by themselves, he said, if you give them enough time […] I took it for a philosophy. I have always been good at waiting, you see. I outlasted the war and the suitors. I outlasted Odysseus’s travels. I told myself that if I were patient enough, I could outlast his restlessness and Athena too […] And while I sat, Telemachus bore his father’s rage year after year. He suffered while I turned my eyes away […] But this world does have true medicines. You are proof of that. You walked the depths for your son. You defied the gods. I think of all the years of my life I wasted on that little man’s boast. I have paid for it, that is only justice, but I have made Telemachus pay as well.”
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Chapter 24 Quotes
Penelope’s face was bent to the floor. “I have, goddess. He is set in his course. You know his father’s blood was always stubborn.”
“Stubborn in achievement.” Athena snapped each word like a dove’s neck. “In ingenuity. What is this degeneracy? […] I do not make this offer again. If you persist in this foolishness, if you refuse me, all my glory will leave you. Even if you beg I will not come.”
“I understand,” he said.
His calmness seemed to rage her. “There will be no songs made of you. No stories. Do you understand? You will live a life of obscurity. You will be without a name in history. You will be no one.” […]
“I choose that fate,” he said.
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Chapter 25 Quotes
“Her name,” he said. “Scylla. It means the Render. Perhaps it was always her destiny to be a monster, and you were only the instrument.”
“Do you use the same excuse for the maids you hanged?”
It was as if I had struck him. “I make no excuse for that. I will wear that shame all my life. I cannot undo it, but I will spend my days wishing I could.”
“It is how you know you are different from your father,” I said.
“Yes.” His voice was sharp.
“It is the same for me,” I said. “Do not try to take my regret from me.”
He was quiet a long time. “You are wise,” he said.
“If it is so,” I said, “it is only because I have been fool enough for a hundred lifetimes […] I must tell you, all my past is like today, monsters and horrors no one wants to hear.”
He held my gaze. […]
“I want to hear,” he said.
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Odysseus Character Timeline in Circe
The timeline below shows where the character Odysseus appears in Circe. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 8
...On this same visit, he tells her that a prophecy states that a man named Odysseus, who is also a descendant of Hermes, will come to her island.
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Chapter 15
...and her nymphs are rearranging the hall, one of her nymphs informs her that another, grizzled man is approaching her house.
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When the grizzled man arrives at Circe’s house, he informs her that his crew has recently sought out her...
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The grizzled man continues to speak warmly of his wife, at one point mentioning that she runs their...
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As the conversation continues, Circe sees that the grizzled man is a clever conversationalist who often makes jokes at his own expense. Yet as they...
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...had told her long ago, Circe tells the man that she believes that he is Odysseus, to which he responds that she is Circe.
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Circe is thrilled to hear Odysseus say her name and she tells him that very few men knew who she is....
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Chapter 16
...back from the future, Circe thinks of how the famous song describing her meeting with Odysseus portrays her as weak and bested by Odysseus’s guile. She isn’t surprised; poets often reduce...
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After Circe and Odysseus have sex, Odysseus describes how grueling his trip from Troy has been—they have encountered cannibals,...
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Circe can see Odysseus’s exhaustion plain on his face. Feeling her old desire to help those who are broken,...
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Now joined by his men, Odysseus feasts joyfully. After the dinner, the men troop off to sleep, but Odysseus joins Circe...
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For the next several weeks, Circe relishes Odysseus’s company. They dine together and, later, have sex, during which she loves running her hands...
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One night, Odysseus tells Circe that the people who really win wars aren’t the heroes or the generals....
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The days pass, and Circe marvels at mortals’ persistence and resilience. Odysseus often complains of various pains, and she does her best to soothe them, once even...
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Circe considers telling Odysseus a bit about her own past, but she worries that doing so would expose her...
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Over the weeks, Circe learns that Odysseus is short-tempered and occasionally strikes out at his men. Circe is calm with him, drawing...
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Circe and Odysseus continue to grow closer, with Odysseus telling her of his past and complaining about his...
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Although Circe tries to ignore the fact that Odysseus is married, she at last asks about his wife. He launches into an adoration of...
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When winter comes, the men stay in the hall, where Odysseus tells them glorious tales of the war with Troy. They glow at these stories, whispering...
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Circe asks Odysseus for more of Hector’s story, so he tells her of how, after the Greeks won...
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When Circe asks Odysseus to describe Telemachus, he lingers on the boy’s sweetness, telling her of all the characteristics...
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Chapter 17
As spring approaches and the time for Odysseus’s departure comes near, Circe imagines pleading with him to stay until the end of summer....
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One night, Apollo visits Circe with a prophecy regarding Odysseus. Receiving the prophecy is not a pleasant experience: Apollo gags her by sending a rush...
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Circe is miserable, as she knows from the prophecy that Odysseus will indeed return to Ithaca. That evening, Odysseus kneels before Circe and tells her that...
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Circe then tells Odysseus of the prophecy, that he must visit Teiresias in the underworld before he makes it...
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Odysseus is too anxious to sleep. At sunrise, Circe walks outside with him, only to find...
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Circe pictures Odysseus among the dead. She had given him a vial to fill with the blood that...
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When Odysseus and his men return, Circe and her nymphs greet them with a feast. The men...
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Teiresias also informed Odysseus that he will stop at Thrinakia, the island with Helios’s sacred cows, on the way...
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Circe plots out the rest of Odysseus’s trip, telling him what dangers her will face. She avoids mentioning the worst peril until...
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Circe, Odysseus, his men, and the island nymphs give Elpenor his proper funeral, after which Odysseus and...
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Chapter 18
As soon as Odysseus departs, Circe is overcome by sickness. Her nymphs recoil in shock—a goddess’s pregnancy is always...
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...imagines the richness that her son will bring to her life. Even as she remembers Odysseus’s wishes for more children, she declares that the child is for her alone.
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Chapter 19
...not allowed to step into the underworld. Circe begins to work with the blood that Odysseus collected from his visit with the dead.
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...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...
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...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...
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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...
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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...
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Chapter 20
...ship. After telling him to stay on the ship until he can speak directly with Odysseus, she then goes over his route with him and advises him how to behave with...
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Chapter 21
...wondering all the while where Telegonus is. She wants to believe that his meeting with Odysseus, Penelope, and Telemachus will go well, but she can’t help but feel that this is...
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...demands that he tell her what is wrong. Telegonus tells Circe that he arrived when Odysseus was away from home. When Odysseus returned, he stormed at Telegonus, raging at him to...
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...weeps, mourning the death of his father. Circe also grieves, thinking of her time with Odysseus. His sobs slowing, Telegonus then tells Circe that Telemachus and Penelope are in the boat....
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...When she tells him that she knows that he plans to kill Telegonus to avenge Odysseus, Telemachus contradicts her, saying that he doesn’t blame her son. Odysseus had been hostile in...
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...can now be king. He responds that, because he has showed no intention of avenging Odysseus’s death, Ithaca is not a safe place for him. He did not even weep at...
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Telemachus begins his tale with the years following the Trojan war. When Odysseus didn’t return, suitors flocked to their halls, wanting to marry Penelope. Angrily, he describes how...
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But when Odysseus finally did return, he killed them all. When the suitors’ fathers came to demand some...
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Even though the soldiers’ fathers avoided Odysseus after his violent outburst, Odysseus became paranoid. Telemachus admits that he should have intervened then,...
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Odysseus began to go on monthly raids, which churned up wild rumors: that he had married...
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...He tells her that he is indeed a coward, since he should have intervened when Odysseus proved himself to be unstable. He confesses his guilt for following Odysseus’s orders to not...
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Circe paces the beach, thinking of Odysseus and the ruthlessness that Telemachus described. She remembers a conversation they once had in which...
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...Penelope thanks her for her hospitality, both now and many years ago, when Circe hosted Odysseus. She says that he had spoken favorably of Circe and had also told her of...
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...whether Circe has a black cloak for her to wear to symbolize her mourning for Odysseus. Circe tells her no, that she doesn’t have one, but that Penelope is welcome to...
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Chapter 22
...Penelope and Telegonus go to bed, Telemachus asks Circe to tell him whatever stories of Odysseus she has. So she begins, telling him of all the tales of Odysseus that she...
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The last story that Circe tells is Odysseus’s encounter with the cyclops Polyphemus, whose cave Odysseus and his men got trapped in. Odysseus...
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After a moment, Telemachus passionately derides Odysseus’s pride, saying that “he made life for others a misery” in order to win glory...
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...adds that it is only just that she endangers Circe, since Circe is responsible for Odysseus’s death.
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...if she wishes to stay, she must tell Circe everything. So, Penelope does, starting with Odysseus’s return after the war. Unlike Telemachus, who believes that the war had ruined his father,...
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Chapter 23
...work on a household chore. Even Telegonus’s mood improves, especially after Circe tells him of Odysseus’s violent rage. The only tension that remains is between Telemachus and Penelope, who still do...
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...hard for him to spend so much time with Telegonus, when he so closely resembles Odysseus. Telemachus laughs, telling her that Telegonus is blessed to look like her. Their gazes meet,...
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Chapter 24
...her again, Circe tries to persuade the goddess that she doesn’t want the murderer of Odysseus. But Athena shrugs off Circe’s argument, saying that Odysseus failed himself and died at his...
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Telemachus interrupts their packing to give Telegonus the bow that had once belonged to Odysseus. As her son marvels at the gift, Circe considers the differences between the two men:...
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Chapter 25
...he would leave with Athena. He sharply reminds her that he is different from both Odysseus and Telegonus.
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...she would not dare to do so with him and the girls he killed at Odysseus’s request. When he tells her that she is wise, Circe contradicts him, saying that she...
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Chapter 26
...known that kneeling before Circe would shame her. Penelope tells her that it was something Odysseus said, that Circe hated her divinity. After a pause, Circe asks Penelope, whose fingers are...
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