Madeline Miller (1978-) is an American author of The Song of Achilles (2011) and Circe (2018). In both novels, she gives an authentic voice to such mythological characters as Achilles, Patroclus, and Circe that Homer sang about some 2800 years ago in The Iliad and The Odyssey.

The sorceress Circe--who for a year sabotages Odysseus from returning to Ithaca--appears only in Chapter 10 of The Odyssey, yet as you can see in the slideshow, this minor immortal has inspired innumerable paintings and artworks. Why do you think so many have found a compelling figure and persona in Circe?

True to the Homeric tradition of orality and minstrelsy, Miller creates a poetic cadence by predominantly employing alliteration, mono-syllabic or bi-syllabic words, and melding words together to conjure up a vivid imagery (a "noun-adjective" formation as in "otter-sleek" and "eel-belly white"). You will get into the rhythm of the storytelling and easily visualize the verisimilitude by orally reading the text to yourself.  

verisimilitude: a very similar imagery or imagination that the writer creates in the reader's mind by employing such literary devices as simile and metaphor among others   

Ch. 1: Parentage, birth, and infancy of Circe
What does the name Circe connote?          
Describe Circe's physical appearance by utilizing direct quotations (5 sentences). 
Describe Circe's personality by utilizing inference (3 sentences).   
Identify one prominent literary feature employed in this chapter and provide three direct quotations. In what ways and to what extent does this literary device accentuate the author's purpose?         
What attitude does Circe have toward the feminine guile her mother Perce employs in her relationship to her husband Helios?
What attitude does Circe have toward other immortals (especially when she visits Helios' sacred herd of cows)?
                  
Ch. 2:War between the subterranean Titans and the celestial Olympians; Prometheus is tormented and persecuted by his own brethren, the Titans
Identify three commonalities Prometheus and Circe share. 
What according to Prometheus makes mortals capable of achieving uniqueness and complexity?

Ch. 3: Circe's siblings (Pasiphae, Perses, and Aeetes) pursue their own destiny 
Why and how does Circe develop a strong bond with Aeetes while Pasiphae and Perses remain aloof and distant?  

Synesthesia (sin-uh s-thee-zhee-uh) is a literary device that associates one sense in terms of another, most often by cross-wiring two or more senses such as visual, olfactory, auditory, tactile, and gustatory imagery. Miller often employs synesthesia in achieving verisimilitude, as in "I smelled something sharp and green, with a brackish edge" (67) and "The fear sloshed over me, each wave colder than the last"(81). Please try to identify them as they come in the upcoming chapters.   

Chapter 4
What does Circe learn about mortals from her relationship with Glaucos?

Chapter 5: Circe transforms Glaucos

Chapter 6
Circe begins her narrative by confiding "When I was born, the name for what I was did not exist" (3). Now, Circe accepts a new identity and a name for it. What is the name for her kind?
In what ways does Aeetes circumvent Helios' wrath? 

Chapter 7: Circe in exile
Which animal does Circe choose as her familiar?
What magical trick does Circe have a natural aptitude for?

Chapter 8: Hermes
What is Circe's island called?
In what ways does Circe take advantage of Hermes' visits?

Scylla and Charybdis

Glaucos and Scylla

Hermes Ingenui (Vatican Museums) with caduceus, a round hat, and a traveler's cloak

Chapter 9:
1) Even though Circe mistrusts Pasiphae, she decides to embark on her journey to Crete. What compels her to travel with Daedalus? 
2 Who does Circe refer to by the "upright man with fire in his bones" (109)? What characteristic do the man and the charred tree share in Circe's eyes?
3) Why does the crew pay respect to Circe when it survived Scylla's claws?

Chapter 10:
1) What are the three prophecies about the future Crete and Cretans that Circe provides in this chapter? 

Chapter 11:
1) What attracts Circe and Daedalus to each other? And how do they develop their partnership? 

Chapter 12:
1) How do Icarus, Daedalus, and Ariadne meet their demise? 
2) From what domestic craft and chores does Circe derive solace and enjoyment? 

Chapter 13:
1) Why do Medea and Jason seek absolution from Circe?
2) What causes the rift between Circe and Aeetes? 

Chapter 14:
1) What traumatic event happens to Circe in this chapter?
2) Why do you think Circe's magic transforms the ungrateful marauders into pigs? Why is their true nature porcine? 

Chapter 15:
1) In Chapter 15, Circe breaks away from the linear storytelling and reminisces about a man who "could shuck truths from men like oyster shells . . . with a glance and a well-timed word" (196-8). Who is this newcomer to Aiaia? 
2) The unusual visitor comes with much preparation. List at least three things he has prepared before encountering Circe.

Chapter 16: Odysseus and Nostos
Identify three characteristics of Odysseus.
         "And Odysseus, I thought. The spiral shell. Always another curve out of sight" (212).
         "When he talked, he was lawyer and bard and crossroads charlatan at once, arguing his case, entertaining, pulling back the veil to
          show you the secrets of the world" (212).
         "Living with him was like standing beside the sea. Each day a different color, a different foam-capped height, but always the same
          restless intensity pulling towards the horizon" (216).
          
Chapter 17: Apollo's Visit to Circe
What are the two visions Apollo bestows to Circe in regard to Odysseus' future?
What specific item does Circe request Odysseus to bring from the Underworld? 
Let's pay attention to the use of diction and imagery in the following paragraph: "My nymphs and I waited on the sand, watching the ship row in. The men waded to the shore in silence. Their bodies sagged as if borne down by stones, sickly and aged. I searched Odysseus' face. It was ghastly, I could not read it. Even their clothes were faded, the fabric leached and gray. They looked like fish, caught beneath a winter's skim of ice" (234). 

Chapter 18: Telegonus' Infancy and Athena's Wrath
Why do you think Athena wants Telegonus dead? 

Chapter 19:
What ingredients does Circe use in concocting the protective magic potion?
How does the potion keep mortals and godheads from the island of Aiaia?
Why do you think Hermes tempts Telegonus to travel to Ithaca?

Chapter 20: 
What are the three things Circe prepares before Telegonus embarks on his journey?
Why do you think Trygon grants Circe her wish?

​Chapter 21: 
Why do you think Odysseus calls Penelope by such nicknames as "a true-made bow" and "the north star"?
Do you think Odysseus achieved his nostos, homecoming? Or was he lost in the process of pursuing nostos?  

Chapter 22: the Battle of Wits (Athena--Circe--Penelope)
How has Circe deduced Penelope's reason to come to Aiaia?
After listening to Odysseus' heroic narratives in Circe's voice, Telemachus singles out one character flaw of his father that has sabotaged his homecoming and his relationship with his family. What is the reason he criticizes his father?
What does Penelope mean by "the curse of soldiers" (326)?
Who does Penelope refer to by "an owl with a kill in its claws" (328)?

Chapter 23: Kinship forms and Hermes intrudes with a message 

Chapter 24: Circe turns up the heat on Helios; Telemachus accompanies Circe in her adventure 
How does Circe's relationship with her father change over the course of the novel? 
Why do you think Telemachus rejects Athena's offer and rebels against her?
What heirloom of Odysseus does Telemachus give to Telegonus?

Chapter 25: Scylla is petrified; Circe and Telemachus own up to their fear and guilt
How does Circe defeat Scylla? 
In what ways is Telemachus different from Odysseus?

Chapter 26: Circe returns to Crete; Penelope has become a witch 
Why does Circe say the flowers sprung from Kronos' blood cannot harm or change Telemachus? 
What qualities make one a witch? What traits of Penelope's help her become one? 
Circe states, "I felt that pleasure the bards sing so often: homecoming" (379). To what extent is this novel about Circe's nostos? 

Chapter 27: Circe has prophetic visions of her mortal life; Circe chooses her own fate 
Circe's special power lies in transformative magic. How does she transform from the beginning of the novel to the end?