Circe Chapter Analysis
Peter Martin, Eric Youth, Emma Letarte, Sarah Stauffer, Megan Kayser,
Christen Morrissey, and Emily Patashnik
Summary of Chapter
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Odysseus arrives at the island of Aeolia
Aeolus gives Odysseus the bag of winds, which his crew believes is gold
Odysseus’ crew unleashes the winds, which bring them back to Aeolia and
Aeolus, who gets angry and tells them to leave
Odysseus and his crew end up at the island of the giant Laestrygonians, who
attack some of the crew and eat them
Odysseus comes across Circe’s house after leaving the Laestrygonians
Circe offers the men wine and, while they are distracted, she turns them into pigs
Odysseus stays human (immune to her magic because of a resistance potion
given to him by Hermes) and she falls to his knees and offers him a meal and sex
He accepts but only if she releases his men and turns them into humans again
Both sides of the deal were fulfilled, Odysseus and his men stay for a year
The crew departs from the island to travel to the underworld
Location
of Events
Circe (3)
Aeolus (1)
Laestrygonians (2)
Important Characters in Chapter 10
Character
What do they do in this chapter?
Aeolus
Aeolus, son of Hippotas, welcomes Odysseus and his crew onto his island of Aeolia. He extends them xenia
for an entire month in exchange for Odysseus’ stories. As Odysseus is leaving, Aeolus offers him a bag
containing the “boisterous energies of all the winds,” which is meant to bring Odysseus home, until his own
crew members unwittingly unleash the forces, which, instead, guide their ship back to Aeolia. When
Odysseus returns, Aeolus is not as kind to the crew and he holds them “damnable,” dismissing them away
from Aeolia. Odysseus’ crew then washes up on an island inhabited by the Laestrygonians, a society of
cannibalistic giants.
Circe
Circe invites half of Odysseus’ crew into her dwelling after the travelers leave the homes of the
Laestrygonians, enticing the men with a variety of food. After they finish the meal, Circe turns them into
pigs using a stick. She then attempts to do the same to Odysseus, but fails after realizing her drug has
become ineffective. Afterwards, Circe invites Odysseus to her bed, and in exchange for her offer, she
provides him food and drink, then, at his request, returns his crew members to their human forms. In a turn
of events, Circe then provides xenia to the crew for a year. Before Odysseus leaves, Circe details the next
steps of their mission - traveling to the underworld and the realm of Hades.
Odysseus
Odysseus leads his crew to, respectively, Aeolia, the homes of the Laestrygonians, and Circe’s island.
Throughout their encounters in these locations, he provides guidance to his crew and their decisions, and is in
charge of search parties. He also encounters Hermes on the way to Circe’s house, who advises him to be
wary of her tricks and gives him a potion. This potion renders Circe’s drugs useless, and Odysseus proves
himself a hero after bargaining with Circe to release his men from their swine states.
Epic Poetry Elements
Element 1: Describing Natural Phenomena: Odysseus meets with Aeolus, God of Wind.
Aeolus explains why there is wind. “Zeus had put him in charge of the winds” (Homer 125).
People that lived in Greece couldn’t explain what happened around them. They used gods to
do just. In this example, Aeolus provides an explanation as to why there is wind in the world.
Element 2: Mythological Beings: There are many gods and goddesses present in the book.
“When Dawn with her beautiful tresses ushered in the third day…” (Homer 129). Dawn is a
Greek god. She is one of many examples of Greek gods present in this epic.
Element 3: Xenia: Odysseus and his crew were welcomed by the goddess Circe to her
home. She fed them and gave them shelter for a year. “We stayed on day after day for a
whole year, feasting on lavish quantities of meat and mellow wine.” (Homer 136). Circe
welcomed Odysseus’s crew and gave them shelter, food, and water, demonstrating xenia.
Hero’s Journey Elements
The Road of Trials Odysseus’ encounters in chapter ten are components of the “Road of
Trials” phase of the classic Hero’s Journey. Throughout this stage,
Odysseus experiences a variety of challenges which impede his journey,
mounting in severity - his own crew unwittingly sends their ship back to
Aeolia, the characters are preyed upon by a cannibalistic giant, and Circe
turns half of them into pigs, after giving them a noxious drug.
Additionally, after Odysseus and his crew leave Circe’s home, she tells
them that they must travel to the underworld - presumably, a new
challenge for the intrepid travelers.
LFamous artL
Circe turns the men into pigs
because she is mad, but
Odysseus has a magic drug that
keeps him human
Circe was offering wine to
Odysseus and told him to
come to her room,
offering herself.
Once the bag of winds is opened, it
is supposed to blow Odysseus’
crew back towards home
Children’s Book