Please enable JavaScript.

Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.

Circe Reading Notes (pg.189) - Coggle Diagram

- - - - Circe returned to Aiaia, and she's happy to be home with all her herbs and animals. Soon, Hermès visted her again to find that Circe is now less interested in him as sometimes she felt disgusted and uncomfortable in his hands. Yet, her fluctuating moods interested him. Then, Circe saw herself returning to Daedalus's words: "A golden cage is still a cage." She realizes that she, like him, is a prisoner of the gods. Even though she feels like she may have power as a witch on her own, this power is an illusion—the gods are still in control of her, as they will not let her leave the island.
      - On her island, Circe kept thinking about what her sister Pasiphaë said. She said that Circe was just like the rest of the family: spiteful, vain, and cruel. Now that she rethinks, Circe realizes that her intentions behind transforming Glaucos were out of selfishness and spite in hoping she could keep him for herself for eternity.
      - One of Hermès's stories was: Shortly after minos and Pasiphaë got married, Minos raped various serving girls in front of Pasiphaë. To get back at him, Pasiphaë cast a spell that turned his semen into poisonous reptiles, so that each girl was stung to death from within.
      - Circe is grew grossed out by the grisly tale that she ordering Hermes away and locked herself inside of her house as she declares that she will shut out the other gods and their wicked world forever.
    - - In spring, Circe noticed that there was another ship arriving at her shore. Two people came down from the ship: a man and woman. The woman adked Circe for help and claimed that they have committed foul sins in their flight from “great evil.” Circe understand that they are asking for the rite of katharsis, the cleansing of evil. Tradition of xenia hospitality forbids Circe to ask why, so she welcomes them without question.
      - Circe realizes from her look that she must be a descendant of Helios and eventually learns that she is Medea, Aeëtes’s daughter. Medea explains that she couldn’t risk Circe’s recognizing her to prevent Aeëtes from telling Circe ugly stories of her.
      - Medea, along with the man, now made his identity known as Jason Prince of Iolcos, are in search of katharsis. Initially they intended to outsail Aeëtes, but Medea went too far and dismembered her little brother, whom she had brought on board as a potential bargaining piece. The boy was Aeëtes’s favored son, so throwing his pieces into the sea will slows Aeëtes down as he would collect the body parts to bury them properly.
      - Medea told Circe all about Aeëtes's cruelty and how he turned people stupid, into "empty shells." Strongly believed that Aeëtes, however, will never hurt his children, Circe quickly learned about Aeëtes's depise hon Medea,even more after knowing that she is also a witch. According to Medea, Aeëtes was afraid that she would teach his secrets to another men.
      - As Medea stood up and about to leave, Circe tried to change her mind by saying how people in Iolcos will oppose her being queen, as they all wanted their daughters to be married to a hero like Jason. She offered an alternative life - a life in Aiaia with her, a life where Circe will teach Medea witchcraft and poison making.Yet, this firebacked at Circe when Medea sneered at her, asking if that was how she identified herself. She mocked her loneliness and desperation for people to come by and help her out of her lonely exile.
      - Circe, in hurt of Medea's words, said that in fact, Jason has already grow disgust and fear of Medea without telling her. She said that to Jason, Medea is only the means to an end, and as soon as he has reached Iolcos, where the people will pressure him to expel Medea, he will abandon her without any hesistation. Yet, Medea still chose to leave with Jason for Iolcos as soon as he wakes up.
      - When Aeëtes’s ship erarrives several hours lat, he calls out to Circe. He ordered her to hand over Medea. But when Circe informs him that Medea has already left, he was furious. For a brief moment, Circe even considered lying to Aeëtes and imagines that if he believed that Circe was tricked to let Medea go, they can spend time together. But then she saw Aeëtes’s boat crew, whose bodies displayed clear signs of torture from none but her dear brother. Realizing how far-gone Aeëtes has become, Circe lets her dream of a reunion go. He threatens her, but she responds by strongly stating how he can't harm her on her own island. He was surprised momentarily, but then he gave her his sneers before departuring.
    - - One day, Circe woke up to see that a divinity god has sent his nymph daughter to serve Circe as a punishment for falling in love with a mortal, and her name was Alke. However, Alke slowly became a burden with her non-stop complains. Circe begged her father Helios for him to order them off Aiaia, but he seemed supportive of this idea. Soon later, the island is filled with nymphs that annoyed Circe.
      - One other day, Circe welcomed 20 mortal men and soothed their pain. They wished to thank her, but when they knew that she was unmarried and her father lived elsewhere, the atmosphere changed. They demanded her name, and when she revealed her name, the captain pushed her against the wall and said that she was no more than those common nymphs. Before, she putted some of her sleep potion inside their wine, but now, she spoke words and make their bones ripping and restitching as they screamed and then killed them off.