In Margret Attwood's The Penelopiad, It covers the of Penelope, wife of Odysseus and queen Of Ithaca, from her point of view in the underworld, long after her death. Penelope said that after people die they have a choice of reincarnation back into the normal world. She says that many people use this for many different reasons such as trying to relive their youth or adventure. Penelope does not reincarnate, however Odysseus does very often. He will stay with Penelope and they seem to enjoy themselves and have a good time, but he always leaves to reincarnate. He always eventually leaves without an explanation. There could be many reasons as to why he leaves, because Odysseus has always been a strange person. One reason could be that he doesn't love Penelope and doesn't want to spend time with her. As crude as it would be, it is a real possibility. Maybe after all the time he spent away he fell out of love with her . Perhaps he loved someone more like Circe. Maybe he just never loved her in the first place. He could have only married her for her political power. That could be a reason as to why it took him so long to get home. While this is a possibility I don't think this is the reason why. I think Odysseus has some level of love towards Penelope. If he didn't, there would be no reason at all to spend time with her. Another reason that he doesn't spend time with her is that the 12 maids are haunting them because they hold a grudge towards Odysseus and Penelope (rightfully so). The 12 maids could be interfering with Penelope and Odysseus because they do not want them to be happy. They could be doing this to get at Penelope because they blame her for their deaths. I think that this is a real possibility because half of the story is from the maids perspectives. The maids held distain towards the two and it makes sense to try and mess up their relationship. Odysseus may have left Penelope in order to get the maids to leave them both alone. I think the most likely reason Odysseus kept leaving Penelope is because this love for thrill and adventure outweighs his love for Penelope. All throughout his life Odysseus loved the thrill of outsmarting people and adventuring. I think that he couldn't stay in the underworld while he knows there's countless adventures waiting for him. At the end of the day he still loved Penelope but she couldn't satisfy his thirst for adventure.
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In Greek mythology, for years, many have looked at Circe as the witch who lived on an Island. But Madeline Miller brought a new light to the character in her novel titled Circe. Miller turned the character from a just a witch on an island into a complexed fleshed out character. She gave Circe real motivations, emotions, and wants outside of Odysseus. Circe was transformed into a real character with a tragic backstory and compelling goal that the reader could empathize with. Miller turned Circe into an important figure in Greek myth and gave her important roles in some of the most famous stories Greek myth has to offer. Miller turned a minor side character in a major story, to the hero in her own story. Circe had become a major character that impacted the world of Greek mythology is so many different ways. Circe has taken part in many different events that shaped Greek Mythology into what it is today. She not only came into contact with some of the biggest names Greek Myth, but also impacted and influenced them. First Circe is responsible for Scylla, the famous sea monster that almost killed Odysseus in The Odyssey. Circe was in love with a mortal named Glaucos and used her witch craft to turn him into a sea god, after this he left Circe and fell in love with a sea nymph. Outranged and heartbroken, Circe turned that nymphs into a terrifying sea monster. That nymph was Scylla.
Circe also aided in the construction of the labyrinth and the minitour. When Daedalus arrived on her island asking for help with her sister Pasiphae. Pasiphae gave birth to the famous minitour that would later be killed by the hero of Athens, Theseus in one of the most famous stories in all of Greek Mythology. Once Circe arrives with Daedalus they get straight to work. Circe casts a spell on the minitour to mange it hunger and Daedalus makes the unescapable labyrinth to keep it in.
Circe is no longer the one dimensional character Homer once portrayed her as. Her impact on the world around her is proof of the large change she went through in this book compared to the Odyssey. Circe changed the world of Greek myth so many times throughout the novel. So many stories would be altered or outright never happen if it wasn't for the involvement she had on the myths. Miller transformed a small character with little to no development into an amazing and fleshed out character that could make anyone cheer for her. |
AuthorZach Knackstedt Archives
November 2021
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