Circe Themes

Circe is a novel about power, showing how the quest for power often leaves a chain of abuse in its wake. Circe is set in mythological ancient Greece and depicts the brutal worlds of gods and mortals, both of which embody a dog-eat-dog mentality: in order to survive (or, for the immortals, thrive), one must trample on others or else be trampled on. As a result, power is an obsession for humans and gods alike…

Circe explores how women cope with a society that sees them as inferior to men. The novel’s protagonist is a nymph named Circe, who experiences ancient Greece’s misogyny firsthand. Nymphs are at the bottom of the gods’ ladder of power and, as women, they are susceptible to violence and abuse from mortal men and immortal gods alike. From a young age, Circe witnesses how women are not expected to hold power—and, if they do…

Circe explores the differences between gods and humans. The novel follows Circe from her beginnings as a bullied nymph in her father Helios’s halls, to Aiaia, her island of exile, where she encounters gods and mortals alike. As the story progresses, Circe’s life becomes intertwined with mortals: she falls in love with mortal men, thwarts the attacks of mortal sailors, and even gives birth to a mortal child. At the same time, Circe distances…

Much of Circe’s story involves her trying to distance herself from her family, the cruel immortals of ancient Greek mythology. She is not alone in these endeavors; characters from Pasiphaë to Medea to Telemachus also seek to escape the violence in their families. In fact, all the families in Circe have significant faults, with Circe’s family being perhaps the most ruthless. Circe grows up in her father, Helios’s, halls, where she witnesses and…