In book 10 of the Odyssey, Circe tempts Odyssues’s men into her palace thrugh her beautiful singing and warm hospitality and turns them into pigs, explained best in this passage: “They shouted out to her. She came at once, opened the shining doors, and asked them in. So thinking nothing of it, they went. Eurylochus alone remained outside, suspecting trickery. She led them in, sat them on chairs, and blended them a potion of barley, cheese, and golden honey, mixed with Pramnian wine. She added potent drugs to make them totally forget their home. They took and drank the mixture. Then she struck them, using her magic wand, and penned them in the pigsty. They were turned to pigs in body and voice and hair; their minds remained the same. They squealed at their imprisonment, and circe threw them some mast and cornel cherries- food that pigs like rooting for in muddy ground.” (230- 240) Circe is an alluring figure in this book, who is very cunning in her ability to lure men in and capture and turn them into animals.The words “She came at once, opened the shining doors, and asked them in” shows us Circes cunning in the way she accepts the men into her home, playing into traditional feminine roles and coming immediately when called by the men, and offering them a place to stay, doting over them with food and wine, which they all happily drink. This motif of women tempting Odysseus and his men is used throughout the book from the sirens they encounter, Calypso trapping Odysseus on her island and tempting him to sleep with her, and now with Circe. Circe symbolizes the temptation of indulgence, to forget their troubles and the suffering they just experienced at the hands of the Laestrygonians and their longing for home to indulge in the pleasures she can offer. By turning Odyessus’s men to pigs, this symbolizes dehumanization and loss of self. Circe transforms the men into pigs physically, but curses them to retain their human minds. This is punishment for what can happen if you give into the temptation of indulgence and give into your more “animalistic” instincts. By letting them retain their human minds but not their bodies, Circe effectively removes their most human quality: the ability to communicate with each other. 

Book 10 is written to show the temptation and danger that women can pose, and how Odysseus conquers this threat. He is visited by the god hermes and is given a herb that renders Circe’s potion useless, and is given instructions to act as if he’s striking down Circe so she will sleep with him and swear an oath to let his men go, shown best in this passage: “She will make you a potion mixed with poison. Its magic will not work on you because you have the herb I gave you. When she strikes you with her long wand, then draw your sharpened sword as if you mean to kill her. She will be frightened of you, and will tell you to sleep with her. Do not hold out against her- she is a goddess. If you sleep with her, you will set free your friends and save yourself. Tell her to swear an oath by all the gods that she will not plot further harm for you- or while you have your clothes off, she may hurt you, unmanning you.” (290-300) After reading this passage, I feel pain for Odyessus because of the difficult task he must complete, but I also realize Odysseus’s bravery and his loyalty to his men. 

In conclusion, book 10 of The Odyssey is meant to symbolize giving into indulgence, represented by circe, and the continuing bravery, strength and loyalty of Odysseus throughout the entire story.