This section, lines 308-320 on page 269, is a case study on the difference between appearance and character in the Odyssey as well as a continuation of the overarching themes of sexism and objectification. Book 10 of the Odyssey, Odysseus’ crew arrives at the island Aeaea, the home of Circe. Upon arriving at her island, they find her singing beautiful music. Circe invites them into her palace and casts a spell which transforms them into pigs. Odysseus journey’s to avenge them, and is intercepted by the god Hermes who provides an antidote to Circe’s magic, and instructions on how to best her. Odysseus describes her and her manor as beautiful, and the fear he felt approaching her. Circe, betraying her guest, met him with a new misanthropic disposition as she attempted her spell. Odysseus countered using Hermes plan, and saved his crew and himself, earning the favor of the goddess. He and his crew ends up staying for a prolonged period before departing.

This passage is a great example for how women are objectified in the Odyssey. Circe is described with noticeably low detail. Upon meeting her, Odysseus simply paints her as, “the lovely Circe with her braided hair” (269 line 311). Throughout the passage, she is even devoid of adverbs that might give her substance. Despite little detail going to action, or into personifying her, Circe’s palace is given extraordinary detail. Each object described is a measure of opulence and luxury, captivating the attention of Odysseus. He describes being led, “to a silver studded chair, all finely crafted, with a footstool under. In a gold cup she mixed a drink” (269 line 314-316). To Odysseus, the scene that surrounds the goddess is equally important to her. It is ironic that as Odysseus deprives her of humanity like he does with the other women he meets; she literally transforms his men into beasts. He eventually gains her respect with his cunning, but Odysseus’ true feelings towards Circe are questionable despite their affair.

Another major theme of this passage is appearance and stereotypes. As established, the only detail given to Circe is her beauty. This juxtaposes with her immediate action as she harshly transforms from this image of elegant beauty to harsh villainy, barking at Odysseus, “Now Go! Out to the sty, and lie there with your men!” (269 line 319-320). Similar to the sirens, Circe is aware of the image women have in her world, and she uses her beauty to disarm. In reality, she is hateful. Similarly, Odysseus differs from how he is portrayed by others. Odysseus, characterized by the gods and men alike as a fearless hero, describes the terror consuming him as he approaches Circe. He recounts that his, “heart pounded as [he] walked” (269 line 309) and that he, “followed nervously” (269 line 313). Odysseus is supposed to be a blueprint for the virtue of man, he is described as wise, brave, and noble. This clashes with his bitter reality, that he struggles tremendously with keeping virtue. He ends up staying with Circe, a woman he does not love, simply for fear of his future travels.

The story of Circe, and this passage demonstrate the frailty of appearance as it applies to gender in the world of the Odyssey. Bitter perception of man brought Circe to curse them, and Odysseus continued to demonstrate his failings in perceiving women. Circe differed from the stereotype of gentle beauty, and Odysseus differed from the stereotype of fearlessness. Observing this journey through the lens of stereotypes conflicting with reality reveals truths about gender and bias.