Circe Analysis

Several theories of myth have been identified and used to explain the creation and relevance of myth. Structuralism is one of these theories. Originially formulated by Claude Levi-Strauss, structuralists suggest that binary pairs of opposites are used to structure our basic understanding of the world. It is therefore the argument that all human thought is structured around binary thinking that often has a biological or cultural importance. The structuralist reading of Circe’s episode emphasizes the binary opposition between human and non-human, and helps explain some of the features the Greeks thought made someone human. When Odysseus and his men reach the island of Aeaea, the men are looking for signs of human life. Seeing “smoke in the middle, rising up through the forest and thick bush” (p265), Odysseus’ men decide to follow the smoke and end up at Circe’s house. Outside the “beautiful tall house of polished stone”, they find the goddess Circe who “was weaving as she sang” (p266). The men are reassured by finding a palace and a woman who looks like a human, instead of a cave with a giant or monster inhabiting it. So, when Circe “opened the shining doors, and asked them in” (p266), they instantly followed her, “suspecting nothing” (267). However, there is a fundamental difference between Circe and Odysseus’

First, Odysseus’ crew are loyal to Odysseus. This is shown a number of times throughout the Odyssey. For example, after the Cyclops incident, Odysseus’ men quickly obey Odysseus’ orders, and Odysseus is aware of his crew’s loyalty as he often refers to them as his “loyal men” (p258). This loyalty is also evident during the Circe incident, as the men “quickly heeded” (p264) Odysseus’ commands. They get dressed and wear their armor as soon as Odysseus tells them to, and they set out in groups to go find “the house of Circe built out of polished stones”