The Transformation Of Circe In Arthur Miller's 'Aiaia'

The grass sways beneath Circe’s feet as she explores her new home, Aiaia. Isolated because of her crimes and newly identified as a witch, Circe is left by herself to piece back together the shambles of her life. On Aiaia, Circe will learn to harness her craft and grow into a goddess never seen before. A quote by Aristotle nicely embodies the theme of learning in this novel. “For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.” Miller’s protagonist, Circe, becomes one of the most powerful witches by essentially teaching herself the craft. Circe learns witchcraft through her determination, resilience, and her newfound sense of self. Additionally, Miller highlights the lessons Circe learns through her interaction with

While some view being isolated as a burden, it was a breath of fresh air for Circe. Finally free from her family’s judgemental gaze, Circe is able to be herself. For example, Perse, Circe’s mother, and her half-sisters take joy in belittling Circe’s voice. When visiting her father’s cattle, Circe’s half-sister, Phaethousa, comments, “She should never speak again. That would work, would it not, sister?” (Miller 10). Circe, born with a mortal’s voice, does not fit in with the strong-voiced gods, and they view this as a disadvantage. No one in Circe’s family appreciated her for who she was, how she spoke, or how she looked, and this damaged Circe’s self-worth. Because of this, Circe tries to feel a sense of belongingness in anyone who will stay in her company. This leads her to confide in both Glaucous and Aeëtes, who in the end, turn out to be two-faced, selfish characters. However, being isolated on Aiaia allows Circe to detangle herself from the negative influences in her life, and she is able to truly discover her own sense of self. While Circe walks the golden beaches of Aiaia, she begins to sing, something she was scolded for back in the hall of Helios. Additionally, Circe heals her inner family trauma by accepting her solitude and making the most of it through having her own son, Telegonus, and helping sailers who stop on Aiaia. Circe now realizes that her family was

Humans were meant to be kept in the dark until Prometheus gave them the gift of fire. Circe is inquisitive about how he ended up here, so she asks, “Is it true that you confessed to Zeus freely what you did?” (Miller 22). It would be expected that a god would not freely admit a crime; they do not like to be held accountable for their actions. Prometheus responds, “...Why would a god do such a thing? Not every god need be the same” (Miller 22). This response resonates with Circe. Circe applies their conversation when testing the color of her own blood. Prometheus had gold blood, but when Circe pulls a blade over her own, delicate skin, it flows red (Miller 23). This is one tangible difference that Circe sees between her and the other gods. Thirdly, Prometheus’s perspective on not following the standard code for gods helps Circe come to a crucial revelation about herself: She is surrounded by cruel, self-centered gods, but she is not one of them (Miller 24). Now, Circe embraces the differences she has had from her family for so long. While her mother and siblings bully her for having emotions and feeling for others, Circe now understands that these are not flaws, just traits causing her to be different than her family. Her family does not accept change or others different then them, so that is why Circe has been the target of their cruel punishment for so long.