Great Works I: Remixing Memory

The passages I found most compelling were all from Book 10, starting from page 234 to 248. Odysseus and his men land on the island of Aeaean , the home of Circe the nymph with the lovely braids. “The true sister of murderous-minded Aeetes. Both were bred by the sun who lights our lives; their mother was Perse, a child the Ocean bore. Who is Aeetes and Perse? Will they show up later in this book? On page 237 passage 230, Odysseus’s men later discover the nymph Circe’s palace, as they walk through the front ground on the palace they encounter all the beasts that Circe bewitched. The men were clearly frightened, why did they continue to progress into her palace? Wouldn’t it be logical just to walk the other way, and try to get away from the place as soon you possibly can? Were they put under a spell as well, the moment they stared walking on the ground surrounding her palace? Is that the reason why they continued to move forward? Once Odysseus and his men proceed into her palace, Circe makes them sit and gives them a potion to erase all their memories of their past experiences and turned them in pigs. (238). Odysseus then goes to save his men from the nymph; on the way there he encounters Hermes (the giant-killer), who gives him a potent drug to help shield Odysseus from Circe’s witchcraft (239). I find it very interesting how some gods are there to assist Odysseus and others are just completely against him and want him to suffer. Then on page 240, after Circe tries to enchant Odysseus and fails, she asks him to “mount my bed and mix in the magic work of love—we’ll breed deep trust between us”, this made no sense to me whatsoever, why is she asking him to have sex with her? Then later on all of Odysseus’s comrades stay with Circe for a year. This entire section of passages just puzzled me; this is why I found it so fascinating and compelling. It certainly invoked my interest, and raised many unanswered questions.