The Witch Circe 911 Presentation prepared by Mrs

“The Witch Circe” (911) Presentation prepared by Mrs. Schranz

Summary: Before the Episode Aeolus - the wind King captures the wind in a bull’shide bag for safe travels twice: 1. 2. After Odysseus and crew escape Polyphemus, they land on his island Aeolia. Odysseus’s men open bag thinking it contains treasure and release the evil winds and bring them back to Aeolia

Summary: Before the Episode (cont. ) Complications and Loss: � The Island of the Laestrygonians (giant cannibals) – all but one ship is destroyed and their crews eaten by the cannibals � Odysseus’s ship and crew end up on the island of Aeaea – the Witch Circe’s home � 23 men – led by Eurylochus- go to explore the island

The Witch Circe: Summary of the Episode �Circe appears as a beautiful woman weaving and singing who greets them at her gate �All men, but Eurylochus, go in after Circe and eat and drink the cheese and wine she offers them. �She turns the men into pigs and holds them captive

The Witch Circe: Summary of the Episode (cont. ) �Odysseus goes to Circe’s hall to save his men �Hermes gives Odysseus a plant to resist Circe’s sorcery �Circe releases Odysseus’s men but persuades Odysseus to stay (like Calypso) and heals his heart �After awhile, they want to continue on home �Circe says she will help them but only if Odysseus alone descends into The Land of the Dead to seek the prophet Teiresias

Lesson: The episodes with King Aeolus and Circe both warn against greed, excess, and overindulgence.

Literary Elements and Devices Epic conventions �Supernatural helpers: Aeolus and Hermes �Trials: Storm winds, crew’s stupidity, Circe, The Land of the Dead Foreshadowing �There are wild animals (wolves and lions) that greet the men tamely “like hounds” on Circe’s island �Eurylochus “feared a snare” �Further trials await him in The Land of the Dead

Contemporary Connections Spirited Away – In this film, a young girl named Chihiro and her parents are moving. On their journey to their new home, they stumble across a tunnel that leads to the spirit world. However, Chihiro’s parents, believing the world to be an abandoned amusement park, sit down at one of the abandoned food booths and begin pigging-out on the food there. As a punishment, they are turned into pigs. Now, Chihiro must give herself over the spirit world in order to save herself and her parents.