Humanizing Circe, the Witch of Aiaia: A Novel that Projects the Repercussions of Patriarchal Supremacy

Abstract

Patriarchy or the social construct that reckons men as the 'absolute authority' has remained an amplified substratum of our societies for time immemorial. This noxious tendency has been glorified and siphoned into normality, relinquishing the power of women in the long run. Circe is a novel by Madeline Miller that tells the story of a Greek mythological character named Circe, the Witch of Aiaia. Circe was born into the family of God Helio but was deemed unworthy from her very birth. Being born powerless and unattractive had kept her in darkness for ages. She gets violated throughout her life until she accidentally discovers her power of witchcraft. This power left her with another magnitude of subjugation and brutality. This research attempts to read and analyze the novel Circe on the grounds of feminism. This paper will explore the presence of patriarchy and its impact on the female characters in the novel. This paper will also venture to identify the patriarchal supremacy that had remained rooted in Greek mythology. Circe was not born a monster but framed into that construct will be divulged through this research.