Questions created by Lemontinely and other sources. Sources to be added soon!

Circe Chapters 1 - 7

1. How much did you know about Greek mythology before reading Circe? Did your knowledge enhance the reading of the story? Why or why not?

2. Before reading “Circe,” did you know the character of Circe from Homer’s “Odyssey”? If so, what do you remember about her?

3. What do you make of Miller’s voice in the book, at times adopting a more formal style, and at other times more contemporary?

4. Though Circe is an immortal herself, she isn’t treated well by them. Does this make her a more sympathetic or relatable character? Why?

5. Circe’s relationship with Aeëtes is more than brother and sister. How does this relationship shape her view of the world, and of men?

6. How does Circe’s encounter with Prometheus change her? How does it continue to affect her actions?

7. What does Miller, the author, think of the place of women in Greek mythology and this tale? 

Circe Chapters 8 - 16 

1. We meet many characters in these chapters, and flutter in and out of many famous Greek myths. Which was your favorite and why? Were any of these portrayals surprising? 

   1. Hermes - Messenger of the Gods 

   2. The creation of the Minotaur 

   3. Daedalus & Icarus - The creation of the Labyrinth - The Legend of Icarus 

   4. Jason & Medea - Jason & The Argonauts - The Golden Fleece - The Tragedy of Medea 

   5. Odysseus - The Odyssey 

   6. Others

2. Circe’s sister Pasiphaë begins the novel as a major antagonist. How does our perspective of her change after Circe’s visit to Crete?

3. Circe’s calls upon her father’s talent of seeing the future to see the Minotaur being killed in the future. Why doesn’t she call upon this talent more often, or refine the skill? 

4. Circe begins the novel feeling very close to her brother Aeëtes. Why do their paths diverge so wildly? Why do you think he makes the choices he does?

5. When a sailor rapes Circe, she starts turning men who land on her island into pigs with a spell. In Homer’s “Odyssey,” this transformation is perhaps Circe’s most famous scene in that tale. How did Miller’s reimagining cause you to think differently about that story?

6. Circe says that when she first meets Odysseus he seems “nearly familiar” to her. Why does she say that? Who, if anyone, does he remind her of?

7. In Circe’s relationship with Odysseus, only he tells her stories and she never once tells him about her life. Why is that significant?