Book 10 - Circe Flashcards
EXAM QUESTION:
Read the following passage and answer all of the questions which follow.
‘Hermes went off through the island forest, making for high Olympus, while I with a heart oppressed by many dark forebodings pursued my way to Circe’s home. I stood at the doors of the lovely goddess’s palace and called out. Circe heard me, came out immediately, and, opening the polished doors, invited me in. Filled with misgivings, I followed her indoors and she offered me a beautiful silver-studded chair with a stool for my feet. She prepared a brew in a golden bowl for me to drink and with evil in her heart dropped in the drug. She gave me the bowl and I drained it, but without suffering any of the magic effects. She struck me with her stick and shouted, “Off to the pigsty, and lie down with your friends.” Whereupon I snatched my keen sword from my hip and rushed at Circe as though I meant to kill her. But with shriek she slipped below my blade, clasped my knees and burst into tears.’
a) What impression do you get of Circe from this passage? Give reasons for your views and support them with details from the passage.
Impressions of Circe:
She is solitary:
-she opens the door herself-unexpected.
She is independent:
-there’s no sign of a man around, a woman living on her own is quite unusual and irregular in the Greek world.
She is hospitable:
- she offers Odysseus a chair and footstool;
- she brings him a bowl of drink.
She is wealthy:
-the chair is ‘silver-studded’ and the bowl is gold.
She is suddenly scary:
- ‘she struck me with her stick and shouted’;
- ‘with evil in her heart she dropped in the drug’.
The powerful sorceress appears but has no effect; is she deranged?
-“Off to the pigsty and lie down with your friends”.
She is suddenly vulnerable:
-she shrieks and bursts into tears.
EXAM QUESTION:
Read the following passage and answer all of the questions which follow.
‘Hermes went off through the island forest, making for high Olympus, while I with a heart oppressed by many dark forebodings pursued my way to Circe’s home. I stood at the doors of the lovely goddess’s palace and called out. Circe heard me, came out immediately, and, opening the polished doors, invited me in. Filled with misgivings, I followed her indoors and she offered me a beautiful silver-studded chair with a stool for my feet. She prepared a brew in a golden bowl for me to drink and with evil in her heart dropped in the drug. She gave me the bowl and I drained it, but without suffering any of the magic effects. She struck me with her stick and shouted, “Off to the pigsty, and lie down with your friends.” Whereupon I snatched my keen sword from my hip and rushed at Circe as though I meant to kill her. But with shriek she slipped below my blade, clasped my knees and burst into tears.’
b) Describe what happens when Odysseus’ men are being freed from Circe’s spell.
Odysseus’ men freed:
- Circe goes out and opens the gate of the pigsty;
- drives the ‘pigs’ out;
- smears them all with some ointment;
- their bristles drop off;
- they become men again;
- looking younger, more handsome and taller than before;
- they recognise Odysseus and take his hand;
- everyone weeps.
EXAM QUESTION:
Read the following passage and answer all of the questions which follow.
‘Hermes went off through the island forest, making for high Olympus, while I with a heart oppressed by many dark forebodings pursued my way to Circe’s home. I stood at the doors of the lovely goddess’s palace and called out. Circe heard me, came out immediately, and, opening the polished doors, invited me in. Filled with misgivings, I followed her indoors and she offered me a beautiful silver-studded chair with a stool for my feet. She prepared a brew in a golden bowl for me to drink and with evil in her heart dropped in the drug. She gave me the bowl and I drained it, but without suffering any of the magic effects. She struck me with her stick and shouted, “Off to the pigsty, and lie down with your friends.” Whereupon I snatched my keen sword from my hip and rushed at Circe as though I meant to kill her. But with shriek she slipped below my blade, clasped my knees and burst into tears.’
c) Explain why Circe’s magic had no effects on Odysseus.
Explanation of why Circe’s magic has no effect on Odysseus will include explanation of help from Hermes:
- on his way to Circe’s house, Odysseus meets Hermes
- Hermes gives him a plant called Moly (with a black root and a milkwhite flower);
- which he says will make him immune to Circe’s magic – though he doesn’t tell him what to do with it, and it isn’t mentioned again.
EXAM QUESTION:
Read the following passage and answer all of the questions which follow.
‘“Comrades in suffering, friends, listen to me. We are utterly lost. We do not know where East or West is; where the light-giving Sun rises or where he sets. So the sooner we decide on a sensible plan, the better - if one can still be found, which I doubt. For when I climbed the crag I found that this is an island, and low-lying; all round it in a ring the sea stretches away to the horizon. But what I did see, right in the middle, through dense oak-scrub and forest, was a wisp of smoke.”
‘When they heard my report they broke down completely. They could not help remembering what Antiphates the Laestrygonian had done, and the unbridled savagery of the man-eating Cyclops. They burst into loud sobs and the tears streamed down their cheeks. But they might have spared themselves the lamentations for all the good they did.’
a) What impression do you get of Odysseus as a leader from this passage? Give reasons for your views and support them with details from the passage.
- Wishes to be seen as one of the men at the start
- Blunt or defeatist in his analysis of their plight
- Practical in assessing the need for a plan
- Has already taken the initiative in surveying the island
- Lack of compassion towards the men shows either necessary tough love or a lack of understanding.
Accept positive and negative comments.
Best answers may contain elements of both, but not necessary for full marks.
Answer should focus on leadership qualities, not just personality traits.
EXAM QUESTION:
Read the following passage and answer all of the questions which follow.
‘“Comrades in suffering, friends, listen to me. We are utterly lost. We do not know where East or West is; where the light-giving Sun rises or where he sets. So the sooner we decide on a sensible plan, the better - if one can still be found, which I doubt. For when I climbed the crag I found that this is an island, and low-lying; all round it in a ring the sea stretches away to the horizon. But what I did see, right in the middle, through dense oak-scrub and forest, was a wisp of smoke.”
‘When they heard my report they broke down completely. They could not help remembering what Antiphates the Laestrygonian had done, and the unbridled savagery of the man-eating Cyclops. They burst into loud sobs and the tears streamed down their cheeks. But they might have spared themselves the lamentations for all the good they did.’
b) Explain why Odysseus’ men decided to enter Circe’s palace.
- They heard Circe singing as she worked on her loom – these ordinary female activities suggest she is harmless
- As visitors, they expect hospitality
- The men think she may be a goddess
- They are naive
- Circe invites them in and does not look or seem to be hostile
- They had been told to do so by Odysseus
- They were perhaps alarmed by the strange animals and a welcoming individual seemed attractive as a result
- They perhaps needed a rest
- The palace seemed welcoming as it was built of “polished stone”
- She had invited them in
- Polites “an authoritative man” thought she might be a goddess or woman and suggested they call out to her.
Candidates should not simply retell the story throughout, although some retelling is essential.
They should show an understanding of aspects of Homeric society such as xenia or the role of women.
Accept the need for to restock supplies.
Candidates who mention they are hungry should not be credited as the men have just feasted on “unlimited meat”.
Credit candidates who refer to the arrival of the later group of men who arrive.
EXAM QUESTION:
Read the following passage and answer all of the questions which follow.
‘“Comrades in suffering, friends, listen to me. We are utterly lost. We do not know where East or West is; where the light-giving Sun rises or where he sets. So the sooner we decide on a sensible plan, the better - if one can still be found, which I doubt. For when I climbed the crag I found that this is an island, and low-lying; all round it in a ring the sea stretches away to the horizon. But what I did see, right in the middle, through dense oak-scrub and forest, was a wisp of smoke.”
‘When they heard my report they broke down completely. They could not help remembering what Antiphates the Laestrygonian had done, and the unbridled savagery of the man-eating Cyclops. They burst into loud sobs and the tears streamed down their cheeks. But they might have spared themselves the lamentations for all the good they did.’
c) What did Circe do after the first group of Odysseus’ men entered her palace?
- Circe sat them down and prepared a mixture of cheese, barley-meal and honey
- She dropped a drug to make them lose their memory of their native land
- After the men had eaten this, they were driven with blows of a stick into sties
- They had pigs’ heads and bristles and grunted like pigs, but their minds were human
- Circe flung at them nuts, acorns and cornel-berries.
Details of what the men saw and heard before entering are irrelevant.
Name of Eurylochus not essential.
Do not credit the arrival of Odysseus, the change back to humans etc.
Candidates are most likely to remember the first three points. If these are detailed candidates may get 5 marks, otherwise they will need at least one of the last two points.
