Architecture in the Odyssey: A Map of Circe Nannette Boakye College

In the Odyssey, Homer uses architecture and landscape as metaphors for the personalities of the people to which each respective architectural description relates. For this reason, a strong emphasis is placed on explicit details when depictions of homes, land, and interior design are mentioned. To further explore this notion, I will discuss the way in which Homer describes the architecture of Circe’s home and how that can be considered a reflection of the traits associated with Circe. In the case of Circe, Homer uses the approach of taking the reader on two journeys at once. He starts by describing her surroundings and then creates imagery of her actual home and finally takes the reader inside her house. This geographic journey mirrors the journey he takes us on of Circe’s personality as he uses the journey to show the reader her various traits. From this journey, the reader learns that Circe is alone, unpredictable, inviting, and vulnerable, among other qualities. In this paper, I intend to elaborate on the idea of taking the reader on a tour of Circe’s persona using the tour of her living space which Homer already gives us in book X.

The first quality of Circe’s which the reader is exposed to is her loneliness and isolation....