Circe and the ‘femme fatale’
I. Female divinities associated with magic
John William Waterhouse, a late follower of the Pre-Raphaelite movement in Victorian England, continued the tradition of these artists by showing an interest in goddesses and heroines of Classical mythology, especially sorceresses and seductive and dangerous women, such as Medea, Circe, and the Sirens.
Several details in this painting reveal the theme of the encounter of Odysseus (Ulysses) and Circe, according to Homer’s Odyssey. Circe, in the centre, dominating the scene from her throne, holds in one hand the cup with the magical potion and in the other the magic wand, elements which are typical in scenes of Ulysses and Circe in Greek vase painting from the 6th century BC in black-figure vases and later in red-figure Attic vases, and which highlight her character as a sorceress and the way she transforms men into animals. Here the boar at her feet suggests one of the men who had been metamorphosed. With her transparent tunic, revealing one of her breasts, her long loose hair, and her defiant attitude she appears as a femme fatale, seductive and powerful, according to the negative stereotype of the time. Ulysses, thanks to the antidote (moly, given by the god Hermes), will not suffer the effects of the magic potion, that is, he will not be metamorphosed, but he will experience the goddess’ power of seduction and share her bed for a year, delaying his return to Ithaca. A striking detail in the painting is the large mirror behind Circe, which reflects what is omitted from the story: Ulysses himself and the Greeks’ ship in the background. In fact, Ulysses belongs to the same scene as the one where the sorceress is present, ready to receive the cup with the magical drink, but the motif of the mirror and reflection is a constant in Pre-Raphaelite paintings and here has been used to complete the scene on two different levels, as if the hero, holding his dagger, looked suspiciously at her.
Mercedes Aguirre Castro