1. Yr 8 poetry/classics: CIRCE

2. The story so far….
After escaping Polyphemus, Odysseus has continued to wander through the Mediterranean and eventually lands an the Island of Circe – an enchantress
ON the journey he has further upset the Gods and released all the winds that troment sailors from a bag which he was told never to open…
When they land on the island, some of the men approach Circe’s home and are turned into pigs
Odysseus tricks Circe and she releases the men from the spell
After a year (!) they continue the journey
Circe orders them to descend to the underworld to pay their respects to a dead colleague who fell overboard earlier in the journey

4. BIOGRAPHY: A minor Goddess, daughter of Helios (The Sun)
Imprisoned on her island after murdering her husband
Transforms men into wild animals
Wants to seduce Odysseus
He avoids her spells and the pair settle down for a year.
She gives important advice about the journey.

5. Activities
Apart from working closely with a passage of the Odyssey, you will be discussing an interesting modern poem based on this myth
You may be required to respond in a creative manner to a story which has inspired artists throughout History.

6. THINK…
After leaving Circe, Odysseus is sent ot the underworld where he sees souls in torment and in paradise.
If you could visit someone long since dead, who would you choose and why?
What would be your criteria for judging someone to be a hero or someone worth talking to?