Summary

In the fourth, fifth, and sixth chapters of Circe, Miller provides her readers with the events that occur during Circe's childhood that lead to her 'awakening' — both with respect to her femininity, to her position in social life, and to her status as a witch or enchantress. As with the previous chapters, this section is told from the first person, past tense, and are divided into three rough sections: Chapter four concerns love, and the extents lovers will go to to help one another; Chapter Five concerns transformation; and Chapter Six concerns sorcery, and Circe's fate.

Chapter Four begins with an encounter between Circe and an unnamed man — later revealed to be Glaucos — who approached her island on a ship. This man "looked nothing," Circe notes, "like the well-groomed nobles of Minos' court" (36), which leads her to reflect upon the...