Odysseus

J. W. Waterhouse, Circe Offering a Cup to Ulysses, 1891, Gallery Oldham, England

Ryan Li

Circe Offering a Cup to Ulysses is an oil painting painted in the Pre-Raphaelite style by John William Waterhouse in 1891 (“Sorceresses and a tale from Homer.”, MyDailyArtDisplay.uk). The painting depicts a scene in Homer’s Odyssey where Circe the sorceress offers a drink to Ulysses (the Roman name of Odysseus), seeking to bring him under her spell (“Sorceresses and a tale from Homer.”, MyDailyArtDisplay.uk). The layout of the painting and the depiction of Circe vividly portray the prowess of the sorceress, which suggests the change of social status among women in the late Victorian era.

In the 1890s, after his father's death and his travels around Italy, Waterhouse shifted the subjects of his paintings from ancient history to myths and legends. As one of his earliest attempts at mythical figures, Circe Offering a Cup to Ulysses was initially exhibited at the New Gallery in London, an important venue for Pre-Raphaelite artists, and received considerable public recognition and critical acclaim (“Sorceresses and a tale from Homer.”, MyDailyArtDisplay.uk).

In book ten of the Odyssey, Odysseus arrived at the Island of Aeaea and sent half of his crew to visit the ruler of the island. The crew found Circe surrounded by various animals, and the enchantress greeted them with a feast. However, once the crew ate her food, they were all enchanted and became pigs. As Odysseus went to rescue his crew, he met Hermes, who warned him against Circe’s power and gave him a magical herb to counter Circe’s charm (Morford et al. 522). Throughout his career, Waterhouse produced a lot of what some critics call “femmes fatale painting”, and Circe Offering a Cup to Ulysses is one of them (Bonollo, NGV.vic). Although in Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus was unharmed after eating and drinking Circe’s food and drinks and threatened Circe with his sword when she tried to cast the spell on him (Morford et al. 522), the painting is all about the power of the sorceress. Circe dominates the frame of this painting. She sits on a throne with golden lions and looks regally and threateningly down at the intruder. She spreads her arms open, holding a cup with her right hand and raising a wand with her left hand. She is surrounded by purple flowers, and one of Odysseus’s men, who has been already transformed into a pig, is lying beside her feet. By contrast, Odysseus takes only a minor portion of the painting and can only be seen from the reflection of the mirror behind the enchantress. His facial expression seems uneasy and hesitant as he reaches for his sword. The painting portrays Circe as a powerhouse that dominates over the interloper while making Odysseus look small and powerless.

Traditionally, Victorian women were demanded to be vessels of purity and chastity. They should never show any outward signs of their sexuality. They should always support their husband and devote themselves to domestic activities (Bonollo, NGV.vic). However, in the late Victorian era (from mid to late 19th century), women began to fight for their social rights and strive to establish a more equitable position in society. According to Bonollo, the women’s suffrage movement took place in the late Victorian era, and the Married Women's Property Act 1882 allowed married women to retain their personal earnings and control their own property (NGV.vic). Such movements broke the long-lasting traditions of the male-dominated society and induced fear and concerns among Victorian men. Consequently, depictions of femme fatale became a recurring motif in late Victorian paintings (Bonollo, NGV.vic). In Circe Offering a Cup to Ulysses, Circe is depicted as an inversion of the typical gender role. She is both beautiful and dangerous. She is sensually appealing but at the same time possesses terrifying power. Through the portrayal of mythical figures, Waterhouse suggested the change in women’s social status and people’s perception of women. And through the dominating gesture of Circe and the powerless, uneasy facial expressions of Odysseus, one might even argue that the painting conveys the fear and anxieties towards women’s empowerment and the potential loss of power among the late Victorian men.

Works Cited

Bonollo, Michelle. “J. W. Waterhouse’s Ulysses and the Sirens: breaking tradition and revealing

fears.” Art Journal 40. National Gallery of Victoria, June 2014,

www.ngv.vic.gov.au/essay/j-w-waterhouses-ulysses-and-the-sirens-breaking-tradition-and-revealing-fears-2/. Accessed 10 February 2022.

Morford, Mark, et al. Classical Mythology. Available from: VitalSource Bookshelf, (11th

Edition). Oxford University Press Academic US, 2018.

“Sorceresses and a tale from Homer.” John William Waterhouse. Part 3. MyDailyArtDisplay.uk,

June 2019, mydailyartdisplay.uk/2019/06/14/john-william-waterhouse-part-3/. Accessed 10 February 2022.

Agesander, Athenodorus, and Polydorus, Ulysses blinding Polyphemus  (1 B.C.)

National Archeological Museum of Sperlonga, Italy

Yigao Li

This grand sculptural group, titled “Ulysses blinding Polyphemus”, was found in 1957 in the grotto of Tiberius’s Villa in Sperlonga and is currently on display at the National Archeological Museum of Sperlonga in Italy (Gjclarthistory). The marble work dates back to the 1st century BC and is attributed to three artists from Rhodes – Agesander, Athenodorus, and Polydorus (Michelle, Italian Ways).

This huge sculpture group depicts an episode from Book 9 of Homer’s Ulysses (the Roman name of Odysseus), in which Ulysses gives the Cyclops (with the name Polyphemus) wine to dull his senses. During the one-eyed giant is sleeping, and Odysseus and three of his men, whom the giant has imprisoned in his cave, are taking the opportunity to escape by blinding Polyphemus with a pole made red-hot. (Michelle, Italian Ways)

It is believed to have been constructed for the emperor Tiberius during his reign from about 14 to 37 A.D, along with several other sculptures depicting the adventures of Odysseus. It is a subject of debate as to whether this piece was an original Hellenistic era sculpture or a Roman adaptation. It was found in several scattered fragments that were later recreated at the Sperlonga Museum. Fortunately, a considerable amount of the original piece was found intact. The grotto was probably once used as a summer dining room in an early Imperial era Roman villa, belonging to the emperor. The cave was used as a creative and fascinating mode of displaying the art. The grotto itself served as a representation of the cave that Odysseus and his men were trapped in (Brouwers, ch.3).

In book nine of Odyssey, Odysseus and his men arrived at an island where they wanted to look for provisions. Hungry and thirsty, Odysseus’ men helped themselves to food and drink in someone’s cave. When the occupant of the cave returned, he was revealed to be a cyclops. He sealed the cave entrance with a giant boulder, trapping Odysseus and his men inside, and then ate some of Odysseus’ men alive.

Clever as always, Odysseus hatched a plan to escape. The Greeks gave Polyphemus undiluted wine to drink, causing the giant to become drowsy. When asked for his name, Odysseus told the giant that he was called Nobody (Outis) (Morford et al. 487). Eventually, the cyclops fell asleep. The Greeks then proceeded to sharpen a large stake, which they drove into the cyclops’ single eye, blinding him. The giant awakened with a shriek and called for help from his brothers, who lived on nearby islands, crying that “Nobody is trying to kill me” (Morford et al. 487). Naturally, he got no response.

Fortunately, the giant went out daily to graze his sheep. When he again wanted to let them out, he knelt near the cave entrance to ensure that the Greeks didn’t escape. But Odysseus and his men had tied themselves to the bellies of the sheep so that when the cyclops touched the animals passing through the exit of the cave he only felt their woolly backs (Brouwers ch2).

The organization of the sculpture group and the posture of the individual characters vividly represent the action that Ulysses (the Roman name of Odysseus) and his men have taken to beat and escape from Polyphemus. We can see the power and intelligence of human through that relic of art, as well as the splendid adventure of Ulysses.

This sculpture is a perfect recreation of this famous scene. Details such as the jorum dropped on the ground below the left hand of Polyphemus the Cyclops, clearly show he is drunk and finally becomes dulled. The main character, Odysseus, stands by alone, aim at the eye of Polyphemus with his finger, and issue orders to guide his men (Brouwers ch2). Three of the Odesseus’ men trying to poke the red-hot pole into the eye of Polyphemus with their maximum strength. As it is depicted in Homer, “Odyssey”:

We drove the sharp end of the beam into the monster’s eye, and bearing upon it with all my weight… we bore the red hot beam into his eye, till the boiling blood bubbled all over it as we worked it round and round so that the steam from the burning eyeball scalded his eyelids and eyebrows, and the roots of the eye sputtered in the fire. (Odyssey, Homer, ch9)

We can perceive sparkling intelligence, intrepid courage, and erupting passion of humans from the statues, as well as read through the lines. It also conveys the power to insist during the darkest moment, the wisdom to beat the most invincible enemies. This is what made us humans unique: the canticle of humans is the canticle of courage.

Works Cited

Brouwers, Josho. “The Blinding of Polyphemus.” Ancient World Magazine, 23 Apr. 2018,  

www.ancientworldmagazine.com/articles/blinding-polyphemus/.  

Gjclarthistory. “Odysseus and the Cyclops.” Odysseus and the Cyclops, 31 Mar. 2014,

gjclarthistory.blogspot.com/2014/03/odysseus-and-cyclops.html.

Michelle - 30 June 2020 0, et al. “Ulysses Blinding Polyphemus: The Odyssey in Sperlonga.”

Italian Ways, 10 Sept. 2015,  

www.italianways.com/ulysses-blinding-polyphemus-the-odyssey-in-sperlonga/.

Morford, Mark, et al. Classical Mythology. Available from: VitalSource Bookshelf, (11th

Edition). Oxford University Press Academic US, 2018.