Circe

"Circe" by Isaac Flagg is a dramatic fantasy (play) written in the early 20th century. The work dramatizes the Odyssey’s Circe episode, following Ulysses as he encounters the enchantress, her nymphs, and the meddling of Mercury amid seduction, feasting, and metamorphosis. Its focus is the battle between human cunning and magical allure, with humor, graceful lyricism, and lavish stagecraft shaping a mythic yet playful tone. The opening of the play sets Circe’s vine‑hung palace and introduces her nymphs, their dances, and Mercury’s warning that Ulysses will require her strongest draught. Cut to the shore, Ulysses’ weary crew banter over breakfast, draw lots, and Eurylochus leads a scouting party up the hill; all but he are lured inside by Circe’s song and, after a drugged toast, are whipped off to the sty as swine. Back at the beach, Ulysses arms to rescue them, meets Mercury in a grove, receives the moly herb and precise counsel, then strides into the hall, drinks the poison unharmed, and compels Circe’s surrender at sword’s point. He demands his men be restored; Circe yields, sends for the sailors at the ship, and promises guidance home. The excerpt closes as the second group of sailors bursts into the hall, urgent and bewildered, while preparations for a grand, conciliatory feast are underway. (This is an automatically generated summary.)