Discussion Post – Interviewing Circe
Being a reporter on the way of Odysseus, I decided to interview Circe, the seductress whose
experience with Odysseus indicates valuable ideas of power, intelligence, and change. I would
have preferred knowing what other people thought about his character in times of danger and
temptation before I interviewed Odysseus himself. Three open-ended questions were posed to
Circe in order to understand how she interacted with Odysseus as well as her perception of his
leadership and restraint.
Interview Questions and AI Responses (AI instructed to respond as Circe):
Question 1: How did Odysseus differ from the other men who came to your island?
Circe (AI Response): Odysseus was cautious and clever. Unlike the others, he did not rush
toward pleasure or comfort. He listened, observed, and prepared himself before acting, which
immediately set him apart from his crew.
Question 2: Why did you ultimately choose to help Odysseus rather than keep him trapped on
your island?
Circe (AI Response): His strength was not only physical but mental. He resisted my magic and
spoke to me as an equal. I respected his self-control and his devotion to returning home.
Question 3: What did Odysseus’s time on your island reveal about his weaknesses?
Circe (AI Response): Though intelligent, he was still human. He lingered longer than necessary,
showing that even great heroes struggle against comfort and delay when their goal is difficult.
Part 2: AI-Generated Responses Analysis.
The responses suggested by an AI in the Vocabularies of Circe are mostly correct as opposed to
the translation of The Odyssey by Samuel Butler. In the hardcopy of this translation, there are
instances of Odysseus men falling prey to the hospitality and feast of Circe, whereas Odysseus
was alert: the text mentions that the men ate and drank without fear and could not feel that they
were in danger (Homer 116). Odysseus, on the other hand, waits and comes prepared, and in
later attempts to go through with Circe, and Hermes assists him in avoiding the spell of Circe.
When Circe grasps his confrontation, she questions him as to who he was and from where he
came: Who and whence are you? Who are your parents, and what is your country of origin?
(Homer 118). Through the introduction of this scene, the chatbot was right in its implication that
Odysseus achieves respect not due to his obedience, but because of his mental strength.
Odysseus is also weak to comfort and postponement, which is also reflected correctly by the
chatbot. The group of Odysseus and his crew spend a full year on the island upon his
confrontation with Circe: “And did my beloved crew call me thither, and say: Good sir, it was
high time to mind me of my homeland plight (Homer 123). The quote fits into the view of the AI
about Odysseus as an ability to overcome but at times be influenced by comfort and pleasure, as
even the great leaders find the problem of self-discipline to be a challenge in the circumstances
of a comfortable life. The speech of AI servant relates to the calm and attentive mood of Circe,
but even here, in her wisdom is manifested not in her words but her deeds.
All the answers the chatbot gave were not illogical, though some of them were a bit more
introspective than the tone of Circe in the translation by Butler which is more direct and
functional. My two follow-up questions to her would be: How would you compare Odysseus
cunning to the cunning of other heroes that you have read about? and do you think that Odysseus
desire to get home benefited or impaired his leadership? According to this interview, Odysseus
looks less reliable as an author, as his own account of the events is likely to make him look smart
and downplay his parsimony and coziness (Homer 98).
Works Cited
Homer. The Odyssey. Translated by Samuel Butler, Naxos Audiobooks, 1994–2009.