Circe : A dramatic fantasy by Isaac Flagg
"Circe" by Isaac Flagg is a dramatic fantasy play written in the early 20th century. It reimagines the Odyssey’s Circe episode as a lyrical, theatrical contest between sorcery and cunning, where hospitality masks peril. The focus falls on the enchantress Circe, the resourceful Ulysses, his cautious mate Eurylochus, and a retinue of nymphs and uncanny attendants as desire, danger, and wit collide. The opening of the play sets Circe’s twilight palace humming
with magic and music as Mercury briefly arrives, hinting that Ulysses must be met with Circe’s strongest draught, while nymphs banter and dance. Cut to a beach camp, where Ulysses rallies his storm-worn crew and sends Eurylochus to scout; lured by Circe’s song, the men enter her hall, while Eurylochus alone flees in terror. Back at the shore he reports the enchantment, and Ulysses sets out alone. Inside, Circe feasts the visitors, drugs them, and drives them off as swine. As the remaining sailors debate, Mercury meets Ulysses in a grove, gives him the moly herb, and instructs him to drink, resist, and then overawe Circe. Ulysses does so, and when his sword forces her submission he demands his men’s restoration; she promises aid, sends for the rest of the crew, and prepares a grand welcome just as the second party bursts into the hall, where this opening portion breaks off. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Flagg, Isaac, 1843-1931 |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Maybeck, Bernard R., 1862-1957 |
| LoC No. | 15018441 |
| Title | Circe : A dramatic fantasy |
| Original Publication | East Aurora: The Roycrofters, 1915. |
| Credits | Charlene Taylor and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature |
| Subject | Mythology, Greek -- Drama |
| Subject | Circe (Mythological character) -- Drama |
| Subject | Odysseus, King of Ithaca (Mythological character) -- Drama |
| Category | Text |
| EBook-No. | 78211 |
| Release Date | Mar 14, 2026 |
| Copyright Status | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 314 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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