Design for a Book Illustration of Circe and Odysseus [recto] c. 1803

This is Thomas Stothard’s “Design for a Book Illustration of Circe and Odysseus,” made with graphite on paper. Stothard was working in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, a time when the narratives of classical literature were being re-examined through shifting cultural lenses. Here, Stothard engages with the story of Circe, a powerful sorceress from Homer’s Odyssey, who turns Odysseus’s men into swine. Look at how Stothard portrays Circe, standing tall, wand raised, embodying power but also reflecting anxieties about female authority. Consider Odysseus, often depicted as the hero, here he is seated, almost passive. The figures of the transformed men are drawn suspended and upside down, evoking their shame and loss of identity. Stothard's work invites us to reflect on how stories of power, transformation, and gender roles continue to resonate and challenge us. How do these figures make you feel?