Chalice for Circe
For my final project, I decided to sculpt a chalice reminiscent of an ancient Greek artifact that also represents one of the characters from the books we read this semester. I was very grateful for the opportunity to think outside the box and express my creativity with this final project as things like painting and sculpting have been passions of mine for what seems like forever. The character I chose to focus on was Madeline Miller’s version of Circe. Circe was one of the characters that stood out to me because of her feminsit values and attitude towards wrongdoing. I was also considering Clytemnestra as a focal point but for the opposite reasons of choosing Circe. They seem to be on opposite sides of the spectrum when it comes to motive. Clytemnestra demonstrates a greed for power and lack of care for any consequences that do not pertain to herself while Circe looks out for others and shows a vengeful nature only when provoked. Anyway, Circe offered so many traits to be explored creatively. Her femininity, delicatness, and feminist beliefs and her vengeful, justice seeking sides that to me show her duality as a character and juxtaposition of emotions.
I chose to sculpt the cup portion of the chalice as a flower representing her delicate nature and feminine aura. I also added a snake coiling around the cup to represent her sneaking vengeful side that is liable to strike when confronted with danger or ill-will. The snake also represents her wild, animalistic side. While in the book, Circe has the ability to turn into a wolf, I thought the snake better represented her because wolves are very aggressive and feral but Circe’s vengeance is only called upon when provoked. The snake seems a bit more coy and sly when it comes to attacking their prey. I considered a pig as well but the pig really represents her attackers and not Circe herself, although that was her animal of choice when it came to men. Her poetic justice.
These two traits of Circe’s were the most fun to get creative with. They are so opposite of eachother but also so closely intertwined throughout the book. Her femininity and delicateness, mistaken for naivety, is what drew her assailants in; however, her taste for rightful retribution sent them to their demise.
I chose to sculpt the cup portion of the chalice as a flower representing her delicate nature and feminine aura. I also added a snake coiling around the cup to represent her sneaking vengeful side that is liable to strike when confronted with danger or ill-will. The snake also represents her wild, animalistic side. While in the book, Circe has the ability to turn into a wolf, I thought the snake better represented her because wolves are very aggressive and feral but Circe’s vengeance is only called upon when provoked. The snake seems a bit more coy and sly when it comes to attacking their prey. I considered a pig as well but the pig really represents her attackers and not Circe herself, although that was her animal of choice when it came to men. Her poetic justice.
These two traits of Circe’s were the most fun to get creative with. They are so opposite of eachother but also so closely intertwined throughout the book. Her femininity and delicateness, mistaken for naivety, is what drew her assailants in; however, her taste for rightful retribution sent them to their demise.
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