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Perses
Perse is the wife of Helios and mother of Circe, Aeëtes, Pasiphaë, and Perses. As a nymph, she has no power among the divinities. The only way she can gain more power is through marriage, which is representative of how, in ancient Greece, marriage was typically the only way women could gain power. Of course, because her power is dependent on a man, she pretty much lives by his whim. Perse is disgusted upon Circe’s birth—first because she is a girl, and then because Helios says that Circe is not beautiful enough to attract another immortal for a husband. Because Circe will therefore not bring Perse any more power through a future marriage, Perse dismisses her and is cruel to her for the rest of her existence.
Perse Quotes in Circe
The Circe quotes below are all either spoken by Perse or refer to Perse. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 1
Quotes
“A girl,” my mother said to him, wrinkling her nose.
But my father did not mind his daughters, who were sweet-tempered and golden as the first press of olives. Men and gods paid dearly for the chance to breed from their blood, and my father’s treasury was said to rival that of the king of the gods himself […]
“She will make a fair match,” he said.
“How fair?” my mother wanted to know. This might be consolation, if I could be traded for something better.
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Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Circe LitChart as a printable PDF.
Perse Quotes in Circe
The Circe quotes below are all either spoken by Perse or refer to Perse. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 1
Quotes
“A girl,” my mother said to him, wrinkling her nose.
But my father did not mind his daughters, who were sweet-tempered and golden as the first press of olives. Men and gods paid dearly for the chance to breed from their blood, and my father’s treasury was said to rival that of the king of the gods himself […]
“She will make a fair match,” he said.
“How fair?” my mother wanted to know. This might be consolation, if I could be traded for something better.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
