The Madwoman in the Garden

Throughout literature and mythologies across time and place, women and femme presenting individuals have a special connection to the plants in their environments. Among these people, those deemed outside society develop particularly intimate relationships with their non-human fellows.

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Circe

Circe (alternately Kirke) is a notorious figure in classical mythologies. She is usually described as the daughter of the titan Helios and sea-nymph Perse. She has a human-like speech and flashing golden eyes like her father. Throughout her mythologies, Circe is notable and feared for the power that she wields in her intimacies with vegetal life. Early in her life, Circe cultivates an infatuation with pharmakopeia, which in classical context is witchcraft using herbs and plants, but especially those which are borne of divine blood spilled from the Titanomachy (the war between the titans and the gods).



Circe's earliest entanglement with vegetal power is in her encounter with Glaucus. Glaucus is a mortal fisherman whom Circe befriends, blesses, and later falls in love with. To court him, Circe instructs him to chew a magical herb sprung from ground on which titans had been felled. This herb, later referred to in The Oddessy as moly, transforms Glaucus into an immortal. He is allowed to join the sea court as a minor god.


Circe's first step into witchcraft proves to be a slippery slope as her next spell-- and first use of magic with the intention to harm-- is a direct response to the first. After joining the Oceanid court, Glaucus scorns Circe in favor of the more beautiful nymphs, namely Scylla, whom he showers with gifts and declares his intentions to marry. Enraged and jealous, Circe poisoned Scylla's bathwater and cursed her so that she would lose her beauty and transform into a horrible monster.


After discovering her use of magic to harm divine beings, Helios banishes Circe to a remote island for eternity. Here, she is able to perfect her practice and deepen her relationship with the non-human (or godly) world. She tends a garden, tames the wild beasts of the island, and develops tonics and potions. For centuries on her island, Circe is relieved from humanoid contact apart from visits from the god Hermes, who brings her news of the outside world.


Before the arrival of Odysseus, she learns the nature of men who come to her island to pillage. She begins to develop her infamous potion of herbs which transforms wicked men into wild beasts. Those who take it are transformed so that their physical bodies reflect their true nature.


When Odysseus and his crew arrive on the island, Circe transforms most of the sailors into pigs as they greedily take advantage of her hospitality and attempt to rob her. Before Odysseus reaches her home, however, he is intercepted by Hermes who gives him the moly which will make him immune to Circe's spell. Unable to harm him, Odysseus convinces Circe to change his men back, and they all live on the island together for a year before continuing on their journey.



Circe is unique in mythology as she chooses and practices her power rather than it being bestowed upon her. It is through her intentional and practiced intimacies with vegetal beings that she develops her magic and her strength. Circe is often characterized as an evil sorceress or a figure of violent jealousy and loose sexuality because it is so feared for a woman to have the power to strike back at those who would do her harm. Classical mythologies are filled with violent men exploiting nature and women and being lauded for their "boldness" without facing consequences. Circe is able to not only defend herself but to seek revenge. Circe is far from the only powerful woman in these mythologies recorded and substantiated by men to have her character and motives perverted because of the threat she poses to their indelible sovereignty. It is important to be aware of who is telling the stories that are deemed "canon."

Ophelia

Ophelia is a tragic figure in Shakespeare's play Hamlet. Ophelia's story is secondary -- much of her presence is offstage-- but it is a poignant mirror to Hamlet's plight (the main plot). In the beginning, her relationship with Hamlet is established offstage as a trusted companion and love interest. She is the daughter of Polonius, advisor to the King, and a member of the court. When Hamlet accidentally kills her father, Ophelia seems to go mad. Following this is the famous flower scene (act 4, scene 5), in which Ophelia gives out various flowers with pointed symbolism before she either commits suicide or dies in an accident resulting from her lack of faculty (depending on the interpretation). Ophelia is often depicted within a natural setting or with flowers. It is well established that she has an intimacy with flora and she uses this familiarity to speak to the audience and provide a sense of clarity, transparency as if in her final hours she can see through all of the fronts and deception of those around her. In her final scene, Ophelia uses the plants she hands out to communicate intentional messages to each recipient. This act is also a device for the audience to gauge how they feel about each character's actions (or lack thereof) based on Ophelia's assessments. The interplay of sanity and madness intertwined with layers of deception is repeated throughout the play so we can never really be sure whether someone is truly insane or just putting on. This question is pivotal in Ophelia's final scene. The difference is in whether it is her "breaking point" and her death as an unfortunate consequence, or it could be the jaded resentment of a grief-stricken woman who no longer wishes to "play the game."


the plants:


Rosemary for remembrance


Pansy for thoughts and faithfulness

Ophelia gives these to her brother, Laertes. These flowers are for remembrance of both their murdered father and Ophelia's death, soon to follow. She wants to give him peace. Unfortunately, in the final act, Laertes' attempt to avenge the deaths of his father and sister will ultimately result in his demise as well as Hamlet's.



Fennel for (insincere) flattery


Columbine for ingratitude and faithlessness

Ophelia gives these to King Claudius, who killed his brother and married his wife, the Queen, for the throne. Being the King, Claudius feels due flattery, but fennel wilts very quickly once picked and does not last long. Immediately following this empty flattery, Ophelia exposes his perfidy.



Rue for repentance and everlasting suffering

Ophelia gives this both to Queen Gertrude and herself. Rue is also notable for having abortive properties. This meaning is significant as Ophelia alludes to the sexualized bodies of the only women in the room. Ophelia instructs the Queen to "wear [her] rue with a difference," as repentance, while Ophelia herself will wear hers for regret.



Daisy for innocence and gentleness

Ophelia doesn't give this to anyone. She is plainly stating that there is no innocence in the court. There is no more kindness or gentleness, but only deceit, violence, and treachery.



Violet for fidelity and trust

Ophelia doesn't have any violets. She says all the violets withered when her father died. With the death of her father, Ophelia loses the two people she loves and trusts most in one fell swoop: Polonius and Hamlet. Polonius is dead, and Hamlet has committed an unforgivable trespass against her.




Ophelia's death is also accompanied by an ensemble of flora with their symbolism. "There is a willow grows aslant the brook / That shows his hoar leaves in the glassy stream; / Therewith fantastic garlands did she make / Of crowflowers, nettles, daisies, and long purples."



Willow for sadness and forsaken love


Buttercup, or cursed crowfoot, for ingratitude. It is also an extremely toxic flower that causes blistering on contact with the skin.


Crowflowers have also been interpreted as asphodel that make up the Elysian meadows in classical mythology (the fields of the dead). It was also commonly planted in cemeteries.


Nettles for pain


Daisies, again, for innocence and grief


Early purple orchids are also commonly called "dead men's fingers."

Baba Yaga

Baba Yaga