The saddest part to me about Circe is that neither the Odyssey nor Metamorphoses went into detail surrounding Circe's upbringing. While some of this is likely conjecture on Miller's behalf, I think looking at the environment someone was raised in can tell you a lot about their motivations. Though maybe that's just the psych major in me. 

We don't get to see Circe's motivation in any other books. The stories aren't told from her perspective because she's the villain. She's the mighty foe being vanquished or outsmarted. In the Odyssey she lives on an island that gives off haunted house vibes. She's portrayed as a witch who turns people into pigs when she doesn't get what she wants. While I commend a good villain, I really think she's just a broken girl. She's not someone to be feared, but someone to be understood.

In Circe we're able to read her thoughts, we're able to tell her motivations, we can sympathize with her. When you're able to do those things, you're much more likely to think they're in the right. Do I think Circe kind of popped off with the Scylla thing? Yes. Would I have done the same? I've been jealous but never like that. But you have to understand that Glaucos was the only man that had EVER paid attention to Circe and treated her like a person. 

Maybe I'm just a really empathetic person and maybe my psych major tendencies are really showing through here, but I think I could fix her. I can be the loving mother she never had.