Greek mythic heroes -- Jason, Perseus, Heracles and Theseus, for example -- all made circular quests from and to their homelands, only to discover the journey itself is a circular completion, according to Joseph Campbell's theories on narrative. C. S. Lewis' Narnian characters make continuous journeys to their starting places. Similarly, Chaucer's travelers to Canterbury are circling back to the Tabard Inn, their place of origin.
Media entertainment presents protagonists who circle within circles. Harold Ramis' comedy "Groundhog Day" takes its protagonist played by Bill Murray through the same 24-hour period. A similar plot-line infuses the film "Edge of Tomorrow," where the main character played by Tom Cruise relives a single day in battle. Finally, Shakespeare's Player King in "Hamlet" suggests that the entire tragedy is an unending circle,"orderly to end where I begun."