Clodia

targeted these women because of the politics of the time. Cicero used women to attack his political opponents indirectly. Family honor was such a part of morality and society that to damage the reputation of one member affected the whole family. During this time of transition between Empire and Republic, family power ran the political sphere. So, Cicero’s attack on a woman’s behavior was really aimed at damaging the power of that family. It is generally agreed that, Cicero’s attack of Clodia in Pro Caelio is one of his most scathing and skillfully witty. Clodia, who was also the sister of a political rival of Cicero’s, has accused Caelius, who Cicero was defending, of taking her money and trying to poison her. In Pro Caelio, Cicero spends much of the trial making it about Clodia and her immoral behavior. Not only is Cicero concerned about morality, he has a political agenda as well. By damaging Clodia’s reputation in this trial, he will also damage the reputation of his political rival. Cicero and Clodia also have a history outside of this case and he had not liked her long before this incident (Crownover 1934: 146). It is in cases like these…

Catullus, Gaius Valerius. "Catullus." Catullus. Tibullus. Pervigilium Veneris. Trans. Francis Warre Cornish, J. P. Postgate, J. W. Mackail, and G. P. Goold. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard UP, 1988. 2-184. Loeb Classical Library. Web. 16 Feb. 2017. This is a collection of Catullus poems including his love poetry to Lesbia, who is widely believed to be an elite woman named Clodia. Catullus’ poems tell of his affair with Lesbia including his epic love and romance to his terrible break up and eventual…

Cicero not only highlights how immoral women behave, but also how morals are used to punish and diminish women with power. Clodia comes from a prominent family with abundant political connections. She could potential hold a lot of power in the structure of the family. Yet, right away, Cicero calls her out, not as a person, but almost as an object. In this morality, women are returned to being objects to store prestige, wealth and power. He addresses her as “a woman not only of noble birth, but…

of a decently educated young woman and her conversion to Christianity. Written records of baptism in the Late Antiquity era can vary greatly, especially before the First Council of Nicaea and Constantine’s standardization of the religion. Due to its position and the fact that there was likely only one house church in Dura Europos, the baptismal rituals situated there could differ greatly from the recorded rituals of ancient Rome; even in the same cities the church doctrine of various houses…

Fool The first poem we will be analyzing is, “Wretched Catullus, Leave of Playing the Fool”, which tells of Catullus doomed fate with Clodia as he tries to convince himself that Clodia has only damaging effects to him in the three stanza poem. The beginning of the poem states, “Wretched Catullus, leave off playing the fool: / Give up as lost what is forever past” (1-2). Right in the beginning of the poem, Catullus sets the mood with a two line introduction, containing a scolding tone so as to…

was usually accomplished through making jests at their lives, and more specifically their sexual escapades. In his prosecution of ex-Sicilian governor, Verres, and politician, Antony, Cicero focuses on how these men were extremely lustful. Due to these urges, they essentially lacked control over their bodies, a trait which the Romans disapproved. In his prosecution of Verres, Cicero notes how he was “a woman among men.” Cicero implies that Verres was penetrated by others, and therefore attacks…

Catullus is a famous Roman neoteric poet during the Hellenistic Period. Neoteric poetry is about one’s life other than the popular poetry on history. Catullus influenced many other famous poets such as Ovid, Horace, and Virgil. What is most interesting about Catullus is his love life and his ways of expressing his love for his love interest. Catullus started writing poetry as young as 16. Love is his main topic and also poems of hatred for Caesar and other high authorities. His lover was Clodia…

biological concept, it is a cultural concept reflected on the known biological concepts. For example, Virtus (linked to Latin word “vir”) talks about “manliness” and “masculinity”; vir is not a biological definition (not “male”) but rather a gender role. If men fail to demonstrate it, they bring shame upon themselves; however, unlike Athenian Greek society, Roman women have the opportunity to demonstrate that they have done something praiseworthy. For a woman, doing something “virtuous” is…

This biographical sketch primarily looks at the life of Augustus Caesar from his birth to his death. Looking at achievements he made as an emperor of the Ancient Rome and how he acquired the power. His family is also looked into. The first emperor after the death of Julius Caesar, Caesar Augustus, commonly known as Octavian was born Gaius Octavius on September 23, 63 B.C., in Velletri, Italy approximately 40km from Rome, into an old and wealthy equestrian branch of the plebian Octavii family.…

interactions with Enkidu, Gilgamesh learns that there is no honor in In refusing to marry Ishtar, Gilgamesh can continue on his journey to find his immortality in a more morally upright way. In Catullus’ poetry, the figure Lesbia is a classic example of a woman being portrayed as the cause to all of man’s problems. In almost of all of his work containing her, Lesbia is a woman who broke the heart of Catullus and continues to bring him pain and suffering. In his large collection of work, his…