Petronius’ Satyricon On morals, manners, and the lower classes in Roman society.
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Transcript of Petronius’ Satyricon On morals, manners, and the lower classes in Roman society.
Petronius’ Satyricon
On morals, manners, and the lower classes in Roman society
Today’s Lecture
Introduction to Petronius’ Satyricon
How did the Romans live during Nero’s reign?
Please read the section labeled Trimalchio by 4/5/05
Satire = ridicule of society’s morals or customs
The title “Satyricon” has been adopted by many others, including this Norwegian heavy metal band.
It is also the title of Petronius’ novel
Origins of the word satire
Satura = medley Satyr = smelly, hairy goat Mennipean Satire = humorous discussion of
philosophy in alternating prose and verse Proverbs, short verses, stories, varying diction Petronius is not being moralistic and you are not
meant to see a call for reform in his words
Who was Gaius Petronius? ~27-66 A.D. Arbiter elegantae = the judge of
elegance Advised the emperor Nero Slept all day, partied all night Forced to commit suicide Before he died, he made fun of Nero in
his will and sent him a copy of it
What was life like in the time of Nero? Nero’s reign was known for his
excessive spending and immorality He loved the theater and lavish building
projects But life at court was very capricious -
you never knew when the emperor would turn against you
Main characters in the Satyricon
Encolpius
Ascyltos
Giton
The setting
Campania Region around
Naples Near Mt. Vesuvius In 79 AD, the
eruption of the volcano preserved two cities, PompeiI and Herculaneum
The Novel
Encolpius, Ascyltos, and Giton have already had a series of adventures when they arrive at Trimalchio’s house for dinner
They meet a professor of rhetoric, Agamemnon, who tells them about their host Trimalchio
First Impressions
Fresh balls Silver pissing bottle Eunuchs for “handi
wipes” Ignores his guests
completely
Wealthy Poor manners Very vulgar Center of attention Carried on a litter to
his house
It’s all in the details
Slaves spill wine Trimalchio thinks it
is a libation to him Libation to
household gods the proper thing to do
Servants are in uniform
Trimalchio acts as if he is the household god
Also acts like a victorious general
The Roman House
Notice the placement of windows on this model
As you read the assignment, notice the decorations Trimalchio has in his house
Wall Decorations in Ancient Rome Wall paintings often
featured fantastic scenes or landscapes
Architectural elements
Hercules with Juno and Minerva
Elevated Subjects
Theseus slays the minotaur
Greek myths were popular subjects for wall decorations
Can Trimalchio tell the difference between high art and popular culture?
Behavior of Slaves Copies the Master Trimalchio’s door
contains a notice of his social calendar, including the dates when he will be out to dinner
Servants refer to him on the notice as “Gaius” (informal use of his name)
Slave who has lost his royal purple cloak is NOT beaten by another slave
The cloak had already been washed once, so it must be worn out and old
A Theatrical Scene
Ability to create life-like 3-D scenes
Cf. Dog mural in Trimalchio’s house
Scenes of Trimalchio’s life
At the dinner table
Guests have ice water poured over their hands
Their fingernails are cut
Slaves are imported from Egypt (this would be expensive)
Food is another symbol of the upper class that Trimalchio has imported into his world
How does the food resemble one thing but turn out to be another?
Entrance to Dinner
Slave’s Haircut Napkin with purple
border Gold ring Enters to ceremonial
music Our three “heroes”
laugh at him
Trimalchio has appropriated the symbols of the upper class
He is a freedman who is rich but is “nouveau riche”
During the dinner
Trimalchio ignores his guests
Plays a game instead
Picks his teeth with a silver toothpick
Now wine is being poured over the guests’ hands
A silver skeleton is brought in
Trimalchio sings to his guests
Some points to consider:
Look for evidence that the guests are laughing at (not with) Trimalchio
Is Encolpius a reliable narrator?
Does he know much about appropriate behavior himself?
Does Encolpius appear to enjoy it when Trimalchio makes a fool of himself?
Why does Encolpius say he is too full to eat any more?
Final Thoughts
The story you will read has much in common with Brantenberg’s novel
As you read Egalia’s Daughters, consider how the lower class tries to appropriate the symbols of the upper class
Why is Brantenberg’s novel a call for revolution and Petronius’ novel a merely amusing look at how cultural norms are being violated?