Commentaries on Catullus’ Poetry (Poems 72 & 42) Essay

There is great civilization and aesthesia in verse 72. We argon told re each(prenominal)y early in the metrical composition that it is addressed to Lesbia, Catullus admire to whom a moderate number of metrical compositions in the army are addressed (or concern). Earlier Lesbia songs had channelisen Catullus simple and insatiable love for my girl1 in very romantic language for example, the lines describing the number of measure he wished that they could kiss, in poem 5, which caused Aurelius and Furius to describe Catullus as a cissy poet2.However, in poem 70 we begin to see Catullus feelings for Lesbia turn turned as he tells us that a womans run-in to her lover are as trustworthy as those written on wind or water after presumably disbelieving her when she told him that thither was no superstar she would rather marry than him, not even if asked by Jove himself3. If we assume that Lesbia was Clodia Metelli, we know that she was already married, so if her voice communi cation are not suggesting that she has become available, she must be describing an unfulfillable wish and it is perhaps the situation that she says these words exactly is unable to act on her marriage vow which causes Catullus to be so untrusting4. Compared to the outbursts of joy and fury in the poems of what has been described as the setoff book, poem 72 is much cooler and more analytical5 Catullus here seems to be writing from his percentage point rather than this heart.He uses, in the poem, two striking, and contrasting, similes to try to understand his love for Lesbia. He loved her (note the gone tense) as a common capacity love his girlfriend (72.3), but in addition to that he loved her also as a father might his sons and sons-in-law (72.4). This is touching because it obviously implies that the latter relationship might be closer, with more of a connection, than the former, and, most importantly, that Lesbia was as dear to him as a son would have been, his own flesh and blood. Wray finds this comparison interest because it is evidence against the long-standing assumption that roman paternity was a tyrannical and grimly love little exercise of parental power6However, from here on in, the sprightliness of love and affection darkens to one of cynicism. Now that he knows Lesbia he is has less affection for the woman. Catullus uses the language of obligation and Lesbia, as he sees it, has wronged him7. The poem ends with the uncertain but powerful statement that, because of the hurt she has caused him, Catullus loves Lesbia more, but kindreds her less. At startle, this whitethorn seem like nonsense and a contradiction in terms. However, when Catullus uses the verb amare (to love) he is describing his attraction to her, a kind of lust or infixed allure, something that he ostensibly has no control over. As much, then, as he does not like Lesbia for what she has put him through (i.e. her adultery), his love for her remains from the simpler judgmen t of conviction when he wished to kiss you just so many kisses (7.9) meter 85 is where Catullus perhaps expresses the ambiguity and seeming contradiction inherent in his feelings beatI hate and I love. Perhaps youre asking why I do that?I dont know, but I feel it happening, and am racked.We can again see here understandably that Catullus is less a master than a subject8 of his emotions. The detail that he paints himself as being so emotionally powerless gives such poems as these a tragic quality it also, arguably, helps to make Catullus such a universal poet who can still touch nation through the ages. Poem 73 also carries some of the in justice that Catullus had expressed in 72 the attack on a friend who is probably Rufus (though we do not realise that the poem is addressed to him until it becomes evident later in the collection) is because he has go oned honest kindness with no more than ingratitude. We now realise why the lampoons on Rufus alternated with Lesbia-poems at 69 -72.9 This whole section of Catullus collection is a exact of betrayal and adverse emotions.In the very first line of poem 72, Catullus talks roughly himself in the third-person, and this seems to be a literary cheat which emphasises the detail that he is not in control it is Lesbia (and her actions) who is the subject of the poem. By declaring that his passion is more intense (72.5) Catullus leads us to think that he is well-nigh to, also, tell us how much he therefore loves Lesbia. However, by introducing the duality in the last line mingled with his love and dislike for Lesbia, our expectations are finally overthrown, which makes the contrast seem to be huge. It is by means of literary effects such as these that Catullus manages to express the almost inexpressible nuance of his emotion.This poem, ultimately, is most successful when read as part of the collection, as one can then draw links between the subtle issues in the Lesbia poems and see the complex web of emotions tha t Catullus paints for us. The development from a romantic, devoting relationship between Lesbia and Catullus to the trauma of that relationship breaking down is fascinating, and may reflect the emotions of millions of people alive today in similar situations.Poem XLIIThis poem is perhaps most interesting because it in itself can be seen as an imitation of the Roman practice of flagitatio10, which was a form of popular justice involving a crowd surrounding the man suspected of wrongdoing (or his house) whilst cheering roughly rhythmical phrases in unflattering language, demanding redress11. This was a very rough-and-ready tactic because in a small community fear of deprecation was strong though it did, of course, rely on having friends willing to engage in the practice in order for what was seen as justice to be done. In this case, Catullus tells us that the crime was the theft of a notebook and the subsequent refusal to return it12. We can only speculate about the girl who stole t hem (though it has been inferred from the fact that she is described as an adulteress13 that she may well be Lesbia) and we also have just as little knowledge about what Catullus stolen notebook may have contained (and why it seems to be so scarce to him) we may guess that it contained poetry, but that is no more than a guess.If that were true, the first two lines would contain a sweet irony Catullus deploys poetry himself, hendecasyllables, as his flagitatio mob. He orders the hendecasyllables to come from everywhere (42.2), to metaphorically surround her. The substitution class is an intimidating one the lines of poetry have become men inclosure in on the suspect, shouting about her crime. When Catullus demands, Dirty adulteress, give tail end the notebook. Give back the notebook, dirty adulteress (42.11-12), he is using a technique common to flagitatio the reversal of word order belonged to a very old popular custom as a means of intensify the demand14. Catullus readership, we can surely assume, would have been aware of such devices and would at once have understood what Catullus was doing.Between the demands for the notebook, there is much vituperation and abuse hurled at the girl. Catullus tells us that she has an ugly gait, a face like a Gallican puppys (42.9) and is a filthy trollop (42.13) and a brazen bitch-face (42.17). Newman describes this as a fine example of carnival personation included for primarily humorous effect15. However, it is not hard to see how these lines could be intended to have a hurtful effect, too, shaming the footpad into repentance.Catullus is also all too aware of his social superiority10 and may only when be arrogantly showing his self-importance by making such a fuss over the loss of his notebook. This idea can be seen in, for example, poem 84, in which Catullus mocks Arrius incorrect use of aspirates which is surely caused by the pols less privileged upbringing Catullus attack, in this case as could be argued is th e case in poem 42, is really then a display of his own aristocratic superiority. There is also a usual link with poems such as 46, in which Catullus advertises his social status by documenting his travels with a sense of entitlement to faraway Roman lands.Perhaps the most harming feature of this poem is its conclusion. After all the fortissimo shouting, oil of vitriol and carmina (chanting veritable(prenominal) of flagitatio16), Catullus decides that he needs to change tone and tactics (42.22). He thus, seemingly sarcastically, ends the poem by asking for the notebook not by trading her a dirty adulteress but a virtuous brothel keeper (42.24), as we see that his invective has, somewhat comically, failed in its objective. On the otherwise hand, the last line could more literally be interpreted as an acknowledgement of the flaws of this kind of public system of obtaining restitution. It does not seem incredible that the girl would have responded more positively to flattery tha n flagitatio Catullus could thus be making a wider point about the role of invective in society.The poem, in the collection, sits between invective poems on either side of it, with the foregoing three poems containing invective, some quite rude and obscene in poem 43, for example, Mamurras mistress is described as being ugly from head to toe and, in poem 41, Ameana is called the female fuck-up. Perhaps, then, poem 42 is in the perfect location to show Catullus invective being tempered it is in that poem that he shows that such anger does not always nonplus the desired effects. In poems 41 and 43, however, we are not shown any consequences of Catullus spreading his opinions. We are simply told, in each, that there is an ugly girl in whom he is not interested there is not intended to be the nuance and comedy value that poem 42 contains.To conclude, Catullus adopting the form of flagitatio for this poem underscores the poets association with the traditional purposes and values inher ent in Roman invective17 not only does he derive pronouncement from the tradition of the technique, but it also allows him to attack her harshly and eloquently. However, ultimately, he couldnt force a blush from, in Catullus words, the brazen bitch-face. We, therefore, see the limitations of invective perhaps Catullus is admitting to us that we should see it as little more than entertainment.to a greater extent importantly, though, the twist at the end of the poem is of stylistic and comedic value and can, perhaps, be said to show Catullus eloquence. Moreover, the fact that he feels no qualms at using such openly offensive language can be attributed to the fact that Romans would surely have sympathised with his demands for justice in face of a thief and may, also, be a reflection of his superior social status (not to suggest the lower regard with which women were held generally) and consequent security in his right to show his anger in whatever way that he pleased. Ultimately, the poem makes timbre assassination into an appealing and technically adept art.BibliographyDyson, J.T. (2007). The Lesbia Poems, in M.B. Skinner (ed.), A associate degree to Catullus (Oxford) 254-275.Fitzgerald, W. (1999). Catullan Provocations Lyric Poetry and the Drama of Position. London.Fraenkel, E. (1961). Catullus XLII, in J.H. Gaisser (ed.), Oxford Readings in Graeco-Roman Studies Catullus (Oxford) 356-368.Newman, J.K. (1990). Roman Catullus. Bodenheim.Selden, D.L. (1992). Catullus and the Rhetoric of Performance, in J.H. Gaisser (ed.), Oxford Readings in Classical Studies Catullus (Oxford) 490-559.Tatum, W.J. (2007). Social Commentary and Political Invective, in M.B. Skinner, A Companion to Catullus (Oxford) 333-354.Wiseman, T.P. (1985). Catullus and his World A Reappraisal. Cambridge.Wray, D. (2001). Catullus and the Poetics of Roman Manhood. Cambridge.1 Catullus 2.1.2 cf. Catullus 16.3 Catullus 70.2.4 Dyson (2007) 269.5 Wiseman (1985) 166.6 Wray (2001) 112.7 Fitzgerald (1 999) 117.8 Selden (1992) 541.9 Wiseman (1985) 167.10 Fitzgerald (1999) 62.11 Fraenkel (1961) 364.12 Catullus 42.4 (refuses to give me our notebook back).13 Catullus 42.1214 Fraenkel (1961) 363.15 Newman (1990) 192.16 Fraenkel (1961) 364.17 Tatum (2007) 337.