Catullus Poem 45 Notes Flashcards

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1
Q

What are the three sections this poem has been split into?

A

Man declaring his undying love; woman answers with her own declaration; poet comments on their love

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2
Q

Which actions/ statements give closure to the sections of the poem?

A

Sneezing approval and ‘auspicatiorem’

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3
Q

How is their relationship depicted overall?

A

Intimacy of their embrace; protestations of love to each other; authorial comments on their mutual fidelity; verbal patterning and asyndeton

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4
Q

Which two lines have a verbal pattern?

A

Line 1 and 21

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5
Q

Which line has asyndeton?

A

Line 19

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6
Q

What can the poem be seen as from face value?

A

An evocation of blissful love observed in others

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7
Q

How is the equality of love shown?

A

Male vs female; east vs west; poem structure; relaxed sensuality of love making

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8
Q

How is the physical passion and lasting devotion shown?

A

Using words and concepts derived from Roman marriage

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9
Q

Which phrases are derived from Roman marriage?

A
'Omnes annos'
'Uni domino usque serviamus'
'Ab auspicio bono'
'Unam Acmen'
'Uno in Septimio fidelis'
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10
Q

What emphasises the phrase ‘omnes… annos’?

A

Hyperbaton to enclose the metrical unit

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11
Q

What is hyperbaton?

A

An inversion of the normal order of words

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12
Q

What can we say about Catullus and this poem?

A

It is the one and only example of fulfilled love in his poems

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13
Q

What is the effect of ‘Septimius’ and ‘Acmen’ being next to each other?

A

Shows the closeness of the two

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14
Q

What shows Septimius is being enveloped by Acme?

A

‘Acmen… suos amores’ next to his name

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15
Q

What is the relationship showing in terms of culture?

A

The relationship between a Roman and a Greek freedwoman as ‘Acme’ is a Greek name

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16
Q

What is the key word? How do we know?

A

Love is the key word because there is polyptoton

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17
Q

Line 4 gives the effect of what?

A

A golden line

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18
Q

How is line 4 like a golden line?

A

‘Omnes … annos’ on the outside; ‘sum… paratus’ on inner and ‘assidue’ in middle

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19
Q

What sound imagery is present on line 5?

A

Alliteration of ‘q’ and then ‘p’

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20
Q

What is the underlying meaning of ‘perire’?

A

To perish with love and dying the most which leads onto the lethal situation with Septimius next

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21
Q

Name the two places where a Roman might meet a lion?

A

Libya and India

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22
Q

Which word stresses the fearful encounter with the lion?

A

‘Solus’

23
Q

Why is ‘tosta’ irrelevant? So what could it mean instead?

A

‘Scorched by the sun’ but the lion will be just as dangerous whatever the temperature. So it could mean ‘burn with love’

24
Q

If the lion having green eyes is irrelevant, what point is her trying to make?

A

If he can see the colour of the lion’s eyes, he is too close

25
Q

What else stresses the face to face encounter?

A

Juxtaposition of ‘veniam ob unius’

26
Q

Who is ‘Amor’?

A

Cupid, child of Venus

27
Q

What does the sneezing indicate?

A

An omen

28
Q

What does it mean with ‘sinistra ut ante dextra’?

A

Avoids arguments about who is on the left and who is on the right and who is being sneezed on

29
Q

What cuts out the possibility of the sneeze being ill-omened?

A

‘Approbationem’ can only mean ‘approval’

30
Q

What pattern is created in Acme’s speech?

A

First mentions her head bending backwards, then him being sweet, then his eyes drunk with love, then her mouth

31
Q

What is ‘ocellos’?

A

An affectionate diminutive

32
Q

What does ‘ebrios’ add?

A

The idea of swimming suggesting intoxication with love and exhilaration with the experience creating a parallel of drink and sex

33
Q

What could ‘suaviata’ be derived from?

A

‘Suavis’ meaning ‘pleasurable’

34
Q

What does Acme not do that Septimius does?

A

Face a challenge to prove her love

35
Q

Who is the ‘one lord’?

A

Cupid

36
Q

What are they enslaved to?

A

The service of a God and relevant to the subservience of a man to his ‘mistress’

37
Q

What could ‘mollibus’ mean?

A

‘Feminine’

38
Q

How is there an ABAB symmetry on lines 15-16?

A

Fire- soft- burns- bones

39
Q

What is there alliteration of in lines 15-16?

A

‘M’

40
Q

Which two ways on lines 19-20 show the reciprocity of love?

A

‘Mutuis animis’ and asyndeton of ‘amant amantur’

41
Q

Line 21 has what sort of structure?

A

Chiastic phrasing ABBA

42
Q

What do ‘Syrias’ and ‘Britannias’ represent?

A

Crassus leading his ill-fated expedition to Syria and Caesar about to invade Britain both in 55BC

43
Q

What might Syria and Britain be bywords of?

A

East and West to give doubt about how specific the places are with generalising plurals

44
Q

How do we know Acme is faithful?

A

Prefers Septimius to anyone else. Takes pleasure with Septimius and not with others

45
Q

Who are the rhetorical questions aimed at?

A

The reader

46
Q

‘Homines’ includes who?

A

Men and women

47
Q

What does ‘auspicatiorem’ show?

A

A good omen of the sneeze which concluded the first two sections of the poem. Gives closure.

48
Q

Why else might love have sneezed on everyone?

A

Greek Acme had different beliefs to Romans as which side (left or right) was luck

49
Q

How can we tell the first section is masculine?

A

Plosives

50
Q

How can we tell the second section is feminine?

A

More ‘m’ sounds

51
Q

What did Libya and India mark?

A

Edges of the empire

52
Q

Why might Acme’s lips be red?

A

Adrenaline, kissing or passion

53
Q

What sort of verb is ‘serviamus’

A

Iussive subjunctive

54
Q

What else could ‘animis’ mean?

A

Soul, heart