Catullus Poem 50 Notes Flashcards
What is this poem about?
Two poets making poetry with the playful composition and begging to repeat experience
Who does this prayer seem to be for?
Calvus
What does the poem remind the addressee?
What he has done in the past before going on to make the prayer
Is the mention of Nemesis in jest or serious?
Jest
What does the poem consist of?
Self-conscious irony; asserting passion usually associated with sexual love in a message to a fellow poet; hyperbolic style with a dire religious warning at the end
What type of poem is it?
A prayer-poem
Who is the poem aimed at?
Calvus
What does Catullus convey?
Bacchic poetic frenzy, tradition of Plato’s ion and Phaedrus and literary tradition that a true poet is ‘possessed’ and even mad
What is the general contrast here?
For all the frenzy, it is a tightly controlled piece of writing
What does this poem represent?
The sort of poems him and Calvus were composing the day before
How is this poem overall witty?
It talks about ‘playing around’ when the poem itself is a playful parody on a prayer to a god
The humour and literary skill mentioned in Calvus is also present in…
The text itself
Who is Licinius?
C. Licinius Calvus Macer seen in poems 14, 53 and 96 and poet of the mini epic, Io
What does ‘Otiosi’ do here?
Sets the scene. ‘Otiosi’ means leisure not ‘negotium’ which is business
Where else is the concept of ‘otium’ found?
Virgil book 4. Ovid
What does ‘ludere’ normally refer to?
Music and poetic composition
What is the alternative meaning of ‘ludere’?
Fooling about with indiscreet affairs etc
What does ‘ludere’ match with?
‘Delicatos’
What sort of poetry does ‘delicatos’ show this poem to be?
Unserious
‘Delicatus’ is a cognate of what?
Deliciae
When ‘delicatos’ is written in poetry what does it show?
The poem is art for art’s sake without any real didactic or moral purpose
What was the result of them ‘playing’ with poetry?
Excitement rather than any grave work of literature
What technique was used with ‘versiculos’? What is the effect?
Diminutive to convey a light nature to the poetry
What is the effect of the repetition of ‘ludo’?
Stresses the vital word and keeps the image of lightness
What is ‘incensus’ a common metaphor for?
Sexual love
What is ‘incensus’ used for here?
To show the poet’s excitement at his companion’s brilliance and humour
‘Miserum’ primarily means…
‘Lovesick’ so puts a sexual edge on the relationship of the two poets as a metaphor for the excitement felt by the poet in the act of comprising poetry.
What is there pleonasm of?
‘Toto’
What does ‘indomitus’ literally mean?
Untamed
What highlights the wild frenzy of the moment?
Juxtaposition of ‘indomitus’ with ‘furore’
What is ‘cupiens’ suggestive of?
Sexual desire but he actually desires the dawn
What words are colloquial on line 13?
‘Simul esse’
How do we know all this excitement has exhausted him?
‘Defessa’, hyperbolic ‘semimortua’, ‘iacebant’
How is there pathos on line 15?
‘Lectulo’ creates this image of the poet lying alone of the bed and his limbs lying as if they were dead
What is the effect of ‘iucunde’?
Continues note of close affection between two poets
What can ‘dolorem’ refer to?
The pain of love and loss and also literary pathos.
What point is Catullus trying to give with ‘dolorem’?
The way the poet conveys the pain of literary longing and he wants Calvus to see his pain and appreciate his pathos
What technique is used with ‘cave… cave… caveto’?
Tricolon
What will happen to the addressee if he rejects the literary overture?
Suffer
Where is a similar warning about rejecting prayer seen?
Phoinix to Achilles. Homer’s Iliad book 9
What does the ‘despuas’ show?
Giving the addressee the room to accept a measure of the poet’s friendship so long as he doesn’t spit it out completely
Who is Nemesis?
An ancient goddess who avenges wrongdoing mercilessly and punishes hubrius. She is paired with Aidos (shame). One is an inner deterrent against wrongdoing and the other is an external check on behaviour
What did the ‘jealous gods of mythology’ do?
Punish human arrogance with hideous torments e.g Arachne turned into a spider for saying she could spin as well as Minerva
What is the overall warning to Calvus at the end?
Unspecified punishment awaits Calvus if he spurns Nemesis
If ‘convenerat’ is an impersonal verb, what could it mean?
‘It had come together in our thoughts’
What is the contrast with the bed?
Suggested it was a big bed but was a little bed
How is the smallness of the bed shown?
Diminuitive
Is the warning about Nemesis serious?
No
What is Catullus overall doing with this poem?
Wants to tell Licinius how much he enjoyed yesterday but he does it in same style as poetry he wrote yesterday
