Catullus Poem 65 Notes Flashcards
Who is Hortalus?
Catullus’ older contemporary Q. Hortensius Hortalus who was Cicero’s Asianist rival in the courts and a poet whose tastes are of new school
What was Hortalus’ request?
A translation of the Callimachus poem 66
How many sentences are there?
One! 24 lines long
How many lines are in the parenthesis of his brother’s death and his sorrow?
10
How is the sombreness relieved?
Vivid and unexpected simile in the last lines
What does Catullus try to maintain?
The pentameter and syllables of Greek elegiac poets
Why is the birth of the Muses sweet?
The Muses are songs and songs are sweet in love poetry
How is ‘expromere’ a metaphor?
The idea of bringing out from a store
Which other authors used ‘mens animi’?
Plautus and Lucretius
What is the idea behind ‘ipsa’?
It has such troubles of its own, it is not free to turn elsewhere
Where is the stream of Lethe?
One of the rivers of the underworld
What does ‘gurges’ represent?
An engulfing body of water which swallows or sweeps away (applied to the sea in poem 64)
What does ‘pallidulum’ show?
The ghost is pale and has lost its natural colour
Where did Catullus’ brother die?
Troy
Where is Rhoeteum?
A headland (promontory) in Troad
What should the phrase ‘tua… morte’ go with instead of ‘maesta’?
‘Canam’
What is the story of Daulias and Iytlus?
Procne is daughter of king Pandion of Athens and wife of Thracian Tereus (king of Daulias), kills her son to avenge her husband’s violence to her sister, Philomela. When Tereus pursues the sisters, the Gods intervene and turn Philomela into a swallow and Procne into a nightingale
The story of Daulias in this poem is…
A simile
What technique does ‘sed tamen’ show?
Adoposis of ‘etsi’
What is adoposis?
The resulting clause of a conditional sentence
What is ‘expressa’ a metaphor for?
The imprinting of a seal or modelling of a statue
How many poems accompany this letter?
Multiple. ‘Carmina’ is plural and need not imply this
Who was King Battus?
Founder of native Cyrene
Who was Callimachus father?
Battus so he claims decent from the King Battus which is patronymic
Which word has emphasis and pathos on line 17?
Nequiquam
What is the apple in this poem?
A love token
By anticipation, we guess what is involved in the apple situation?
A lover
What is the rhythm of line 23? What is the effect?
Spondees in all feet except the fourth. Could represent the girl’s bewilderment or the slow roll of the apple
What is the effect of ‘atque’ on line 22?
Emphasises the sudden and unexpected conclusion
Is there alliteration in line 23?
Yes
What is the transferred epithet on line 24?
Blush of guilt
What is a transferred epithet?
Adjective or epithet relates to other noun other than person it is describing
Why does Catullus write in the style of Callimachus?
To prove he can be creative
What are separative patterns?
Noun and adjective are kept apart
Who uses separative patterns?
Callimachus
What does the ‘ego te’ show?
Intimacy
Where else is there a transferred epithet?
He is sad at death of brother not just the song is sad
Where is there chiasmus?
Line 16
What could it mean when there is no separative patterning on line 21?
Lack of control
Why does Catullus need to honour the Muses?
Ritual of success so he won’t get writer’s block
What do the Muses do?
Control poetry, birth it and create it
What does the Lethe stream do?
Makes you forget former life
What is the effect of separative patterning?
Creates tension as you try to find which noun the adjective describes
What is the apple story mirroring?
The myth of Acontius and Cydippe - also a famous Callimachus poem (Aetia)
What is the myth of Acontius and Cydippe?
Acontius fell in love with Cydippe at the annual festival of Diana. When Cydippe was making a religious sacrifice in the temple of Diana or in the sacred grove of Diana, Acontius threw an apple at her feet which she read out saying she swears to marry Acontius. In this sacred place, it was binding and Cydippe’s father tried to make her marry three others but she became ill as a punishment so her father made her marry Acontius
