Catullus Poem 8 Notes Flashcards
Who does he address in this poem?
Begins addressing himself in second person, then girl in second person and then back to himself in final line
What other person does Catullus use to refer to himself?
Third
Which three verbs use the third person?
Requiret
Obdurat
Rogabit
Is the girl ever named in this poem?
No
What tensions are established here?
Between love expressed and love denied
Between poet addressing himself and rebuking girl
What contrast occurs here?
The hardness aimed at and the wistful longing which succeeds it.
In what instances does Catullus distance himself?
From the girl and the persona of lover poet
What are suggestions of the word ‘lovesick’?
Lover is sick rather than healthy
What technique is used for the poet to address himself?
Apostrophe
What helps to produce tension?
Dialogue between narrator and his persona
How does ‘candidus’ link to the sun?
Well off people would stay inside when it was sunny to keep their complexion pale
What else can ‘candidus’ mean?
Happy
How is the past nature of this happiness shown?
Past tense verb ‘fulsere’ and ‘quondam’
What is the effect of the word ‘soles’?
Shortness of a happy life contrasted with eternal death
Where is there assonance and what is the effect?
‘-dam can didi tibi’ reminisces about pleasures of past
What’s the impact of using imperfect tenses?
Regularly repeated actions
What is the effect of mentioning love in two verbal forms?
Apply to poet not girl and show him looking into past and future
What is the impact of ‘iocosa’ being an understatement?
Rest of poem undermines it
What does line 7 show about genders?
Difference in sexes and opinions on sex
Why does Catullus repeat line 3?
Marks closure to first part of poem
What does ‘impotens’ suggest?
Powerless, undisciplined, uncontrolled, raging
What type of verbs does Catullus use to address himself in lines 11-12?
Imperatives
What sound is repeated?
‘Ob’
What answer to the questions does Catullus not want and want?
Not want - ‘nobody’ ‘half of Rome’
Wants- ‘not Catullus’
How is Catullus reflecting on Lesbia’s current love life?
Obsessive morbidity
Why did he choose ‘rogabit’?
Deliberately vague
What makes ‘rogabit’ more vague?
Juxtaposition of ‘invitam’ and alliteration of ‘r’ sounds after ‘requiret’
What sort of word is ‘nulla’?
Colloquial strong negative
Why did Catullus choose ‘nulla’?
Avoids question of ‘asked for by whom?’
What does this poem lament?
The lack of reciprocity towards the poet’s feelings so moral outrage not completely forgotten
What is a better translation of ‘manet’?
‘Is waiting for you’
What do the questions begin with?
Interrogative pronouns
Why does the poet break off during the series of questions?
Memory of own love and her loving another too painful which leads to his decision to toughen up.
Destinatus links back to…
Obstinata on line 11 to form a neat closure
What is the impact of the questions?
An unfruitful digression which the poet discards after coming to a conclusion and returns to an apostrophe on himself again
What type of verb is ‘fulsere’?
Historic infinitive
Multiple suns could represent…
Many days
What is the impact of lots of ‘ob’?
Getting in the way
What technique is on line 11?
Asyndeton
What are the questions recollecting?
His own time with her
What is the poem framed by?
Two ‘Catulle’, ‘desinas’ and ‘destinatus’
What is the impact of switching tenses?
Reminds him of what he is missing now
The ‘at tu’ first refers to whom and then refers to?
First Lesbia
Second Catullus
What is the impact of ‘invitam’ and ‘vive’ being the last words of the line?
Living and loving same thing
What is purpose of ‘te’?
Builds up to focus on Lesbia line 16 and then comes back to refer to himself
How is there symmetry?
7 ‘q’ words and beginning of poem and then seven question words at the end
