Catullus Poem 8 Notes

Question 1

Who does he address in this poem?

Answer 1

Begins addressing himself in second person, then girl in second person and then back to himself in final line

Question 2

What other person does Catullus use to refer to himself?

Answer 2

Third

Question 3

Which three verbs use the third person?

Answer 3

Requiret
Obdurat
Rogabit

Question 4

Is the girl ever named in this poem?

Answer 4

No

Question 5

What tensions are established here?

Answer 5

Between love expressed and love denied

Between poet addressing himself and rebuking girl

Question 6

What contrast occurs here?

Answer 6

The hardness aimed at and the wistful longing which succeeds it.

Question 7

In what instances does Catullus distance himself?

Answer 7

From the girl and the persona of lover poet

Question 8

What are suggestions of the word ‘lovesick’?

Answer 8

Lover is sick rather than healthy

Question 9

What technique is used for the poet to address himself?

Answer 9

Apostrophe

Question 10

What helps to produce tension?

Answer 10

Dialogue between narrator and his persona

Question 11

How does ‘candidus’ link to the sun?

Answer 11

Well off people would stay inside when it was sunny to keep their complexion pale

Question 12

What else can ‘candidus’ mean?

Answer 12

Happy

Question 13

How is the past nature of this happiness shown?

Answer 13

Past tense verb ‘fulsere’ and ‘quondam’

Question 14

What is the effect of the word ‘soles’?

Answer 14

Shortness of a happy life contrasted with eternal death

Question 15

Where is there assonance and what is the effect?

Answer 15

‘-dam can didi tibi’ reminisces about pleasures of past

Question 16

What’s the impact of using imperfect tenses?

Answer 16

Regularly repeated actions

Question 17

What is the effect of mentioning love in two verbal forms?

Answer 17

Apply to poet not girl and show him looking into past and future

Question 18

What is the impact of ‘iocosa’ being an understatement?

Answer 18

Rest of poem undermines it

Question 19

What does line 7 show about genders?

Answer 19

Difference in sexes and opinions on sex

Question 20

Why does Catullus repeat line 3?

Answer 20

Marks closure to first part of poem

Question 21

What does ‘impotens’ suggest?

Answer 21

Powerless, undisciplined, uncontrolled, raging

Question 22

What type of verbs does Catullus use to address himself in lines 11-12?

Answer 22

Imperatives

Question 23

What sound is repeated?

Answer 23

‘Ob’

Question 24

What answer to the questions does Catullus not want and want?

Answer 24

Not want - ‘nobody’ ‘half of Rome’

Wants- ‘not Catullus’

Question 25

How is Catullus reflecting on Lesbia's current love life?

Answer 25

Obsessive morbidity

Question 26

Why did he choose 'rogabit'?

Answer 26

Deliberately vague

Question 27

What makes 'rogabit' more vague?

Answer 27

Juxtaposition of 'invitam' and alliteration of 'r' sounds after 'requiret'

Question 28

What sort of word is 'nulla'?

Answer 28

Colloquial strong negative

Question 29

Why did Catullus choose 'nulla'?

Answer 29

Avoids question of 'asked for by whom?'

Question 30

What does this poem lament?

Answer 30

The lack of reciprocity towards the poet's feelings so moral outrage not completely forgotten

Question 31

What is a better translation of 'manet'?

Answer 31

'Is waiting for you'

Question 32

What do the questions begin with?

Answer 32

Interrogative pronouns

Question 33

Why does the poet break off during the series of questions?

Answer 33

Memory of own love and her loving another too painful which leads to his decision to toughen up.

Question 34

Destinatus links back to...

Answer 34

Obstinata on line 11 to form a neat closure

Question 35

What is the impact of the questions?

Answer 35

An unfruitful digression which the poet discards after coming to a conclusion and returns to an apostrophe on himself again

Question 36

What type of verb is 'fulsere'?

Answer 36

Historic infinitive

Question 37

Multiple suns could represent...

Answer 37

Many days

Question 38

What is the impact of lots of 'ob'?

Answer 38

Getting in the way

Question 39

What technique is on line 11?

Answer 39

Asyndeton

Question 40

What are the questions recollecting?

Answer 40

His own time with her

Question 41

What is the poem framed by?

Answer 41

Two 'Catulle', 'desinas' and 'destinatus'

Question 42

What is the impact of switching tenses?

Answer 42

Reminds him of what he is missing now

Question 43

The 'at tu' first refers to whom and then refers to?

Answer 43

First Lesbia | Second Catullus

Question 44

What is the impact of 'invitam' and 'vive' being the last words of the line?

Answer 44

Living and loving same thing

Question 45

What is purpose of 'te'?

Answer 45

Builds up to focus on Lesbia line 16 and then comes back to refer to himself

Question 46

How is there symmetry?

Answer 46

7 'q' words and beginning of poem and then seven question words at the end