Chariton's Callirhoe

Question 1

who are the main characters in Callirhoe?

Answer 1

• Callirhoe (daughter of Hermocrates of Syracuse, wife of Chaereas)
• Chaereas (son of Aristos of Syracuse, husband of Callirhoe)
• Dionysius (wealthy cit. of Miletus, attempts to marry Callirhoe, becomes adopted father of Carllirhoe & Chaereas’ child)
• Theron (a pirate who adbucts Callirhoe)
• Mithridates (governor of Caria, tries to protect Callirhoe but is falsely accused of seducing her)
• Artaxerxes (Persian king, crushes on Callirhoe)

Callirhoe often compared to Aphrodite

Question 2

what are the main plot points of Callirhoe?

Answer 2

• wedding of Callirhoe & Chaereas
• jealous rivals trick Chaereas into believing she’s unfaithful
• he strikes her & she falls unconscious (believed dead)
• Callirhoe buried alive, found by robbers & sold into slavery
• purchased by Dionysius & discovers she’s pregnant → married Dionysius for security
• Chaereas learns she’s alive & travels to find her (faces dangers & setbacks)
• everyone meets of the court of Artaxerxes in Babylon → Callirhoe returned to Chaereas
• return to Syracuse with their son

Question 3

what dangers & setbacks does Chaereas face in Callirhoe?

Answer 3

• joins Egyptian military campaign → shipwrecked, captured, & enslaved
• becomes involved in Egyptian slave revolt against Persians
• emerges as a military leader & finds Callirhoe
• claim to Callirhoe weighted against Dioynsius in legal trial (high-stakes rhetorical battle)

Question 4

what main themes from the course are reflected in Callirhoe?

Answer 4

• romance
• epic
• tragedy/old comedy/new comedy (character study & lots of direct speech)
• hellenistic erotic poetry (male & female protagonists on equal footing)

Question 5

what is the literary context of Callirhoe?

Answer 5

• very late 1st c. BCE (thought to be the first of the 5 ancient novels)
• Roman Emp. was large & stable → needed a large lit. aristocracy
• follows novel formua

Question 6

what is the historical context of Callirhoe?

Answer 6

real characters & places:

• mentions/visits Syracuse, Ephesus, Miletus, Babylon, Tyre
• Hermocrates (Syracusan general during Sicilian Expedition, daughter married to Dionysius I)
• Dionysius I (Syracusan tyrant)
• Artaxerxes II of Persia
• r.f. to historical events (e.g. Egyptian revolt, 361 BCE)

Question 7

what is the novel formula as demonstrated in Callirhoe?

Answer 7

• hero & heroine fall in love
• seperation disrupts/prevents/interrupts marriage (chastity esp. important for the female)
• travel (authors often ‘from’ there)
• gods take a back seat (except Eros [love] & Tyche [chance/luck])