Pliny - Brutal Murder Flashcards
Who is this letter to and what is it about?
Addressed to Acilius
Telling him about Macedo being murdered by his slave, who was later caught and killed
What is Pliny’s view on the situation?
Pliny admits the master (Macedo) was cruel
BUT still thinks the slave was wrong and the death penalty was the right thing
He also hints that he believes you can’t trust slaves
What is the difference between Pliny’s views here and that of his other letters?
He dehumanises slaves, suggests you can’t trust them
However in other letters (e.g. Zosimus and Dinner Party Discrimination) he advocates for freedmen to be treated well and as humans
Quote - Description of master
“He was an arrogant and cruel master”
Because Macedo was shown mistreatment when his father was a slave, he learnt from his father’s master
Quote x 2 - What did the slaves do to Macedo?
They surrounded him when he was in his bath
“Seized him by the throat” - aggressive, violent
Also “trampled on his chest, his stomach, and his private parts” - last part was unnecessary
Once he went unconscious, they threw him onto the hot floor of the bath
Then they brought him out, pretending he had fainted in the bath
Quote - Not all of the slaves were attacking him
“Some of his more trusty slaves” came to his aid when the aggressive slaves carried him out of the baths
Shows that not all slaves are the same, some have different attitudes towards their master
Quote - What happened to Macedo in the days following the attack?
He was kept alive for a few days, then died of his injuries
But when he was alive “he had the consolation of seeing his murder avenged” - the slaves involved were killed, idea of revenge/payback being important
Quote x 2 - What were Pliny’s views expressed here about slaves as a whole at the time?
He says we are exposed to “indignities, outrages, and dangers” just living with slaves - tricolon emphasises Pliny’s dissatisfaction and distrust of slaves
“Masters are murdered not by slaves’ reasoning but by their brutality” - suggests slaves are born violent, they can’t reason, just want to murder - prejudiced view
Quote - What happened to Macedo previously that Pliny links to his death?
Pliny describes an “ominous accident” - showing Roman superstition
Macedo was in a public bath in Rome, when a Roman knight was lightly touched by one of Macedo’s slaves, then turned and hit Macedo very hard - Pliny believes the baths were an unlucky place for Macedo, as he experienced an insult then grave attack there - also indicates the threat of violence in everyday life
Also shows that people are responsible for the actions of their slaves
