PROPERTIUS: Elegies 3.11: Woman's Power Flashcards
Why do you wonder…
Why do you wonder if a woman entwines my life and brings a man enslaved?
Why fabricate charges..
Why fabricate charges of cowardice against my person, because I can’t break the yoke and snap my chain
I once boasted…
I once boasted like you when I was young: now let my example teach you to be afraid
Hercules…
Hercules… drew out soft spinner’s tasks with hardened hands
Why Cleopatra…
Why Cleopatra, a woman worn out by her own attendants
Who demanded the…
Who demanded the walls of Rome and the Senate bound to her rule
As a reward…
As a reward from her obscene husband
Truly that whore…
Truly that whore, queen of incestuous Canopus
A fiery brand…
A fiery brand burned by the blood of Philip, dared to oppose our Jupiter with yapping Anubis
What was it worth…
What was it worth to have shattered Tarquin’s axes… if now we had to endure this woman
Saved by…
Saved by Augustus beg long life for him
You fled then…
You fled then to the wandering mouths of frightened Nile
Why do you wander if a woman entwines my life and brings a man enslaved?
- Written in first person- Propertius starts the poem off in this way so he can compare himself to Antony and other men
- Shows women to be able to easily control men’s loves- showing the influence and danger of love
Why fabricate charges of cowardice against my person, because I can’t break the yoke and snap my chain
- Propertius diverts blame away from himself by suggesting he is powerless against the ‘chains’ of love
-A yoke was used to link two animals together- suggests at love resulting in people behaving like animals
- imagery of slavery which links to the overall theme of men being enslaved by women
I once boasted like you when I was young: now let my example teach you to be afraid:
- Even the strongest men can become vulnerable
- Reiterates Octavian’s power in having the ability to defeat Cleopatra
Drew out soft spinner’s tasks with hardened hands:
- Hercules became Omphale’s slave for a year, however she became his mistress during this time.
- Hero made into nothing more than a slave girl due to love
Why Cleopatra, a woman worn out by her own attendants:
- implies she’s having sexual relationships with her slaves
- Shows lack of care for her own inheritance and family home if it could be going to the children of slave
- Men were the active partner in sex, and women the passive, so the man had power over the woman
- By allowing a slave to have power over her, Cleopatra has lowered herself to a social status that is lower than that of a slave
Who demanded the walls of Rome and the Senate bound to her rule
- the walls and the senate are synecdoches of rome (where a part is meant to represent a whole)
As a reward from her obscene husband:
- Antony not even mentioned by name, reduced to nothing more than his role in marriage
- He’s almost like a woman, as he’s only defined by his marriage to Cleopatra, he’s only a commodity to her
- Antony offending against moral principles
- Reminder of ‘obscene’ marriage between the two as it was bigamous- reminder of broken Roman traditions
Truly that whore, queen of incestous Canopus:
- Invective: emotionally violent attack using abusive language
- Incest was one of the big taboos in ancient Rome, this is implying she partook in
- Canopus was a town in Egypt famous for its luxury and debauchery- strongly associates Cleopatra with these values
Dared to oppose our Jupiter with yapping Anubis:
- Comparison of their gods
- ‘yapping’ makes Anubis seem irritating and unserious, also reinforces animalistic traits- so lesser than roman gods
- Speaks as if they can’t be compared, suggesting Jupiter’s extreme superiority
Saved by Augustus
- Augustus is named whereas Antony is not
- Could suggest that Propertius wants to hide the shame that Antony brings by falling to Cleopatra, but he’s proud that Augustus doesn’t succumb to the power of a woman
You fled then to the wandering mouths of frightened Nile
- Reference to Cleopatra fleeing after Antony’s death
- Augustus and his forces are so powerful that even the river Nile is scared of them
What male historic figures are listed in the last stanzas?
Curtius
- closed the chasm in rome after sacrificing himself in it
Decius
- Charged his enemy alone and died to ensure victory
Scipio
- One of the greatest military commanders and main player in Rome’s victory against Carthage
Who are some of the mythical female characters named in the early stanzas?
Medea
- the witch of Colchis
Penthesilea
Semiramis
- built Babylon
When was this poem written?
On the occasion of Cleopatra’s death
23BC
Which mythical heroes Propertius mention in the first stanzas?
Jason
Achilles
Hercules
What’s the significance of the mention of heroes such as Hercules?
- They were all ruled by love for powerful women
- By mentioning these heroes, it shows the power of women and the vulnerability of these heroic men
- By reiterating the power of women, Propertius might be suggesting that Antony is not entirely to blame
- Elevates Cleopatra and makes her appear to be a formidable opponent
What is the issue with this poem?
- Propertius’ poem is framed by the idea of woman’s power, he clearly states that he is under the thrall of his lover, which means that he sympathises with Antony
- It calls to question whether Antony is really to blame
