Rejection in Love Flashcards
What is special about the vocabulary?
It contains a lot of similar or repeated vocabulary to create effect, rhythm and balance.
Structure?
Carefully structured- suggests he is in fact more in control of his emotions than the persona portrayed in the poem.
How is Catullus’ general weakness portrayed?
He reprimands himself a lot.
How is Catullus’ lack of conviction when criticising Lesbia portrayed?
His rhetorical questions actually make him feel worse rather than better.
Miser
Love-sick
Depressing- sets the tone for the rest of the poem.
Fulsere quondam candidi tibi soles
Once bright suns shone for you
Bright sun shining reflects his ‘sunny’ mood at the time.
‘quondam candidi’ & ‘candidi tibi’
Use assonance (similar vowel sounds) which reflects the happiness of the time.
‘ventitibas’
coming and going
frequentative verb in the imperfect tense.
Suggests a regular action.
‘puella ducebat’
girl would lead
Catullus is not ashamed to be following her around- he’s just happy she wants him around.
‘amata’, ‘amabitur’
Uses love in two different tenses- he loves her in the past and the future.
Repetition of words containing ‘ll’ sounds
Creates rhythm within the poem.
‘illa multa iocosa’
those many pleasant things
Reference to sex
‘nolo’ ‘volo’
did not want to, wanted to
subtle difference between the phrasing shows the imbalance in their relationship.
‘Fulsere quondam candidi tibi soles’
Once bright suns shone for you
‘Fulsere vere candidi tibi soles.’
Then truly bright suns shone for you.
These two lines frame his reminiscence- he is thinking back fondly.
‘nunc’ ‘iam’
now (past) now (present)
reinforces the change of timeframe from past to present.