Tacitus: Inspiration for the fight - NOTES Flashcards
“Boudicca”
Sentence 1 (Part 1/7)
- Queen of the Iceni
- Wife of King Prasutagus
- After her husband’s death, she was flogged and her daughters were raped by the Romans
“curru filias prae se vehens, ut quamque nationem accesserat”
Sentence 1 (Part 1/7 to Part 2/7)
Boudicca’s daughters presented as part of the reason for fighting against the Romans - but also highlights her prowess both as a leader and as a woman.
“testabatur”
Sentence 1 (Part 3/7)
The opening verb reveals her position through indirect speech
“sed tunc non ut”
Sentence 1 (Part 4/7)
Boudicca emphasising her authority as one that is not simply based on her role as a Queen nor because of her wealth
“libertatem amissam, confectum verberibus corpus, contrectatem filiarum pudicitiam”
Sentence 1 (Part 5/7 to Part 7/7)
A tricolon of tragic things that Boudicca has experienced
“adesse tamen deos iustae vindictae”
Sentence 3 (Part 1/3)
All aspects of society have suffered under the Romans so the Gods are presented as being on Boudicca’s side
“cecidisse … circumspicere”
Sentence 3 (Part 2/3 to Part 3/3)
These words highlight the weakness of the Romans’ position - further justification for action and war against them
“vincendum illa acie vel cadendum esse”
Sentence 4 (Part 3/3)
This is Boudicca’s ultimatum
“id mulieri destinatum: viverent viri et servirent”
Sentence 5 (Part 1/1)
An emphatic assertion about women’s resolve
“Gaius Suetonius Paulinus”
Suetonius was the governer of Britain from A.D. 59
“exhortationes et preces miscebat, ut spernerent sonores barbarorum et inanes minas”
Sentence 7 (Part 2/4 to Part 3/4)
Correct, formal terms used to describe Suetonius’ speech appear in contrast to the description of the barbarians’ noises
“plus illic feminarum quam iuventutis aspici”
Sentence 7 (Part 4/4)
Further indirect speech, similar in content to Boudicca’s earlier speech.
“imbelles inermes”
Sentence 8 (Part 1/2)
Belittling the Barbarians’ readiness for war
“ferrum virtutemque”
Sentence 8 (Part 2/2)
A phrase used to illustrate Roman superiority
“praedae immemores: parta victoria cuncta ipsis cessura.”
Sentence 10 (Part 3/4 to Part 4/4)
This sentence shows the means by which victory will be secured
quippe sunt qui paulo minus quam octoginta milia Britannorum cecidisse tradant, militum quadringentis ferme interfectis nec multo amplius vulneratis.
Sentence 16 (Part 2/3 to Part 3/3)
Numbers are used here for emphasis and to prove a point
“Boudicca vitam veneno finivit.”
Sentence 17 (Part 1/1)
An emphatic sentence acheived through its brevity
