Literary tropes

militia amoris

the military service of love 

• the lover is a soldier

• love is war

• Cupid or Venus is the commanding officer

• “I’d rather be a lover than a soldier.”

• “Lovers are just as tough / hardy / ill-treated as soldiers.”

• “I’d rather write about love than about war.”

• references to hardships, wounds, sleeplessness, stratagems, night-attacks, close combat, triumph, and spoils

• Ovid Amores 1.9

paraclausithyron

song by the closed door

• exclusus amator, the locked out lover

• the lover is standing at the locked door of the beloved

• the lover has been refused admission

• the lover sings a sad song, hoping to gain admittance

• appeals to the door itself; to the doorkeeper (ianitor, ostiarius)

recusatio

renuntiatio amoris, the renunciation of love ; Ovid Amores 1.1

servitium amoris

Servitium amoris (slavery of love) is a central theme in Roman love elegy where the male poet portrays himself as a “slave” to his beloved and to love itself.  The poet-lover willingly submits to the domination of his mistress, inverting traditional Roman social hierarchies.  This theme appears prominently in poets like Propertius, Tibullus, and Ovid, where they describe themselves performing traditionally servile acts like waiting outside their mistress’s door all night, enduring harsh treatment, and abandoning their public duties to serve their beloved.  It’s particularly striking in Roman culture since it depicts free, elite men voluntarily taking on the role of slaves in their romantic relationships ; Ovid Amores 1.3

carpe diem

The fleeting nature of life and the need to embrace its pleasures