SENECA: Changing morals

num iam ulla repudio erubescit,

Translation:
"Does any woman now blush at divorce?"

Stylistic Points:

• Rhetorical question: Num iam ulla... (Does any woman now...) conveys irony and criticism, implying that shame over divorce has disappeared.

• Moral decay: Erubescit (blushes) suggests that divorce was once seen as shameful but no longer is.

• Implicit contrast: The phrase hints at a past where marriage was more stable or valued.

postquam feminae quaedam illustres ac nobiles non consulum numero sed maritorum annos suos computant,

Translation:
"Since certain distinguished and noble women count their years not by the number of consuls but by the number of their husbands."

Stylistic Points:

• Sarcasm: Comparing marriages to consular years mocks how frequently noblewomen change husbands.

• Political analogy: Consulum numero (by the number of consuls) likens their marriages to political terms, implying instability.

• Social critique: Feminae quaedam illustres ac nobiles (certain distinguished and noble women) ironically juxtaposes their high status with perceived moral failings.

et exeunt matrimonii causa, nubunt repudii?

Translation:
"And they leave [the house] for the sake of marriage and marry for the sake of divorce?"

Stylistic Points:

• Chiasmus: Exeunt matrimonii causa, nubunt repudii (leave for the sake of marriage, marry for the sake of divorce) highlights absurdity through inversion.

• Critique of fickleness: The phrase suggests that marriage has lost its sanctity and become a cycle of entering and leaving.

• Implied satire: The rhetorical structure ridicules how divorce has become an expected part of marriage.

tamdiu istuc timebatur, quamdiu rarum erat;

Translation:
"For as long as it was feared, it was rare."

Stylistic Points:

• Implicit social shift: The phrase suggests that once divorce became common, it lost its stigma.

• Past vs. present: Quamdiu rarum erat (as long as it was rare) contrasts the past, where fear existed, with the present, where it does not.

• Resignation: The tone implies a lament for declining moral standards.

quia nihil sine divortio actum est, quod saepe audiebant id facere didicerunt.

Translation:
"Because nothing happens without divorce, because women have learned to do what they hear about so often."

Stylistic Points:

• Hyperbole: Nihil sine divortio actum est (nothing happens without divorce) exaggerates the prevalence of marital breakdowns.

• Learned behavior: Id facere didicerunt (women have learned to do it) implies moral corruption is spread through imitation.

• Criticism of normalization: Divorce is portrayed as something habitual rather than exceptional.

num iam ullus adulterii pudor est, postquam eo ventum est ut nulla virum habeat nisi ut adulterum irritet?

Translation:
"Is there any shame in adultery now, since things have come to the point where no woman has a husband except to annoy their lover?"

Stylistic Points:

• Rhetorical question: Num iam ullus adulterii pudor est? (Is there any shame in adultery now?) suggests a complete loss of morality.

• Dramatic escalation: Postquam eo ventum est (since things have come to this point) conveys societal decline.

• Provocative accusation: Nisi ut adulterum irritet (except to provoke a lover) implies that women use marriage itself to fuel adultery, making fidelity meaningless.

pudicitia argumentum est deformitatis.

Translation:
"Chastity is proof of ugliness."

Stylistic Points:

• Sharp irony: The phrase subverts traditional Roman values, implying that virtue is now seen as a flaw rather than a virtue.

• Moral decay: The shift in societal perception suggests that only unattractive women remain chaste.

• Blunt brevity: The short, declarative sentence makes the statement feel absolute and cutting.

quam invenies tam miseram, tam sordidam, ut illi satis sit unum adulterorum par,

Translation:
"Whom will you find so wretched, so undesirable, that a single pair of lovers is enough for her?"

Stylistic Points:

• Rhetorical question: Implies that promiscuity is now the norm, and monogamy—even in adultery—is rare.

• Pejorative language: Miseram, sordidam (wretched, undesirable) emphasize moral and social corruption.

• Hyperbolic contrast: The suggestion that even adulterers are not content with one partner highlights excess and moral decline.

nisi singulis divisit horas et non sufficit dies omnibus,

Translation:
"Unless she divides her hours among individuals, and even the whole day is not enough for them all."

Stylistic Points:

• Hyperbole: The idea that even an entire day is insufficient for all her lovers emphasizes extreme promiscuity.

• Rhythmic contrast: Singulis divisit horas (divides her hours among individuals) is measured, while non sufficit dies omnibus (the day is not enough for them all) escalates the intensity.

• Criticism of excess: The imagery suggests an insatiable, mechanical cycle of infidelity.

nisi apud alium gestata est, apud alium mansit?

Translation:
"Unless she was carried around with one man and stays at the home of another?"

Stylistic Points:

• Juxtaposition: Gestata (carried) vs. mansit (stayed) suggests constant movement between lovers.

• Passive role: The woman is gestata (carried), implying objectification and a lack of agency.

• Moral judgment: The sentence ridicules the instability and fleeting nature of relationships in this corrupt society.

infrunita et antiqua est, quae nesciat matrimonium vocari unum adulterium.

Translation:
"She is naive and old-fashioned if she does not know that marriage is defined a single adultery."

Stylistic Points:

• Pejorative tone: Infrunita et antiqua (naive and old-fashioned) mock women who still believe in traditional marriage.

• Paradox: Matrimonium vocari unum adulterium (marriage is called a single adultery) equates marriage itself with infidelity, inverting its traditional meaning.

• Critique of moral decay: The phrase implies that marriage has become meaningless, as adultery is now the norm.

• Sarcasm: The statement ridicules the idea that fidelity still exists, portraying it as ignorance rather than virtue.