2 Juvenal's Satires

Who was Juvenal?

A Roman writer of the Satire genre.

When was Juvenal's first book released?

• 100 CE, immediately following the death of the tyrannical Emperor Domitian.

• Juvenal wrote his critiques during Domitian's reign but waited until he was dead to safely publish them.

What did "publishing" mean in the Roman world?

It consisted of public readings (recitations), copying manuscripts, and informal circulation among the elite.

What were the key characteristics of Domitian's Rome?

• Tyranny, paranoia, and secret informers.

• Restrictions on free speech.

• Stoppage of traditional routes of power (ladder of magistracies) because the emperor was paranoid of losing power 

What is the etymology of the word "Satire"?

Derived from the Latin satura, meaning "full" or "a mixed dish" (related to the English word "satiated").

How is Satire defined as a "Low" Genre?

• Unlike Epic poetry (gods/heroes), it does not shy away from the base and vile aspects of life.

• It thrives on human appetites like gluttony, drunkenness, and vice.

What is Juvenal’s specific focus within the genre of Satire?

He finds the exploration of sexual vice and the private lives of the powerful to be "alluring and thrilling."

What is the Core Metaphor in Juvenal's poetry?

The link between the Poet and the Gladiatorial Games (Munus). Poetry is treated as a spectacle.

How does Juvenal's writing about the arena differ from Martial's?

• Martial: Wrote literally about the Colosseum, specific beasts, and combats.

• Juvenal: Uses the arena as a metaphor; he views his satire as the show itself.

How does Juvenal construct his "Poetic Munus"?

• He brings citizens "on stage" (into the text).

• He objectifies and stereotypes them.

• He places them in conflict for the audience's entertainment.

How does Juvenal connect his poetry to the Roman arena in Satire 1?

He argues Rome craves novelty, just as crowds demand new spectacles in the games. Since people are bored of the same old myths, his Satire will be the "new, exciting show."

In Satire 1 (lines 1-13), what is Juvenal's primary complaint about contemporary literature?

He is "fed up" with traditional, high-class poetry (like tragedies and epics) that repetitively recycles the same old Greek myths (e.g., Theseus, Telephus).

What is the "Big Reveal" in the final line of Juvenal's introduction ("Here's my answer" / Edam)?

• The Latin word Edam shares a root with Editor

• Juvenal is explicitly casting himself as the Editor and his book of Satires as his Games.

What are the three main examples Juvenal gives of the "topsy-turvy" Roman world in Satire 1?

• Gender: A eunuch marrying and a woman (Mevia) hunting boars with a naked breast.

• Class: A former barber becoming a millionaire who challenges the nobility.

• Ethnicity: Crispinus (an Egyptian) wearing Tyrian purple and acting like a Roman noble.

Why does Juvenal attack the "Barber" and "Crispinus"?

They represent a violation of the social order. In Juvenal's "ideal" Rome, low-class people and foreigners should be poor/subservient, while the old aristocracy should be wealthy and powerful.

What is the "ultimate failed man" described in Satire 1

The cuckold husband who pretends to be asleep ("staring at the ceiling") while his wife has affairs, acting as a "pimp" for his own wife.

What warning does Juvenal give about writing satire in the climax of the poem

If you attack a living, powerful figure (like Tigellinus), you risk execution (being "blazed as a living torch" in the arena).

What is the main theme of Satire 2?

The emptiness of Roman masculinity (virtus). Juvenal attacks men who fail to live up to the dominant standards of their ancestors.

How does Juvenal view the relationship between sex (biology) and gender (social role)?

They were seen as one. A biological male was expected to perform a dominant social role. Failing to be a "proper man" meant one was, by definition, effeminate.

What solution does Juvenal sarcastically offer to "effeminate" men in Satire 2?

To "take a knife and sever the lump of useless meat" (castrate themselves), referencing the Phrygian priests.

Who is Gracchus in Satire 2, and what did he do?

A top-tier Roman nobleman who appeared in the arena as a Retiarius (net-fighter).

Why is Gracchus's action considered the "climax" of shame in Satire 2?

• He willingly abandoned his masculinity.

• He chose the most "effeminate" gladiator role (Retiarius = no helmet, hiding/running).

• He shamed his ancestors for the applause of the crowd.