In Titus Livius’ The Early History of Rome, Livy recollects infamous incidents throughout Rome’s history that helped develop the political and social values for the citizens in Rome. Livy was able to accomplish a didactic function of story-telling by craftily introducing two essential female heroines from Roman history. These two women were incredibly influential because they were able to help formulate and embodied many of the fundamental values in Rome. Some of the core Roman principles included: courageously facing death to uphold honour and valour, piety and chastity among its people, and banding together against tyrannical kings or individuals of immoral ethics; all deeply revered elements of an individual’s character that were praised by the Romans. In both of Livy’s tale about the female heroics of Lucretia and Verginia, the similar story elements and circumstances found in both heroines stories are astounding. The rape, and subsequent deaths of both Lucretia and Verginia ultimately helped unite the common people of Rome, created social and moral expectations of all women living in Rome, and represented the romanticized Roman idea of bravely facing death to retain or restore an individuals honour and reputation in Roman society. Without the significant sacrifices from both of these noble, heroic women, many of the traditional Roman values during this period in history, and even in today’s society, would be unfounded.
In Livy’s retelling of Roman history, both the accounts of Lucretia and Verginia’s tales are exceedingly similar. Both unfortunate women are forced to faced and endure similar adversaries in their short lives. Despite the many years in history that separate the two women from one another, the death of Lucreti...
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...ughters. Both women become a representation of the ideal women in Roman society. Both Lucretia and Verginia placed the value of their own reputation in Roman society and honour of their family before their own lives. They symbolized the tragedy that can befallen good individuals when immoral men who placed their own desires above those of their fellow citizens or duty to their city. Without the heroics of Lucretia and Verginia many of the principle traditional values of Romans would be not possible. These contributions prove that even the smallest actions of a single individual can have some of most drastic and the largest repercussions and influence in changing and forming the function and traditional of an entire empire as great as Rome.
Works Cited
Livius, Titus. The Early History of Rome. Trans. Aubrey De Sélincourt. London: Penguin Group, 2002. N. pag. Print.
T.J. Cornell, The Beginnings of Rome: Italy and Rome from the Bronze Age to the Punic Wars (c. 1000-264 BC), London and New York: Routledge, 1995
Livy’s The Rise of Rome serves as the ultimate catalogue of Roman history, elaborating on the accomplishments of each king and set of consuls through the ages of its vast empire. In the first five books, Livy lays the groundwork for the history of Rome and sets forth a model for all of Rome to follow. For him, the “special and salutary benefit of the study of history is to behold evidence of every sort of behaviour set forth as on a splendid memorial; from it you may select for yourself and for your country what to emulate, from it what to avoid, whether basely begun or basely concluded.” (Livy 4). Livy, however, denies the general populace the right to make the same sort of conclusions that he made in constructing his histories. His biased representation of Romulus and Tarquin Superbus, two icons of Roman history, give the readers a definite model of what a Roman should be, instead of allowing them to come to their own conclusion.
Livius, Titus. The Early History of Rome. Trans. Aubrey De Sélincourt. London: Penguin Group, 2002. N. pag. Print.
Accurate biographical analysis of Livia Drusilla is difficult because, in addition to the lack of primary source materials regarding Roman women, Livia’s relationship with power and the powerful has placed her among the most polarizing figures in classical history. While imperial statues depict her as a matronly protectress of Rome, historians like Tacitus reviled her as manipulative and treacherous. The biases from both extremes are deeply rooted in the complexities of socio-political maneuvering. However, most sources seem to agree that she held the absolute respect and attention of the people through both fear and love. By peeling away the layers of rhetoric that characterize the traditional images of Augusta, one may come to appreciate
In general, there are many characteristics that could represent the image of an ideal woman. According to Livy, the qualities or behavior that make Lucretia an ideal Roman woman are being young and vigorous. She behaves quite differently from the daughter-in-law of the King (Livy). For example, “even though it was night, Lucretia was still working on her spinning, with her servants, in the middle of her house” (Livy). This shows that, she is a hard working person and does not like to rely on others to do the work for her.
...exemplifies this, as Lavinia and Rhea Silvia held crucial role in its earliest development. Further, various women in Livy’s work served as martyrs that sparked political change. Lucretia’s rape and suicide spawned a revolution that took down the monarchy and established the Roman Republic, and Verginia’s death re-established the Republic after the fall of the decemviri. As such, these representations of women go beyond the surface descriptions of women as submissive and are in fact quite complex when observing their symbolic function. Still, while other ancient works depict women as more assertive in their roles and relationships, Livy sought to create the representation that was most true to ancient Roman society. Therefore, the women in Livy’s writing were defined by their sacrifice in deference to men as well as their sacrifice to symbolically catalyze change.
Marcel Le Glay, Jean-Louis Voisin, Yann Le Bohec. A History of Rome. West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009.
Livy. The Early History of Rome: Books I-V of The History of Rome from its
As punishment for her vengeance of the death of her son, Titus feeds Tamora and stabs her following her realization of what she has just eaten. In her death, Tamora is represented with animal imagery, as Lucius refers to the Queen of Goths. Unlike Tamora, in Lavinia’s death is not punishment but rather a way to purge her of her shame. As Titus kills his daughter and her “shame.” These final deaths reflect the horrible violence against women in defense of the values of the misogynistic and patriarchal Roman society. The contrast of characterization in both Tamora and Lavinia, conqueror and conquered, and their shared ultimate demise reflects the paradox of choice in the role of women. Despite Lavinia’s virtue and Tamora’s powers of manipulation, neither is able to survive through the culture of
Perhaps the most shocking part of the story was when Lucretia felt so overwhelmed with guilt, that she took her own life (58). This event is particularly shocking due to the fact that her guilt arose from being raped. Lucretia felt as though she should be chastised for being raped. This brings to light the fact that women in Roman society were consumed with the thought that their self-worth depended solely upon being virtuous to their husbands. Lucretia questioned how she would live the rest of her life as a woman who “lost her honor” (58). She didn’t feel as though her life was worth living anymore, now that her body was “greatly soiled” (58.) Without her virtue, she saw herself as no longer valuable. In today’s society, one of the first things that is made clear to rape victims is the fact that they are in no way, shape, or form to blame for what happened to them. This goes to show the change in the role of women throughout
1)De, Selincourt Aubrey. Livy, the Early History of Rome: Book I - V of the History of Rome from Its Foundation. London: Penguin, 1960. Print.
Lefkowitz, Mary F. and Fant, Maureen. Women in Greece & Rome. Toronto/Sarasota: Samuel-Stevens. 1977. Print
Introduction: The role of women in ancient Rome is not easily categorized; in some ways they were treated better than women in ancient Greece, but in other matters they were only allowed a very modest degree of rights and privileges. One thing that does seem clear is that as the city-state of Rome evolved from its early days into a more complex society, women were not always limited to secondary roles. In some areas of Roman society, women were allowed more freedoms than in many other ancient civilizations. Research: What is the difference between This paper will explore the historical research that indicates what roles women were allowed to play in Rome, including the Ellis textbook for some of the basic facts.
The ancient Roman tale known as the “Rape (or seizure) of Sabine Women” depicts women, taken against their will by Roman captures and married to Roman men. These women later, intervene in a battle between their new husbands and their angry brothers and fathers. The ancient tale depicts Roman ideology and practices of marriage. It shows how a bride was transferred from living under her father’s jurisdiction to being ruled by her husband. The capture of the Sabine women, the war that follows, and the final truce brought upon the Sabine women themselves are direct relation to the separation of a young bride from her maternal family, the transfer of authority, and her beginning in her new family. The tale is told by two philosophical figures of Roman history. Livy, whom writes about the events in 30 B.C.E and Ovid whom rights about them nearly a generation later1. Both have different views on the event, its meaning, and its relevance. The two men also share the same thoughts in regards to their view masculinity and power.
From the expansion days of Ancient Rome to the fall of the Roman Empire, women have always succumbed to living subjacent to the status of their omnipotent and dominant male figures. After leaving her childhood home and the rule of her father, a young Roman girl would then be coerced into the dominion of her husband, often taking a plethora of roles, ranging from lover, caretaker, and best friend. It is often lightheartedly stated that, “Behind every great man is an even greater woman,” and William Shakespeare exemplifies this concept beautifully in Julius Caesar, in which he effectively used the spouses of the two main characters to add more depth, drama, and literary elements to the play, bringing it to life. Although the only two female characters in Julius Caesar, Portia and Calpurnia do not play a pivotal role in the overall plot of the story, their presence is vital in illuminating and developing the characters of their husbands, Brutus and Caesar. What they reveal about their husbands leads the reader to infer that Portia is the more admirable and redeeming character.