Luciano Canfora and Julian Stringer (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748619368
- eISBN:
- 9780748670734
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748619368.003.0022
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Archaeology: Classical
While Caesar was occupied with the difficult campaign in the Balkans, two episodes of particularly dramatic social unrest occurred in Rome; each ended in repression. The main player in the first was ...
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While Caesar was occupied with the difficult campaign in the Balkans, two episodes of particularly dramatic social unrest occurred in Rome; each ended in repression. The main player in the first was Marcus Caelius Rufus, one of the tribunes who in January 49 bc had found refuge with Caesar. Caelius Rufus had, on his return from the Spanish campaign against Afranius and Petreius, received the praetorship from Caesar for 48 bc, but not the urban praetorship, which Caesar entrusted to Trebonius. This humiliated Caelius and increased his sense of disillusionment. The second ‘sedition’ was that of Dolabella, on the eve of Pharsalus. Dolabella, a tribune of the plebs, took up the matter of the remission of debts, but the proposal was defeated by Antony, Caesar's magister equitum. Dolabella occupied the Forum with his followers to force the approval of his proposed law. The Senate did not hesitate to take extreme measures that had already been used on other occasions: they declared the senatus consultum ultimum, proclaimed the country in danger, and charged Antony (who held the highest authority in the absence of the dictator) with the task of suppressing the rebellion.Less
While Caesar was occupied with the difficult campaign in the Balkans, two episodes of particularly dramatic social unrest occurred in Rome; each ended in repression. The main player in the first was Marcus Caelius Rufus, one of the tribunes who in January 49 bc had found refuge with Caesar. Caelius Rufus had, on his return from the Spanish campaign against Afranius and Petreius, received the praetorship from Caesar for 48 bc, but not the urban praetorship, which Caesar entrusted to Trebonius. This humiliated Caelius and increased his sense of disillusionment. The second ‘sedition’ was that of Dolabella, on the eve of Pharsalus. Dolabella, a tribune of the plebs, took up the matter of the remission of debts, but the proposal was defeated by Antony, Caesar's magister equitum. Dolabella occupied the Forum with his followers to force the approval of his proposed law. The Senate did not hesitate to take extreme measures that had already been used on other occasions: they declared the senatus consultum ultimum, proclaimed the country in danger, and charged Antony (who held the highest authority in the absence of the dictator) with the task of suppressing the rebellion.
Luciano Canfora and Julian Stringer (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748619368
- eISBN:
- 9780748670734
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748619368.003.0040
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Archaeology: Classical
Antony had been detained by Trebonius outside Pompey's Curia while Caesar's assassination was taking place inside. According to Cicero, some months earlier, while Caesar was in difficulty in Spain, ...
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Antony had been detained by Trebonius outside Pompey's Curia while Caesar's assassination was taking place inside. According to Cicero, some months earlier, while Caesar was in difficulty in Spain, Trebonius had been in contact with Antony — a fact that was potentially embarrassing to both parties, and for this reason Trebonius now had the task of keeping Antony away from the scene. To enter upon the minefield of conjecture would be futile, but it is very difficult to imagine a politician and man of action as experienced and circumspect as Antony suspecting nothing at all: it was far from normal for him to be stopped on some pretext on his way into the Senate, least of all on a day of great tension when Caesar himself, usually so contemptuous of superstition, had seemed reluctant to enter the Senate.Less
Antony had been detained by Trebonius outside Pompey's Curia while Caesar's assassination was taking place inside. According to Cicero, some months earlier, while Caesar was in difficulty in Spain, Trebonius had been in contact with Antony — a fact that was potentially embarrassing to both parties, and for this reason Trebonius now had the task of keeping Antony away from the scene. To enter upon the minefield of conjecture would be futile, but it is very difficult to imagine a politician and man of action as experienced and circumspect as Antony suspecting nothing at all: it was far from normal for him to be stopped on some pretext on his way into the Senate, least of all on a day of great tension when Caesar himself, usually so contemptuous of superstition, had seemed reluctant to enter the Senate.
Gawdat Gabra and Hany N. Takla
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9789774163111
- eISBN:
- 9781617970481
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- American University in Cairo Press
- DOI:
- 10.5743/cairo/9789774163111.003.0025
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
Many activities during the last fifteen years have been carried out to discover or conserve the Coptic murals. These activities have been sponsored by Dutch, French, Polish, and American (ARCE) ...
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Many activities during the last fifteen years have been carried out to discover or conserve the Coptic murals. These activities have been sponsored by Dutch, French, Polish, and American (ARCE) missions. The Monastery of St. Antony (Dayr Anba Antunius) also had a great chance for the conservation of its murals in 1992, when an Italian team made a cleaning test and discovered wonderful vivid colors. The composition of the wall paintings in the two monasteries is different. The background in Dayr al-Fakhuri is red bricks; in Dayr al-Shuhada it is mud bricks. The rendering in al-Fakhuri could be lime mortar up to a few centimeters thick, the rendering in al-Shuhada is from mud clay. As a result of renovation, some changes took place after the year 1975, and these paintings disappeared. It is difficult in any event to compare the photographs by Leroy and the current situation of the paintings.Less
Many activities during the last fifteen years have been carried out to discover or conserve the Coptic murals. These activities have been sponsored by Dutch, French, Polish, and American (ARCE) missions. The Monastery of St. Antony (Dayr Anba Antunius) also had a great chance for the conservation of its murals in 1992, when an Italian team made a cleaning test and discovered wonderful vivid colors. The composition of the wall paintings in the two monasteries is different. The background in Dayr al-Fakhuri is red bricks; in Dayr al-Shuhada it is mud bricks. The rendering in al-Fakhuri could be lime mortar up to a few centimeters thick, the rendering in al-Shuhada is from mud clay. As a result of renovation, some changes took place after the year 1975, and these paintings disappeared. It is difficult in any event to compare the photographs by Leroy and the current situation of the paintings.
Peter Hinds
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197264430
- eISBN:
- 9780191733994
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264430.003.0010
- Subject:
- Literature, 17th-century and Restoration Literature
This chapter discusses and addresses two main concerns. It starts by examining the controversy that surrounded the moving of Parliament from Westminster to Oxford in March 1681. It analyses the ...
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This chapter discusses and addresses two main concerns. It starts by examining the controversy that surrounded the moving of Parliament from Westminster to Oxford in March 1681. It analyses the pamphlet discourse that circulated before and after it met, and considers the powerful strategy of invoking historical precedents in polemical debate. Finally, it looks at some representations of Antony Ashley Cooper, who was the Earl of Shaftesbury.Less
This chapter discusses and addresses two main concerns. It starts by examining the controversy that surrounded the moving of Parliament from Westminster to Oxford in March 1681. It analyses the pamphlet discourse that circulated before and after it met, and considers the powerful strategy of invoking historical precedents in polemical debate. Finally, it looks at some representations of Antony Ashley Cooper, who was the Earl of Shaftesbury.
T. P. Wiseman
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199239764
- eISBN:
- 9780191716836
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199239764.003.0009
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, European History: BCE to 500CE
Roman political life was a spectacle, not only for the magistrate on the rostra addressing the assembled People, but for prosecutors and defence counsel in the courts, and for other senators on great ...
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Roman political life was a spectacle, not only for the magistrate on the rostra addressing the assembled People, but for prosecutors and defence counsel in the courts, and for other senators on great occasions, such as Cicero on his return from exile in 57 BC. This chapter examines the evidence for the places in the Forum and elsewhere that were used by the People as vantage points, for the temporary stages and auditoria that were put up for the games, and for the use of magistrates' tribunals as stages for performance. In the light of this information, an examination of the evidence for Antony's behaviour at the Lupercalia of 44 BC, when Caesar was offered the crown, provides a vivid insight into the overlapping conceptual worlds of politics and spectacle at Rome.Less
Roman political life was a spectacle, not only for the magistrate on the rostra addressing the assembled People, but for prosecutors and defence counsel in the courts, and for other senators on great occasions, such as Cicero on his return from exile in 57 BC. This chapter examines the evidence for the places in the Forum and elsewhere that were used by the People as vantage points, for the temporary stages and auditoria that were put up for the games, and for the use of magistrates' tribunals as stages for performance. In the light of this information, an examination of the evidence for Antony's behaviour at the Lupercalia of 44 BC, when Caesar was offered the crown, provides a vivid insight into the overlapping conceptual worlds of politics and spectacle at Rome.
T. P. Wiseman
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199239764
- eISBN:
- 9780191716836
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199239764.003.0011
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, European History: BCE to 500CE
This chapter offers a close reading of the narratives in Nicolaus of Damascus and Appian of the events of 15-19 March 44 BC. It is clear that both were using a well-informed source dependent on ...
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This chapter offers a close reading of the narratives in Nicolaus of Damascus and Appian of the events of 15-19 March 44 BC. It is clear that both were using a well-informed source dependent on eye-witness accounts, probably Asinius Pollio, and that Appian and the other later authors also used an influential narrative unknown to Nicolaus, probably Livy. It is suggested that the histrionic behaviour of Cornelius Cinna (culminating in the murder of ‘Cinna the poet’) and the brave speech of Lucius Piso were Livian elaborations of the story, possibly motivated by political considerations in 16-15 BC. Antony's conduct of the funeral is analysed as further evidence of the spectacle of public life, with the rostra used as a full-scale stage set. The narrative disproves Cicero's allegation that the Roman People approved of the killing of Caesar.Less
This chapter offers a close reading of the narratives in Nicolaus of Damascus and Appian of the events of 15-19 March 44 BC. It is clear that both were using a well-informed source dependent on eye-witness accounts, probably Asinius Pollio, and that Appian and the other later authors also used an influential narrative unknown to Nicolaus, probably Livy. It is suggested that the histrionic behaviour of Cornelius Cinna (culminating in the murder of ‘Cinna the poet’) and the brave speech of Lucius Piso were Livian elaborations of the story, possibly motivated by political considerations in 16-15 BC. Antony's conduct of the funeral is analysed as further evidence of the spectacle of public life, with the rostra used as a full-scale stage set. The narrative disproves Cicero's allegation that the Roman People approved of the killing of Caesar.
William, S.J. Harmless
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- July 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195162233
- eISBN:
- 9780199835645
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195162234.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
In the fourth century, the deserts of Egypt became the nerve center of a radical new movement, what we now call monasticism. Groups of Christians—from illiterate peasants to learned ...
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In the fourth century, the deserts of Egypt became the nerve center of a radical new movement, what we now call monasticism. Groups of Christians—from illiterate peasants to learned intellectuals—moved out to the wastelands beyond the Nile Valley and, in the famous words of Saint Athanasius, made the desert a city. In so doing, they captured the imagination of the ancient world. They forged techniques of prayer and asceticism, of discipleship and spiritual direction, that have remained central to Christianity ever since. Seeking to map the soul’s long journey to God and plot out the subtle vagaries of the human heart, they created and inspired texts that became classics of Western spirituality. These Desert Fathers were also brilliant storytellers, some of Christianity’s finest. This book introduces the literature of early Christian monasticism, examining all the best-known works, including Athanasius’ Life of Antony, the Lives of Pachomius, and the Sayings of the Fathers (Apophthegmata Patrum). Later chapters focus on two pioneers of monastic theology: Evagrius Ponticus, the first great theoretician of Christian mysticism; and John Cassian, who brought Egyptian monasticism to the Latin West. Along the way, readers are introduced to path-breaking discoveries—to new texts and recent archeological finds—that have revolutionized contemporary scholarship on monastic origins. Included are snippets from papyri and from little-known Coptic, Syriac, and Ethiopic texts. Interspersed in each chapter are illustrations, maps, and diagrams that help readers sort through the key texts and the richly textured world of early monasticism.Less
In the fourth century, the deserts of Egypt became the nerve center of a radical new movement, what we now call monasticism. Groups of Christians—from illiterate peasants to learned intellectuals—moved out to the wastelands beyond the Nile Valley and, in the famous words of Saint Athanasius, made the desert a city. In so doing, they captured the imagination of the ancient world. They forged techniques of prayer and asceticism, of discipleship and spiritual direction, that have remained central to Christianity ever since. Seeking to map the soul’s long journey to God and plot out the subtle vagaries of the human heart, they created and inspired texts that became classics of Western spirituality. These Desert Fathers were also brilliant storytellers, some of Christianity’s finest. This book introduces the literature of early Christian monasticism, examining all the best-known works, including Athanasius’ Life of Antony, the Lives of Pachomius, and the Sayings of the Fathers (Apophthegmata Patrum). Later chapters focus on two pioneers of monastic theology: Evagrius Ponticus, the first great theoretician of Christian mysticism; and John Cassian, who brought Egyptian monasticism to the Latin West. Along the way, readers are introduced to path-breaking discoveries—to new texts and recent archeological finds—that have revolutionized contemporary scholarship on monastic origins. Included are snippets from papyri and from little-known Coptic, Syriac, and Ethiopic texts. Interspersed in each chapter are illustrations, maps, and diagrams that help readers sort through the key texts and the richly textured world of early monasticism.
DE STE CROIX
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199255177
- eISBN:
- 9780191719844
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199255177.003.0004
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, European History: BCE to 500CE
By 1962, Antony Andrewes had developed a new theory of the famous Seisachtheia or ‘shaking off of burdens’ of Solon: according to Andrewes, what Aristotle saw as a cancellation of debts was the ...
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By 1962, Antony Andrewes had developed a new theory of the famous Seisachtheia or ‘shaking off of burdens’ of Solon: according to Andrewes, what Aristotle saw as a cancellation of debts was the abolition of a traditional and long-standing state of dependency, that of the Hektemoroi or ‘sixth-part payers’. In 1962, Ste. Croix was invited by Andrewes to comment on a preliminary draft and he sent a long letter in reply; in 1968 Andrewes again consulted Ste. Croix and received a further long response. Edited extracts from the 1962 letter, followed by that of 1968 are presented.Less
By 1962, Antony Andrewes had developed a new theory of the famous Seisachtheia or ‘shaking off of burdens’ of Solon: according to Andrewes, what Aristotle saw as a cancellation of debts was the abolition of a traditional and long-standing state of dependency, that of the Hektemoroi or ‘sixth-part payers’. In 1962, Ste. Croix was invited by Andrewes to comment on a preliminary draft and he sent a long letter in reply; in 1968 Andrewes again consulted Ste. Croix and received a further long response. Edited extracts from the 1962 letter, followed by that of 1968 are presented.
Tomas Hagg (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520223882
- eISBN:
- 9780520925052
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520223882.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
The two centuries between A.D. 250 and A.D. 450 witnessed the creation of a distinctive Christian Greek culture in the eastern part of the Roman Empire. This book focuses on the transition from ...
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The two centuries between A.D. 250 and A.D. 450 witnessed the creation of a distinctive Christian Greek culture in the eastern part of the Roman Empire. This book focuses on the transition from ancient to Christian Hellenism as it was expressed in the biographical and panegyric literature of the period. The chapters show how literary genres focusing on individual lives help to reveal this historical process. The contributors are leading scholars who bring several disciplines to bear on these texts: they include historians, theologians, classicists, and historians of religion. This book presents much new research and helps show Late Antiquity not only as an important transitional period but also as an era with an identity of its own. Among the figures the biographical texts bring to life are Antony the Great, the charismatic desert father, and Basil of Caesarea, the influential church politician. Collectively the chapters go beyond discussion of particular texts to consider such general topics as strategies of rhetoric and representation, the place of classical Greek culture in both pagan and Christian education, and what is meant by philosophy as a way of life.Less
The two centuries between A.D. 250 and A.D. 450 witnessed the creation of a distinctive Christian Greek culture in the eastern part of the Roman Empire. This book focuses on the transition from ancient to Christian Hellenism as it was expressed in the biographical and panegyric literature of the period. The chapters show how literary genres focusing on individual lives help to reveal this historical process. The contributors are leading scholars who bring several disciplines to bear on these texts: they include historians, theologians, classicists, and historians of religion. This book presents much new research and helps show Late Antiquity not only as an important transitional period but also as an era with an identity of its own. Among the figures the biographical texts bring to life are Antony the Great, the charismatic desert father, and Basil of Caesarea, the influential church politician. Collectively the chapters go beyond discussion of particular texts to consider such general topics as strategies of rhetoric and representation, the place of classical Greek culture in both pagan and Christian education, and what is meant by philosophy as a way of life.
Henry Chadwick
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199246953
- eISBN:
- 9780191600463
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199246955.003.0043
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
The earliest Christian ascetics in Syria drew on the New Testament as well as the legacy of Stoic philosophy. Information about the ascetic movement comes from Athanasius’ Life of Antony, which was ...
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The earliest Christian ascetics in Syria drew on the New Testament as well as the legacy of Stoic philosophy. Information about the ascetic movement comes from Athanasius’ Life of Antony, which was influential in Augustine's conversion, and lives of Pachomius, who created a community of Coptic monks in the Nile valley. Both monastic groups and individual hermitages were founded in Palestine and Asia Minor in the fourth and early fifth century and from there spread to the west. Among the most influential figures were John Cassian, who wrote in Marseille specifically for Gaul, and Benedict of Nursia, founder of Montecassino. The mortifications of some Syrian ascetics went to extreme lengths.Less
The earliest Christian ascetics in Syria drew on the New Testament as well as the legacy of Stoic philosophy. Information about the ascetic movement comes from Athanasius’ Life of Antony, which was influential in Augustine's conversion, and lives of Pachomius, who created a community of Coptic monks in the Nile valley. Both monastic groups and individual hermitages were founded in Palestine and Asia Minor in the fourth and early fifth century and from there spread to the west. Among the most influential figures were John Cassian, who wrote in Marseille specifically for Gaul, and Benedict of Nursia, founder of Montecassino. The mortifications of some Syrian ascetics went to extreme lengths.
J. M. Hussey
- Published in print:
- 1990
- Published Online:
- April 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780198264569
- eISBN:
- 9780191601170
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198264569.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
Covers the complexities of the marriage problems of Emperor Leo VI (886–912), who much against the canonical rulings of the Orthodox Church was allowed to marry four times in order to legitimize his ...
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Covers the complexities of the marriage problems of Emperor Leo VI (886–912), who much against the canonical rulings of the Orthodox Church was allowed to marry four times in order to legitimize his only son. The patriarchs in power during the relevant period were Stephen (886–93), Antony II Cauleas (893–901), who is said to have achieved the union of the Church, Nicholas I Mysticus (901–7), upon whom the brunt of the problem of Leo VI's marriages lay and who was deposed in 907, and Abbott Euthymius (907–12), who was involved to a lesser extent in the marriage problems. The various happenings and conflicts during this period are discussed. Nicholas I Mysticus returned to a second patriarchy in 912 (912–25), and the interdependence of the Church and state during this period is discussed.Less
Covers the complexities of the marriage problems of Emperor Leo VI (886–912), who much against the canonical rulings of the Orthodox Church was allowed to marry four times in order to legitimize his only son. The patriarchs in power during the relevant period were Stephen (886–93), Antony II Cauleas (893–901), who is said to have achieved the union of the Church, Nicholas I Mysticus (901–7), upon whom the brunt of the problem of Leo VI's marriages lay and who was deposed in 907, and Abbott Euthymius (907–12), who was involved to a lesser extent in the marriage problems. The various happenings and conflicts during this period are discussed. Nicholas I Mysticus returned to a second patriarchy in 912 (912–25), and the interdependence of the Church and state during this period is discussed.
William, S.J. Harmless
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- July 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195162233
- eISBN:
- 9780199835645
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195162234.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
Athanasius’ Life of Antony (Vita Antonii) became a classic almost overnight and helped create a new genre of Christian literature: the life of a saint. Closer in spirit to Beowulf or Raiders of the ...
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Athanasius’ Life of Antony (Vita Antonii) became a classic almost overnight and helped create a new genre of Christian literature: the life of a saint. Closer in spirit to Beowulf or Raiders of the Lost Ark, the Life of Antony is a tale of high adventure, of pitched battles against nefarious supernatural forces, set within an exotic landscape. This chapter surveys the basic plot, including Antony’s call and his much-illustrated temptations, his flight from the world (anachoresis), his healings, visions, and prophecies. It also examines the work’s literary context, illustrating how Athanasius both draws on and plays against traditions of ancient biography.Less
Athanasius’ Life of Antony (Vita Antonii) became a classic almost overnight and helped create a new genre of Christian literature: the life of a saint. Closer in spirit to Beowulf or Raiders of the Lost Ark, the Life of Antony is a tale of high adventure, of pitched battles against nefarious supernatural forces, set within an exotic landscape. This chapter surveys the basic plot, including Antony’s call and his much-illustrated temptations, his flight from the world (anachoresis), his healings, visions, and prophecies. It also examines the work’s literary context, illustrating how Athanasius both draws on and plays against traditions of ancient biography.
William, S.J. Harmless
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- July 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195162233
- eISBN:
- 9780199835645
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195162234.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
The Life of Antony’s folktale surface should not lead modern readers to underestimate its sophistication. Athanasius was not only a skilled literary artist, but also a gifted theologian and a ...
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The Life of Antony’s folktale surface should not lead modern readers to underestimate its sophistication. Athanasius was not only a skilled literary artist, but also a gifted theologian and a prominent politician on the international scene. He brought his formidable theological talents and his partisan political biases to this work, using it as propaganda against Arian and Melitian opponents. This chapter examines three theological themes that wind their way through the text: Christ’s victory over the demons, Antony as an image of deification, and Antony as a model of orthodoxy. At the close, it explores the Life of Antony’s long-term literary influence on lives of the saints and its historical influence on the conversion of Augustine of Hippo.Less
The Life of Antony’s folktale surface should not lead modern readers to underestimate its sophistication. Athanasius was not only a skilled literary artist, but also a gifted theologian and a prominent politician on the international scene. He brought his formidable theological talents and his partisan political biases to this work, using it as propaganda against Arian and Melitian opponents. This chapter examines three theological themes that wind their way through the text: Christ’s victory over the demons, Antony as an image of deification, and Antony as a model of orthodoxy. At the close, it explores the Life of Antony’s long-term literary influence on lives of the saints and its historical influence on the conversion of Augustine of Hippo.
Denis Feeney
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195389579
- eISBN:
- 9780199866496
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195389579.003.0018
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter argues that Shakespeare, in Antony and Cleopatra, combines a novel perspective on what was at stake in Rome just after Caesar's assassination with an ability to shape civil war into the ...
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This chapter argues that Shakespeare, in Antony and Cleopatra, combines a novel perspective on what was at stake in Rome just after Caesar's assassination with an ability to shape civil war into the austerely satisfying trope of number play. Shakespeare's perspective on Roman history, Feeney shows, is not hampered by the Romans' own (Augustan and later) teleology: he presents the history of the Republic as highly contingent.Less
This chapter argues that Shakespeare, in Antony and Cleopatra, combines a novel perspective on what was at stake in Rome just after Caesar's assassination with an ability to shape civil war into the austerely satisfying trope of number play. Shakespeare's perspective on Roman history, Feeney shows, is not hampered by the Romans' own (Augustan and later) teleology: he presents the history of the Republic as highly contingent.
Jon Hall
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195329063
- eISBN:
- 9780199870233
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195329063.003.0003
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter explores the more manipulative and self-interested uses of affiliative politeness among Cicero's correspondents. It suggests that at times it is difficult for us to distinguish between ...
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This chapter explores the more manipulative and self-interested uses of affiliative politeness among Cicero's correspondents. It suggests that at times it is difficult for us to distinguish between hypocritically fawning remarks (blanditiae) and conventionally supportive polite fictions. The contextual cues on which Cicero would have based his own judgements are often unavailable to the modern reader. Several letters are examined in order to illustrate these interpretative challenges: Cicero's exchanges with Mark Antony in 49 B.C and 44 B.C., a letter from Cassius Parmensis to Cicero, and letters from Marcus Lepidus to Cicero. In several instances we may well suspect deceptive intentions on the part of the writer, and such hypocrisy seems to have been a regular feature of Roman political life. The exploitation of this potentially deceptive language was facilitated to a considerable degree by the conventionalized use of polite fictions in everyday aristocratic correspondence.Less
This chapter explores the more manipulative and self-interested uses of affiliative politeness among Cicero's correspondents. It suggests that at times it is difficult for us to distinguish between hypocritically fawning remarks (blanditiae) and conventionally supportive polite fictions. The contextual cues on which Cicero would have based his own judgements are often unavailable to the modern reader. Several letters are examined in order to illustrate these interpretative challenges: Cicero's exchanges with Mark Antony in 49 B.C and 44 B.C., a letter from Cassius Parmensis to Cicero, and letters from Marcus Lepidus to Cicero. In several instances we may well suspect deceptive intentions on the part of the writer, and such hypocrisy seems to have been a regular feature of Roman political life. The exploitation of this potentially deceptive language was facilitated to a considerable degree by the conventionalized use of polite fictions in everyday aristocratic correspondence.
Jon Hall
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195329063
- eISBN:
- 9780199870233
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195329063.003.0006
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter considers the role of polite language in the political negotiations that followed Caesar's assassination in 44 B.C. It examines in particular the correspondence of Mark Antony with the ...
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This chapter considers the role of polite language in the political negotiations that followed Caesar's assassination in 44 B.C. It examines in particular the correspondence of Mark Antony with the leaders of the conspirators, Marcus Brutus and Cassius Longinus, and the letters exchanged between Cicero and Munatius Plancus. In the former case, Brutus and Cassius appear to deploy a highly respectful and restrained manner in order to present themselves as solid, conservative types, an image necessary given their radical use of violence against Caesar. Antony, by contrast, seems to have adopted a harsher, more abusive style in his later public letters in order to define himself more starkly as a Caesarian staunchly opposed to the assassins. In the following year, Cicero and Munatius Plancus employed affiliative politeness with remarkable energy during their high-stake political negotiations. The latter's eventual defection to Antony highlights the duplicitous potential inherent in this type of language, even though both parties seem to have been well aware of the political game they were playing. In this connection, Cicero's correspondence with Octavian and Dolabella during this period is also examined.Less
This chapter considers the role of polite language in the political negotiations that followed Caesar's assassination in 44 B.C. It examines in particular the correspondence of Mark Antony with the leaders of the conspirators, Marcus Brutus and Cassius Longinus, and the letters exchanged between Cicero and Munatius Plancus. In the former case, Brutus and Cassius appear to deploy a highly respectful and restrained manner in order to present themselves as solid, conservative types, an image necessary given their radical use of violence against Caesar. Antony, by contrast, seems to have adopted a harsher, more abusive style in his later public letters in order to define himself more starkly as a Caesarian staunchly opposed to the assassins. In the following year, Cicero and Munatius Plancus employed affiliative politeness with remarkable energy during their high-stake political negotiations. The latter's eventual defection to Antony highlights the duplicitous potential inherent in this type of language, even though both parties seem to have been well aware of the political game they were playing. In this connection, Cicero's correspondence with Octavian and Dolabella during this period is also examined.
Tanya Pollard
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199270835
- eISBN:
- 9780191710322
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199270835.003.0003
- Subject:
- Literature, 16th-century and Renaissance Literature
This chapter considers the juxtaposition of sleeping potions and poisons, and their parallels with the uneasy relationship between comedy and tragedy in two plays by Shakespeare. In Romeo and Juliet, ...
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This chapter considers the juxtaposition of sleeping potions and poisons, and their parallels with the uneasy relationship between comedy and tragedy in two plays by Shakespeare. In Romeo and Juliet, the typically comic devices of the sleeping potion and the false death meet with fatal complications. Similarly, in Antony and Cleopatra, references to narcotically induced oblivion are identified with the seductive pleasures of Egypt and Cleopatra, yet ultimately lead to the lovers’ deaths rather than the happy ending of comedy. The chapter frames its readings of the plays around contemporary medical debates about narcotic drugs such as opium and mandragora. Looking at complaints from anti-theatrical tracts about the theater’s capacity to lull spectators into sleepy oblivion, it shows how the escapism of the theater was identified with the dangers of pleasurable narcotics.Less
This chapter considers the juxtaposition of sleeping potions and poisons, and their parallels with the uneasy relationship between comedy and tragedy in two plays by Shakespeare. In Romeo and Juliet, the typically comic devices of the sleeping potion and the false death meet with fatal complications. Similarly, in Antony and Cleopatra, references to narcotically induced oblivion are identified with the seductive pleasures of Egypt and Cleopatra, yet ultimately lead to the lovers’ deaths rather than the happy ending of comedy. The chapter frames its readings of the plays around contemporary medical debates about narcotic drugs such as opium and mandragora. Looking at complaints from anti-theatrical tracts about the theater’s capacity to lull spectators into sleepy oblivion, it shows how the escapism of the theater was identified with the dangers of pleasurable narcotics.
Eric Langley
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199541232
- eISBN:
- 9780191716072
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199541232.003.0006
- Subject:
- Literature, 16th-century and Renaissance Literature, Shakespeare Studies
This chapter continues the exploration of Shakespeare's representation of Romana mors through discussion of the figures of Pyramus and Thisbe, Lucrece, and Antony and Cleopatra (both in Shakespeare's ...
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This chapter continues the exploration of Shakespeare's representation of Romana mors through discussion of the figures of Pyramus and Thisbe, Lucrece, and Antony and Cleopatra (both in Shakespeare's eponymous drama, its source‐texts, and alternative dramatic versions). Senecan notions of self‐sufficiency come into conflict with Egyptian conceptions of desire, and celebrations of excess. The suicides of Antony, Enobarbus, and Cleopatra are given close attention, and analysis of the rhetoric of their suicidal oratory offers competing models of suicidal action: Stoic, sympathetic or erotic, and despairing.Less
This chapter continues the exploration of Shakespeare's representation of Romana mors through discussion of the figures of Pyramus and Thisbe, Lucrece, and Antony and Cleopatra (both in Shakespeare's eponymous drama, its source‐texts, and alternative dramatic versions). Senecan notions of self‐sufficiency come into conflict with Egyptian conceptions of desire, and celebrations of excess. The suicides of Antony, Enobarbus, and Cleopatra are given close attention, and analysis of the rhetoric of their suicidal oratory offers competing models of suicidal action: Stoic, sympathetic or erotic, and despairing.
Miles Geoffrey
- Published in print:
- 1996
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198117711
- eISBN:
- 9780191671050
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198117711.003.0009
- Subject:
- Literature, Shakespeare Studies
Antony and Cleopatra and Coriolanus represent the opposing wings of the ‘triptych’ which Shakespeare borrowed from Plutarch. To put it in its starkest terms, Coriolanus falls ...
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Antony and Cleopatra and Coriolanus represent the opposing wings of the ‘triptych’ which Shakespeare borrowed from Plutarch. To put it in its starkest terms, Coriolanus falls because he is too constant, Antony because he is not constant enough and in love with a woman who is inconstancy incarnate. But where Plutarch saw his subjects as merely driven to disaster by moral flaws and irrational compulsions, Shakespeare sees each as pursuing, blindly, confusedly, and self-destructively, a genuine moral ideal. Coriolanus' ideal is that of constancy, an ideal taught him by Volumnia and Rome, and bearing a strong likeness to the Stoic codes of Julius Caesar. Antony's ideal is un-Roman and un-Stoic, and is best defined in the words of Montaigne: in a mutable world, he chooses to embrace ‘the benefit of inconstancy’.Less
Antony and Cleopatra and Coriolanus represent the opposing wings of the ‘triptych’ which Shakespeare borrowed from Plutarch. To put it in its starkest terms, Coriolanus falls because he is too constant, Antony because he is not constant enough and in love with a woman who is inconstancy incarnate. But where Plutarch saw his subjects as merely driven to disaster by moral flaws and irrational compulsions, Shakespeare sees each as pursuing, blindly, confusedly, and self-destructively, a genuine moral ideal. Coriolanus' ideal is that of constancy, an ideal taught him by Volumnia and Rome, and bearing a strong likeness to the Stoic codes of Julius Caesar. Antony's ideal is un-Roman and un-Stoic, and is best defined in the words of Montaigne: in a mutable world, he chooses to embrace ‘the benefit of inconstancy’.
William M. Murray
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195388640
- eISBN:
- 9780199932405
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195388640.003.0007
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Archaeology: Classical, World History: BCE to 500CE
Four separate battle accounts—Chios (201), Side and Myonessus (190), and Actium (31)—allow us to complete our picture of the big ship phenomenon. In each case, mid–sized polyremes (“sixes” to “tens”) ...
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Four separate battle accounts—Chios (201), Side and Myonessus (190), and Actium (31)—allow us to complete our picture of the big ship phenomenon. In each case, mid–sized polyremes (“sixes” to “tens”) formed part of a fleet whose objectives involved siege operations. Past evaluations of these battles stressed the ineffectiveness of big ships against smaller “fives” and “fours” in the opposing fleets. More importantly, these battles demonstrate the need for naval siege units to include an adequate force of “fours” and “fives” to protect them while they were at sea. Although the Romans developed some skill in naval siege warfare, they never felt compelled to build warships larger than “sixes,” partly because their main enemies lacked naval siege units, but also because of the tremendous costs involved. They preferred to settle conflicts with superior land forces rather than naval siege operations aimed at coastal cities. These same conditions apply to Antony’s big ships at Actium which were intended primarily to secure his access to the ports of southern Italy, not to crush Agrippa’s “fours” and “fives” in high sea duels.Less
Four separate battle accounts—Chios (201), Side and Myonessus (190), and Actium (31)—allow us to complete our picture of the big ship phenomenon. In each case, mid–sized polyremes (“sixes” to “tens”) formed part of a fleet whose objectives involved siege operations. Past evaluations of these battles stressed the ineffectiveness of big ships against smaller “fives” and “fours” in the opposing fleets. More importantly, these battles demonstrate the need for naval siege units to include an adequate force of “fours” and “fives” to protect them while they were at sea. Although the Romans developed some skill in naval siege warfare, they never felt compelled to build warships larger than “sixes,” partly because their main enemies lacked naval siege units, but also because of the tremendous costs involved. They preferred to settle conflicts with superior land forces rather than naval siege operations aimed at coastal cities. These same conditions apply to Antony’s big ships at Actium which were intended primarily to secure his access to the ports of southern Italy, not to crush Agrippa’s “fours” and “fives” in high sea duels.
