Catullus 11

Main Idea: Catullus is telling his buddies Furius and Aurelius that no matter where he goes or
what the gods will brings, they should give his message to Lesbia. The message, of course, is that
she is a slut and broke his heart without looking back.

Things to Note:
-Lines 1-14 are an ecphrasis, or long digression from the plot to describe landscape or travels.
This digression makes references to former conquerers like Alexander the Great (Indos=Indians)
and Julius Caesar (Caesaris visens monimenta magni, Gallicum Rhenum = Seeing the monument
of the great Caesar, (and) the Gallic Rhine)
-Anaphora of sive (= whether/or) emphasizes the vast distance between the lands and the all
inclusive terms Furius and Aurelius must abide by. Basically, it’s very important that no matter
what Lesbia is told she’s a heartless whore.
-Lines 14-16 are a tonal change in which Catullus switches from ecphrasis to telling Furius and
Aurelius what they must do (Pauca nuntiate meae puella non bona dicta = Announce a few
things spoken not well to my girl)
-Hyperbole to slander Lesbia in line 18: quo simul complexa tenet trecentos = 300 (lovers) of
whom she (Lesbia), having been embraced, holds simultaneously.

Catullus 13

Main Idea: Catullus invites his friend Fabullus over for a dinner party, but asks him to bring all
the stuff because Catullus claims he is poor. In return, Catullus will gift Fabullus with some great
perfume.

Things to Note:
-Anaphora/conduplicato of Cenabis bene (You will dine well) in lines 1 and 7. The first instance
is inviting and implies that Catullus will be a good host and feed his guest well. The second
instance clarifies the actual intent, that if Fabullus will have brought all the stuff (haec si…
attuleris) then he will eat well.
-IB seems to like asking you to identify stuff in lists, so be able to read lines 3-5 where he asks
Fabullus to bring dinner, a “bright girl” (prostitute), wine, salt (wit), and laughter.
-The one thing Catullus will do as a good Roman dinner host is give a gift to his guest, which is
“perfume, which the Venuses and Cupids gave my girl (Lesbia)” (unguentum…quod meae pullae
donarunt Veneres Cupidinesque). Catullus is giving away Lesbia’s stuff as he is getting over their
break up.

Catullus 31

Main Idea: Catullus is praising his home in Sirmio and expresses how happy his is to return
there.

Things to Note:
-In line 5, Catullus mentions Bithunos, which refers to Bythinia, which he dislikes because he
had to do work there. This contrasts with his happiness to be home, where he has to do no such
work.
-Lines 12-14 personify Sirmio in an oddly repetitive way with ero gaude gaudente (rejoice with
your rejoicing master) and ridete quidquid est domi cachinnorum (laugh whatever there is of
laughter at home). Perhaps the repetitiveness emphasize how happy Catullus is to be home and
how the home is a reflection of the person who lives in it. (That last sentence was a bit of bs)
-Being able to identify words Catullus uses to express his joy (such as laetus, gaudente, and
beatius) would also probably be good.

Catullus 72

Main Idea: Catullus reflects on his relationship with Lesbia, saying how he used to believe she
loved him, but now sees that she is cheap and not worthy of what love he gave her.

Things to Note:
-In line 2, Catullus recalls that Lesbia used to say that she did not want to hold Jove before
Catullus (nec prae me velle tenere Iovem) and a word picture is created by placing the me in the
line before Iovem. This emphasizes how grand a gesture it was and the sentiment Catullus had
believed it to have.
-In line 4, Catullus says that he loved Lesbia as a father loves a son and son-in-law (ut gnatos
diligit et generos). The simile is odd because Catullus and Lesbia are not family and Lesbia is not
a man. This could imply that she was similar to a man in their relationship by bossing him
around or Catullus saw himself as a figure to mold her into a good lover and be her guardian, as
a father molds his son.
-The last words bene velle minus (I wish you less well) contrasts both the opening of the poem
that reminisces on when he thought they were in love, as well as poem 11, in which part of his
message was to let her be well (valeat) albeit with different lovers.

Catullus 76

Main Idea: Catullus claims piety and looks to the gods for help in strengthening his resolve for
getting over Lesbia and moving on. He recognizes that it will be difficult, but he must do it and it
will be for the better.

Things to Note:
-The first stanza relates to the idea that piety and good morality is beneficial to one’s self.
Catullus claims that because he is pious, not violated any secret loyalties, and has not abused to
power of the gods to deceive others, there are many prepared joys that remain in the long years.
In simple terms because he has done good things, the gods will do good things for him and he
will draw pleasure from remembering the good things he did.
-In line 9, the phrase perierunt credita (the thing having been believed was destroyed) has the
connotation of a bad investment, like the money you entrusted with someone has been destroyed.
This connotation parallels the bad investment Catullus made with Lesbia, entrusting her with his
love only to yield no return.
-Catullus’ feeling for Lesbia are compared in metaphor to a disease (pestem and morbum) in lines
20 and 25. The metaphor shows how his feelings for her are ultimately hurting him and taking
away the joys of living life. By asking the gods to put down this revolting disease (taetrum hunc
deponere morbum) in line 25, he is asking to be made better emotionally and get over Lesbia,
which is the goal of the poem.

Catullus 101

Main Idea: Catullus mourns his dead brother with a poem that can be considered a funeral rite or
offering.

Things to Note:
-The word frater (brother) is used 3 times throughout the poem, which is similar in style to a
funeral rite that traditionally repeats the name of the dead 3 times. For this reason, and because
of the lasting nature of writings, the poem itself can be taken as part of the funeral ritual and an
offering to attempt to immortalize his brother in words.
-The first line: multas per gentes et multa per aequora vectus (Having travelled through many
nations and many seas) evokes sympathy for Catullus because of the great distance his grief has
carried him.
-Question to consider: Is Catullus trying to evoke sympathy and lament for his brother, or for
himself?
-On one hand, the brother is prematurely taken away (indigne…adempte) or dies young,
is described as miser…frater (the miserable brother), and Catullus gives him an offering for
death (donarem munere mortis), which all direct the sympathy towards the dead brother and his
plight.
-On the other hand, Catullus opens the poem with the hardship he had to bear (see first
point), notes that his brother is taken away specifically from him (adempte mihi), and states his
own grief by mentioning how, in vain, he speaks to his brother’s silent ashes (mutam mequiquam
alloquerer cinerem). All these things direct the sympathy towards Catullus for the grief and loss
he suffers.