Or, to put it another way, Catullus is pointing out that the Roman leaders have abandoned the ways of the righteous and that they are indulging their own passions and ambitions to the detriment of the Roman people. A closer examination of the underlying theme reveals criticism of the way Rome is being governed. Superficially, it is concerned with Theseu’s abandonment of Ariadne and his neglect to finer details, such as hanging white sails instead of the colored sails of grief. Now, he points out, the gods no longer attend weddings and other feast days.Ĭarmine 64 is one of Catullus’ longer works. Catullus finishes it off by pointing out how when people do not take care of things as they should – being faithful to a wedded spouse, sending the right signal to a father – many things tend to go disastrously wrong. He then follows it up with a scene with the Fates, spinning, weaving and tangling up the tapestry of mortal affairs. First, come the mortals, then the gods are shown in procession – thus were weddings once attended. He explains that embroidered on the hem of the bed covering are scenes from mythology. He seems to speak of the funeral procession, and of self-indulgent youth. He cannot face the death of his son, and throws himself from the battlements onto the rocky shore and perishes.Ĭatullus, canny storyteller that he was, now pulls back the camera, as it were, to give his audience a wider view. Therefore, when his father saw the ships approaching, he fears the worst. But they left the plain white sails installed. If the venture was successful, they were to change the sails on the ship to a different color. Not only does he leave a maiden whom he made wife behind him, he forgets a signal agreed upon with his father. But instead of taking his bride with him, Theseus abandons her and sails away.Īpparently, Theseus is a dreadfully forgetful youth. When Theseus emerges victorious, she has every expectation that the two of them will wed. As a result, she gives him a ball of string and tells him how to defeat the Minotaur. But when she sees Theseus she develops a desire for him. She is described and a very young maiden who has not yet left her mother’s side. As he was making arrangements with the king, he sees Ariadne. Theseus had come to the realm of King Minos to defeat the Minotaur, a monster that each year claimed the flower of the kingdoms young men and maidens. She is mad with grief and anger.Īriadne has good reason to be upset. We begin at the end, with Ariadne left lonely on the shore while Theseus sails away with his companions.Īriadne has risen from sleep, to see Theseus sailing away. This bit is setting the scene for what is to come, foreshadowing the real action. Even so, inside a marriage bed is made for a goddess. Now, he goes on to say, things are not going well outside the palace. Instead, Catullus rhapsodizes about how wonderful it was when husbands and wives were faithful, and how the land prospered. From that union came Achilles.Īchilles is not specifically mentioned in the poem. The verse opens with a beautiful discussion of how the Argosy was made from pines that grew on Pelion, and how, while the Argonauts were sailing to collect the Golden Fleece, Peleus caught sight of Thetis, the sea Nymph and they were wed. Carmine 64 tells the story of Theseus voyage and his defeat of the Minotaur from the maiden’s point of view.
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