Petronius' Satyricon

4 Pages 909 Words

There are many parallels between Rome in the time of Petronius’ Satyricon and modern day USA, with many of the same contradictions between what is promoted by the existing political and social powers that be (the elites – or elitists as the case may be) and what is actually taking place.
In the days of the Roman Empire Nero and Caligula set an example somewhat similar to modern day politicians Clinton and Nixon. Rome’s Princep Augustus promoted marriage and children. He warned against promiscuity and adultery. Today we have the Moral Majority and other self-appointed arbiters of morality. The preceding was the official edict of Augustus; the surviving fragments of Petronius’ Satyricon indicate the push for the end of debauchery was largely ignored. In fact, Augustus’ only daughter Julia flouted his edict (and was widely gossiped about) to the degree that he ended up making an example of her and banishing her to a ‘barren islet’.
The tone and language in Satyricon is surprising, but not as intriguing as the numerous social improprieties, love affairs and general debauchery recounted. The first chapters of the text deal with the rivalry between two men (Encolpius, the narrator and Ascyltos, his sometime lover) in a rivalry for the affections of Giton (slave and shrewd attendant of them both). Although the male-male lovemaking might wrinkle the noses of some modern day moralists, ‘manly love’ was accepted in Roman times. The moral issue seems to be the casual way the two men pass Giton (sixteen years of age) back and forth between them, while finding time to make love to a woman or two during the same general period. Encolpius apparently sees nothing amiss in his bawdy actions, “…having claimed the kisses that were mine good faith, I encircled the boy in the closest of embraces and enjoyed the effect of our happy vows to a point that might be envied.”
Shortly thereafter, the three visit a friend Lycu...