Satyricon Essay

Words: 895

Pages: 4

Open Document

The Satyricon, like many other works written in the time of early Ancient Rome, is a narrative whose author is not known definitively. However, the best candidate from the time was Titus Petronius (Arbiter).The story, looking especially from the scene “Dinner with Trimalchio,” is a satiric masterwork of the pragmatic and materialistic attitude of the time, soon to be replaced by Christianity. “Dinner with Trimalchio” tells a tale from the perspective of Encolpius, a vagabond student of the master Agamemnon, who is invited along as a pupil of Agamemnon to a banquet. The host of the banquet is Gaius Trimalchio, who was once a slave but now a freedman millionaire, who worked hard to attain his power and wealthy status. Trimalchio is known …show more content…
Trimalchio’s love for money and material wealth makes him stand out in the city, but as suggested by Petronius, for the wrong reasons. His taste for fine wines and glamorous cuisine at the lavish parties he throws—mainly to show off his great prosperity— is particularly revolting thought, knowing Trimalchio could easily share his riches with the hungry and suffering people of his city. Trimalchio does not know any god other than Mercury, the patron of business operations. He has dedicated a gold bracelet, worth one tenth of his total savings, to Mercury’s honor; but instead of depositing it into a shrine of the god, he wears it on his arm. Clearly Trimalchio is not humbled by the great fortune with which he is blessed. Petronius’ remarkable argument is that people, if fortunate enough to be as prosperous as Trimalchio, should not invest their savings in materialistic things and live so nicely, yet they should give back to those in need; for the true treasures in life are not made of gold and silver, it is more important to be spiritually rich.  

As for not having a moral purpose for writing such a profound satirical piece, I cannot agree with the critics. I accept the idea that Petronius was using this work as a tool for individuals to better themselves in cultural ways of thinking, the acceptance of others, and grow introspectively

The Satyricon Analysis

The Satyricon by Petronius offers a fascinating view into the society and culture of the Roman Empire during the 1st century. Slavery, in particular, is a centerpoint within the story due to the fact that in Roman society the practice was commonplace. Whether it be as servants, sexual objects, or signs of prosperity, The Satyricon provides insight into the roles slaves expected to play within Roman society, and it helps demonstrate how Romans viewed slaves at the time. Before Eumolpus, Giton and…

Words 1830 - Pages 8

Women's Responsibility In Ancient Rome

Social value on women’s responsibility in 1st c. AD Rome For much of ancient Roman history, a Roman woman had been perceived as second-class citizens whose primary role was that of a homemaker. However, due to the vast change in the cultural climate during the 1st century AD, Roman women gained rights in their society as well as in their family. Such a change started with Roman leaders, emperors, and poets whom had glorified women in their writings. This elevation of women’s status had a trickle…

Words 1375 - Pages 6

Crazes In The Great Gatsby

crazes such as “The Charleston”. Fitzgerald wrote about these times in his novel, The Great Gatsby as well as several short stories. “The Jazz Age” started with the May Day riots of 1919 and ended with the Stock-Market Crash of October 1929 (Gillespie). However, The Great Gatsby deals more with the history of the times by showing the settings and characters in a culture that exploded to new heights prior to the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the Great Depression. According to Bennett and Royle…

Words 365 - Pages 2

Define Europe? How Do We Define Europe

Lecture 1 08/30/2011 What is Europe? How do we define Europe? It is difficult to answer this question because there is no one factor that unifies European countries. It is difficult to define Europe in a simple geographical, economical, political, religious, linguistic or other cultural framework. Half of Russia is in Europe and half is in Asia. Europe is a subcontinent of Eurasia. Why are Europe and Asia separated? (Geologically there are 6 continents, but politically sometimes…

Words 308 - Pages 2

Tuna and Seafood Essay examples

from wikipedia ... Seafood is any form of sea life regarded as food by humans. Seafood prominently includes fish and shellfish. Shellfish include various species of molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Historically, sea mammals such as whales and dolphins have been consumed as food, though that happens to a lesser extent these days. Edible sea plants, such as some seaweeds and microalgae, are widely eaten as seafood around the world, especially in Asia (see the category of sea vegetables). In…

Words 812 - Pages 4

Cobain Love Buzz

Music became Cobain’s number one focus and passion, and in 1987, after briefly leading the band Fecal Matter, he convinced Krist Novoselic, friend and fellow punk rock fan, to join him in creating his new band: Nirvana. A year and many line-up changes later, and the band released their first single, “Love Buzz”, which consisted of Cobain, Novolselic, and eventually drummer and multi-instrumentalist Dave Grohl by a small independent label Sub Pop Records in 1988. Their popularity great drastically…

Words 1531 - Pages 7