CHARACTER-PORTRAYAL IN THE CENA TRIMALCHIONIS OF PETRONIUS A THESIS PRESENTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STODIES McGILL UNIVERSITY In Partial Fulfilment Of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts by Carl Edward Brown October 1956 TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE I. INTRODUCTION 1 1. Petronius: The Satzricon and the Cena Trimalchionis 1 2. Character of Trima1chio's Town 2 J. Dramatis Personae of the Banquet 4 4. The Seating Arrangement 7 5. Portraya1 of Freedmen by Contemporary Writers II. CHARACTERIZATION IN PETRONIUS 11 III. THE HOST AND HOSTESS 16 1. Trima1chio 16 (a) Biographica1 Sketch 17 (b) Appraisa1 of Character 19 2. Fortunata IV. TRIMALCHIO'S FELLOW-FREEDMEN 42 1. The Group 42 2. The Individua1s 46 Herme ros 46 Dio genes 55 Procu1us 55 Table of Contents Continued Page IV. (Continued) Dama 57 Se leu eus 57 Phileros 59 Ganymede 60 Echion 61 Niceros 63 Plo camus 65 Habinnas 65 Scintilla 69 v. CONCLUSION 70 APPENDIX A 72 APPENDIX B 76 BIBLIOGRAPHY 84 PREFACE The aim of this thesis is to evaluate Petronius' skill in character-portrayal as it is revealed in the Cena Trimalchionis. The introductory section contains a brief discussion concerning the place the Cena Trimalchionis occupies in the Satyricon, the character of Trimalchio's town, the seating arrangement at the banquet, and the portrayal of freedmen by contemporary writers. Next, the main topic is dealt with, Petronius' skill in character­ drawing. The characters in the Cena are individually discussed and appraised. In the first chapter, for the banquet scene W.B. Sedgwick's edition is ueed; for the other sections of the Satyricon,Michael Heseltine's in the Loeb Library. In the other chapters and in the appendices the references are usually to Sedgwick's edition; the few exceptions are indicated in the foot-notes. 1. INTRODUCTION 1. Petronius: The Satyricon and the Cena Trimalchionis Gaius Petronius, a description of whom Tacitus has left in his Annals!1 ) is considered by most scholars to be the author of the Satyricon, the work containing the Cena Trimalchionis. Although most of his life was passed in idleness and luxury, Petronius possessed great ability. This he proved as proconsul of Bithynia and later as con­ sul. An authority on pleasure, he became a close companion of Nero's. His influence with the emperor, however, arous­ ed the jealousy of Tigellinus. Charged with conspiracy against Nero's life and believing destruction inevitable, he committed suicide. Only a small portion of the Satyricon is extant, fragments of books fifteen and sixteen. The work is a satiric romance relating the disreputable but amusing adventures of three unprincipled young men: Encolpius, a student of rhetoric, whom Petronius makes the narrator throughout the work, his friand Ascyltos, and the boy Giton over whom the two friends are constantly quarrelling. In sorne of their escapades an important role is played by Agamemnon, a professor of rhetoric. This individual is (1) Tacitus, Annals, XVI, chs. 18-19. 2. asked to Trimalchio's banquet and Encolpius and Ascyltos, who are his students, are included in the invitation. Over one third of the extant portions of the Satyricon are devoted to the Cena Trimalchionis. In sorne respects this episode may be considered as another adventure of the three rogues for they are actually present at the banquet and participate in the activities there. However, since their ro1es are so sma11 (the principal actors being the host, the hostess, and the other guests), the Cena Trima1chionis is more in the nature of a digression 11ke the story of the Matron of Ephesus(2) and the poem on the Civil War of 49 B.C. (3) 2. Character of Trimalchio's Town Cum ae, Naples, and Puteoli have al1 been suggested as the scene of the Cena Trima1chionis. Of the three cities, Puteo1i seems to have the strongest case. (4 ) How­ ever, no certainty can be reached in this much disputed question; nor is it necessary for the purpose of this thesis. The social atmosphere in a11 three must have been very much the same. It is sufficient for our purpose to (2 ~ 111-112 (3 119-124 (4) The~ takes place in a Roman colony (44.12). Of the three possibilities, only Puteoli seems to have been a colony in Petronius' day. G. Bagnani, "Trimalchio", -The Phoenix, VIII ( 1954), S2 know that the Cena takes place in a Greek city of Campania.(5) However, there are sorne characteristics of this city that may shed sorne light on the conversation and be­ haviour of those of its inhabitants that attend the ~· Even if it was Greek in origin, it is now thoroughly Romanized. All the inhabitants who are present at the banquet speak Latin. References are made to such typical Roman observances as the Saturnalia(6) and the Parentalia.(7) The freedmen are keen fans of the gladiatorial combats.(à) Although Trimalchio is a Semite(9) and cornes from the Greek­ speakihg east~lO) he has been thoroughly Romanized. All the signs in his house are written in Latin. He regards Greek as a foreign tongue; when sorne entertainers recite se­ lections from Homer, he reads from a Latin version for the benefit of his guests.(ll) His fluteplayer is taught to play Latin music and his troupe of comedians present Atel­ lan farces.(l2 ) He even considers himself an authority on Latin literature.(l3) The city of the Cena is situated so close to the ( 5 ) 81. (6) 44.3· (7) 69.2. (8) 45.4-6. (9) The name Trimalchio is partly derived from the Semitic word Melik in its occidental form Malchio. G. Bagnani, op. oit., P• 79 (10) 75.10. (11) 59.3. (12) 53.13. (13) 55.5. sea that Encolpius and Eumolpus are able to run from a picture-gallery right down to the shore.(l4} That it is a port is clear from the fact that Encolpius goes on board Lichas' ship almost directly from his lodging-house.(l5) It is also a commercial centre. The market i& described as crammed with goods,(l6) and Trimalchio has become wealthy from his trading activities.(l7) Lichas, a marchant of Tarentum, has his ship call at the busy port.(là) With these characteristics, the city makes a very appropriate setting for the Cena Trimalchionis. An im­ portant commercial centre is just where we would expect to find Trimalchio and his friends; for trade and industry in the Roman Empire were mostly in the hands of freedmen auch as these. 3. Dramatis Personae of the Banquet Those present at the banquet are:- 1. Trimalchio, the giver of the feast 2. Fortunata, his wife 3. Habinnas, a mason 4. Scintilla, his wife 5. Diogenes, a wealthy freedman (14) 90. (15) 99. (16) 12. (17) 76.8-9. (18) 101. 5. 6. Proculus, an undertaker 7. Hermeros, a friend of the host's S. Echion, a rag-dealer 9. Dama, a freedman 10. Seleucus, a freedman 11. Phileros, a freedman 12. Ganymede, a freedman 13. Niceros, a freedman 14. Plocamus, a freedman 15. Agamemnon, a professor of rhetoric 16. Encolpius, the narrator 17. Ascyltos, his friend Basides Menelaus, the assistant of Agamemnon,and Giton, the servant of Encolpius, there are at the banquet a number of slaves to do the work and provide entertain- ment: 1. Carpus , the carver 2. Daedalus, the cook 3. Cinnamus, the steward 4. C~oesus, a favorite of Trimalchio's 5. Dionysus, a young boy 6. Stichus, a slave in charge of Trimalchio's burial clothes 7. Philargyrus 8. Cario 6. Although these slaves are minor figures in the banquet scene, they play a significant role, for they are involved in incidents introduced to bring out their master's character. 4. The Seating Arrangement Nine people reclined in a triclinium, a set of three couches placed around three sides of a square table with the fourth side left open to allow the slaves to wait upon the guests. Since at Trimalchio's banquet there had to be places for seventeen people, two triclinia must have been used. A number of elues in the Cena make it possible to deduce with some certainty the position of each person at the triclinium where the most important guests were reclining. The persons in this group were probably seated in the order shown in the following diagram. imus medius summus in in in medio medio medio Habinnas Agamemnon Encolpius Scintilla Be-rmeros imus in sumrnus in imo summo Fortunata medius in imo Proculus Ascyltos medius in summo -...J imus in imo Diogenes Trimalchio summus in • summo Detailed arguments for this seating arrangement are given in Appendix A s. At the other triclinum the less important guests reclined: Dama, Seleucus, Phileros, Ganymede, Echion, Niceros, and Plocamus. There are not enough elues in the Cana to decide the position of each guest at this tri­ clinium. 5. Portrayal of Freedmen by Contemporary Writers Trimalchio was a member of the freedman class, whose rise was such a prominent feature of the early Roman Empire. The usual way by which a former slave improved his lot was to engage in business and this was the method Tri­ malchio chose. Since the Roman nobility was forbidden both by law and by sentiment to participate in trade and com­ merce, there wCALexcellent opportunities in the field for former slaves. The rise of this group to wealth and pro­ minence attracted the fierce resentment of contemporary writers and provided a wonderful mark for satire. In his Germania Tacitus reveals his persona! feel­ ings concerning freedmen. He congratulates the great northern tribes which vigorously check their former slaves.