19 pages • 38 minutes read
Gaius Valerius CatullusCatullus 51
Fiction | Poem | Adult | BCEA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
Romantic and Social Jealousy
The speaker’s jealousy is one of the primary emotions driving “Catullus 51.” The presence and object of this jealousy are evident from the poem’s first lines, where the speaker considers Lesbia’s presumed lover to be “equal” (Line 1) or “better than gods” (Line 2). The speaker’s immediate acknowledgment that this comparison may be considered “blasphemy” (Line 2) demonstrates he is an otherwise pious man overtaken by emotion.
Part of the speaker’s jealousy is rooted in his emotional sensitivity. Rather than able to talk and listen to Lesbia as the man “who sits across from [her], and stares, and hears / continually” (Lines 3-4), the speaker finds himself struck “dumb” (Line 7) and unable to engage. The speaker, then, is not only jealous of the god-man’s implied romantic relationship with Lesbia, but of his ability to look at and listen to her. The speaker’s eyes, by contrast, “are veiled within / a two-fold night” (Lines 11-12) when he looks upon Lesbia, rendering him unable to see her. Likewise, his ears “ring with a bright / and tinny sound” (Lines 10-11), meaning he is likewise unable to hear her.
Catullus focuses on benign aspects of a romantic relationship—hearing and seeing one another—to demonstrate the depth of the speaker’s jealousy. His feelings toward Lesbia and her implied lover are strong enough that their mere presence overwhelms the speaker. This aspect of the speaker’s jealousy also points toward his place as a third wheel in their relationship, or more generally as a social outcast. The suggestion that the speaker has too much “Free time” (Line 13) implies that he tends to withdraw from social activities. The last stanza’s focus on the speaker’s free time adds another layer to his jealousy and hints that he is also jealous of the god-man’s social position.
Temporary Pleasures and Self-Control
The primary goal of the Epicurean teachings that Catullus and his contemporaries pursued (See: Contextual Analysis) was to experience simple, sustainable pleasures. Achieving this goal, in practice, often required a great deal of self-control and restraint to prevent one from indulging in temporary pleasures. The struggle between the desire to control oneself and the desire to indulge in temporary pleasures is at the forefront of “Catullus 51.”
The speaker’s longing for Lesbia is a powerful example of the kinds of pleasures that ultimately bring people pain and discomfort. The speaker’s desire for the pleasure that could accompany amorous relations with Lesbia, for instance, is heavily outweighed by the “despair” (Line 5) and the “two-fold night” (Line 12) he experiences in her presence. Lesbia’s only quality capable of bringing the speaker pleasure is her “lovely laughter” (Line 5). This same laughter, however, is responsible for the speaker’s “senses” (Line 6) going numb. Looking at Lesbia, meanwhile, causes the speaker to lose his voice (Lines 7-9) and his ability to see or hear (Lines 10-12). The small pleasure Lesbia’s presence affords the speaker is outclassed by these sufferings.
The speaker appears to know the dangerous influence Lesbia has over him, but lacks the self-control to stop pursuing her. Instead of exercising self-control, the speaker targets “Free time” (Line 13) because it allows him the leisure for his “fidgeting and [his] flings” (Line 14). If the speaker has no leisure time to pursue Lesbia, he does not have to exercise self-restraint. Instead, he becomes limited by his schedule. By arguing “Free time” (Line 15) has caused the downfall of even “mighty kings” (Line 16), the speaker implies that rigid self-scheduling is his only option.
Stupefying Power of Desire
The speaker’s unrequited love is only a problem because of the negative emotions attached to it. The speaker’s desire for Lesbia is not only temporary, it carries “despair” (Line 5) and the “two-fold night” (Line 12). More than that, desire makes the speaker insensible and irrational.
When he is around Lesbia, the speaker identifies as “dumb” (Line 7), or unable to formulate speech. He is also unable to hear (Lines 10-11) or see (Lines 11-12). Almost all of the speaker’s senses and modes of interaction with the physical world are impacted by Lesbia’s “lovely laughter, which […] / siphons [his] senses” (Lines 5-6). The speaker, in other words, is insensible. Being unable to make sense of the world around him, the speaker becomes detached from external reality, and turns inward to the mutinies of his body. His attention turns from Lesbia to his tongue which “grows heavy” (Line 9). Chris Childers’s choice of the word “siphon” (Line 6) for the Latin eripit, or “snatch away” is particularly telling. Lesbia quite literally drains the speaker of his senses.
The speaker is only able to regain himself in the last stanza, where he moves away from the figurative description of his experience and directly speaks to himself. This final stanza is a moment of self-reflection. The speaker, having regained his facilities, identifies his “fidgeting” (Line 14) and “flings” (Line 14) as destructive forces.
