56 pages • 1 hour read
Petronius, Transl. Piero Chiara, Transl. P.G. WalshThe Satyricon
Fiction | Novel/Book in Verse | Adult | Published in 60A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 7-9Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 7 Summary: “Giton spurns Encolpius for Ascyltus”
Encolpius, Ascyltus, and Giton make their way back to the lodgings. Encolpius falls into a drunken sleep, during which time Ascyltus lures Giton into his bed and has sex with him. Encolpius wakes up to find Giton and Ascyltus asleep together; he is enraged and “meditated whether to run the pair of them through with the sword and prolong their sleep in death” (68). Angrily, he wakes them up and tells Ascyltus that their friendship is over, and that Ascyltus must go away. Ascyltus agrees, and they divide up the possessions they have been sharing, until Ascyltus suggests that they should also cut up Giton and divide him.
Ascyltus and Encolpius both draw their swords, preparing to fight, as Giton tearfully pleads with them not to fight over him. Then Ascyltus suggests that they allow Giton to decide who he wants to go with. Initially, this suggestion pleases Encolpius, who feels confident that Giton will be loyal to him. Giton, however, decides to go with Ascyltus. The two men leave, and Encolpius feels betrayed and abandoned. Grief-stricken, he moves to more remote lodgings near the sea. He spends three days lamenting his misfortune, becoming more and more angry, and more set on revenge.
Encolpius arms himself and sets off in pursuit, but quickly runs into a soldier, who asks him about his background. Encolpius tries to lie and pass himself off as a soldier, but the soldier can clearly see through him. He demands that Encolpius give up his sword, and Encolpius agrees. He makes his way back to the lodgings; he is initially angry that his plans have been foiled, but upon reflection, he begins to feel grateful that the soldier stopped him.
Chapter 8 Summary: “Eumolpus in the Art Gallery”
The next fragment begins with Encolpius going to visit an art gallery. He notices that many of the pictures depict scenes of love stories with tragic elements. As he is gazing at the pictures, Encolpius sees an elderly man standing nearby. The man, Eumolpus, explains that he is a poet, and that he is poorly dressed because “devotion to the intellect never made anyone rich” (72).
Eumolpus and Encolpius begin to talk about their lives, and Eumolpus tells a story from his past. When Eumolpus was younger, he worked as a tutor in Pergamum (now part of Turkey). Eumolpus’s employer had a very handsome young son whom Eumolpus wanted to sleep with. Eumolpus made a show of always acting disgusted with the idea of an older man sleeping with young boys, so he earned the trust of the boy’s parents, and was able to spend a lot of time with him. One night, Eumolpus pretended to pray to Venus (the goddess of love), saying that if he could give the boy a kiss, he will give him three doves the next day. Eumolpus knew that the boy could hear him, and since he wanted the doves, the boy did not object when Eumolpus kissed him.
The next night, Eumolpus repeated the process by promising fighting-cocks in exchange for caressing the boy. The third night, Eumolpus promised a stallion in exchange for having sex with him. However, when he failed to deliver the gift, the boy confronted him. At first, Eumolpus was confident that because the boy actually liked having sex with him, he would not betray them, but Eumolpus ended up overwhelmed by how often the young boy wants to have sex and had to threaten to tell the boy’s father himself.
After the story concludes, Encolpius asks Eumolpus about why art seems to have declined, and Eumolpus explains that they are living in a decadent age where people only care about money, not about beauty or art. Eumolpus then breaks off into a lengthy poem about the fall of Troy, being inspired by a painting of that subject. Other people passing by get annoyed and throw stones at him. Encolpius also tells him that he will get annoyed if Eumolpus does not stop spouting poetry, and Eumolpus agrees to restrain himself. They decide to go back to Encolpius’s lodgings and have dinner together.
Chapter 9 Summary: “Reconciliation with Giton; Eumolpus as Rival”
Near the lodgings, Encolpius runs into Giton. Giton begs Encolpius to take him back, and Encolpius rushes the young boy back to his lodgings (Eumolpus is still at the baths). Encolpius tells Giton that he loves him and was hurt by his betrayal but will willingly forgive him. Giton explains that he chose to go with Ascyltus because he knew that Ascyltus would win in a physical fight against Encolpius, arguing that “when I saw the two of you taking up arms, I took refuge with the stronger” (80). The two of them happily reconcile.
Eumolpus comes to the lodgings to join them for dinner, and immediately takes a liking to Giton, which makes Encolpius suspicious and jealous. Eumolpus recounts that he was thrown out of the baths because he kept reciting poetry and that he saw Ascyltus outside of the baths, calling for Giton. Encolpius gets annoyed when Eumolpus starts reciting poetry, and snaps at him to get back to telling the story about Ascyltus. Giton chastises Encolpius for speaking unkindly to Eumolpus, and Encolpius makes a flowery speech about how wonderful Giton is. Encolpius becomes very angry and tells Eumolpus to get out before he fights him. Instead, Eumolpus slips out, locking Encolpius inside the room with Eumolpus and Giton outside.
Encolpius is convinced that he is going to lose Giton to a new rival, so he decides to hang himself. He is preparing to do so when Eumolpus and Giton come back into the room. Seeing Encolpius preparing to kill himself, Giton becomes hysterical and in turn tries to kill himself. During this chaos, the porter comes with their dinner and becomes annoyed with them. He complains that they are being too noisy and might be planning to sneak off without paying. Eumolpus is offended, and gets into a fight with the porter, which turns into a fight with the other lodgers as well. The fighting spills out of the room, and Encolpius triumphantly locks Eumolpus outside, gleefully watching him being beaten by the other lodgers.
The fighting is interrupted when an official arrives and announces that Ascyltus is searching for a missing slave. Ascyltus accompanies him, and they prepare to search the lodgings. Encolpius quickly hides Giton under the bed. When Ascyltus comes into the room to search, Encolpius tries to distract him by pleading to know about Giton’s whereabouts, trying to mislead Ascyltus into thinking that Encolpius has not seen Giton since they parted. After Ascyltus leaves, Eumolpus comes back and threatens to tell everyone where Giton is hiding. Giton and Encolpius plead with Eumolpus to forgive them, and not to betray them. Eumolpus forgives them and tells them to pack their bags. The men quickly hurry onboard a ship where Eumolpus has booked passage.
Chapters 7-9 Analysis
The tension between Ascyltus and Encolpius over Giton has already been established and resurfaces prominently in this section of the novel. The theme of betrayal and individuals acting in their own self-interest arises when Ascyltus and Giton both appear to betray Encolpius, leaving him hurt and upset. Ascyltus’s character is developed, revealing that he is selfish, lecherous, and ruthless; he is willing to jeopardize Giton’s life when he proposes cutting him up to share. Encolpius’s character is also developed through comments about the genuine grief and loss he feels when he is betrayed by his friend, and by his lover. He lashes out at Ascyltus, telling him that “with your vile behavior, you have betrayed the trust and friendship between us” (68) and laments that Ascyltus is “abandoning on a foreign shore the comrade who shortly before had been his dearest friend, the mirror of his fortunes” (69). The language here, particularly the word choice of “friend,” “friendship,” and “comrade” suggests that there was a genuine bond between the two men which is important to note in the novel’s overall context of self-interested and self-absorbed individuals.
Perhaps even more so than Ascyltus, Encolpius feels a keen sense of betrayal from Giton, and this section provides added complexity to Giton’s character, and the dynamics of ancient Roman slavery. Coming directly after the banquet at the house of freedman, Trimalchio, this section explores Giton’s experiences to juxtapose the difficult choices faced by someone who is still enslaved. Trimalchio was able to attain freedom through currying the favor of his master and then achieving immense wealth through his own ingenuity; these details suggest that slavery is a somewhat malleable category and that if someone plays their cards correctly, they might be able to escape. Against this backdrop, Giton is shown trying to make the best choices to protect himself and attain status, and he seems to be shrewd enough to choose confidently. Encolpius is outraged when Giton “did not even pause to reflect, to show signs of hesitation” (68), and this decisiveness might imply that Giton has already been thinking and strategizing. Giton plays both sides, betraying first Encolpius, and then betraying Ascyltus to run away and go back to Encolpius, but his lack of agency and control is deeply enmeshed with his social position. Petronius may be critiquing Giton for being self-interested and disloyal or else critiquing a society that requires individuals to be self-interested if they hope to survive.
When Ascyltus disappears from the narrative, a new character is introduced to take over his function as sidekick and foil character to Encolpius. Eumolpus is a somewhat comical figure with his lofty view of himself, and his incessant prattling about poetry and history but Encolpius seems genuinely drawn to him, commenting on the “look of concentration on his face which offered a hint of greatness” (71), and on being “stimulated by the conversation” (74). As an educated man, Encolpius is intrigued by Eumolpus, but he also understands why so many people get annoyed with him. He tells Eumolpus firmly that “it doesn’t surprise me that people chase after you with bricks; I’ll do the same myself—stuff my pockets with stones, and give your head a blood-letting” (78). Even though Encolpius is making a new friend, he still threatens physical violence, revealing the somewhat brutish nature of interactions; the word choice of bricks and stone implies a willingness to hurt him, but also a rather childish tone to the interaction since Encolpius doesn’t threaten to use an actual weapon such as a sword.
While Eumolpus is initially characterized as a rambling, absent-minded and pedantic intellectual, he also reflects the theme of lust and self-gratification. Almost immediately, Eumolpus tells a story about seducing a young boy, and comments openly on his “wanton behavior” (74), foreshadowing that he might be a rival for Giton. Encolpius, however, doesn’t connect this possibility until he sees Eumolpus and Giton interacting, and becomes panicked that “my new associate was a second Ascyltus” (80). This comment reveals that Encolpius’s previous betrayal and loss makes him very suspicious and willing to lash out, showing how his character develops in response to plot events. However, Eumolpus ultimately helps out Encolpius and Giton by not revealing them to Ascyltus, and allowing them to escape on board the ship, showing that he seems to have empathy and the ability to forgive.
