Satire VI (Juvenal)

Satire VI of Juvenal is often titled Against Women in English translation. It contains a lament for the morals of women in the second-century Roman Empire and a warning against marriage.

Related Topics:
Juvenal - Second-century - Roman Empire - Marriage

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Many of the names used in the poem are veils for historical personages. As translator Peter Green noted, "'Cynthia' was the pseudonym which Propertius used to describe his mistress Hostia in the poems he wrote about her; the girl who wept for her sparrow was 'Lesbia,' the mistress of Catullus, whose real name was Clodia."

Related Topics:
Propertius - Catullus

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Though it is frequently decried as a misogynistic rant, feminist scholar Jamie Corson has pointed out:

Related Topics:
Misogynist - Feminist

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: Satire VI is not merely a diatribe against women, but an all-out invective against marriage... This decaying of Rome?s social and moral standards has caused marriage to become the offspring of greed and corruption. Men have become weak, and allow women to challenge male supremacy so that marital power relations now favor women.

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Satire VI contains the famous phrase, "Sed quis custodiet ipsos custodes?", which is commonly translated as "But who guards the guards?" (Alternative: But who watches the watchmen?)

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