Multus Homo Es: Desire, Identity, and Conquest in Catullus' Carmina

Abstract

The Roman poet Catullus has occupied a curious place in the hearts of scholars and lovers of literature alike. On the one hand, he writes some of the most violent and hateful poetry to have survived from the Ancient World, but on the other hand, he also seems to be indebted to a profoundly thoughtful and intellectual poetic tradition. Balancing these two moments, this thesis strives to understand both as essential parts to what I argue is Catullus’on going efforts to critique and correct a misunderstanding at the centre of his Roman community. This entails challenging not only the privilege and standing of the violent masculine behaviour that is common place in Roman culture, but also the power and priority of the idea of Empire itself.