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Death Becomes Her: Female Suicide in Flavian Epic

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 July 2014

Jessica Dietrich
Jessica Dietrich*
Affiliation:
Australian National University

Extract

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      ecce inter medios caedum Tiburna furores
      fulgenti dextram mucrone armata mariti
      et laeua infelix ardentem lampada quassans
      squalentemque erecta comam ac liuentia planctu
      pectora nudatis ostendens saeua lacertis
      ad tumulum Murri super ipsa cadauera fertur.
      (Punica 2.665-70)

Look! Tiburna, into the middle of the raging of slaughter, having armed her right hand with the shining sword of her husband and, unhappy, shaking a burning torch with her left, filthy hair standing up and ferociously baring her arms to reveal breasts bruised from beating, she forces her way over the corpses themselves to the tomb of Murrus.

So Silius reintroduces the figure of Tiburna into the mass suicide at Saguntum in Punica 2 before concluding with a description of her suicide. The fury that surrounds Tiburna is not surprising of a female figure in Latin epic, yet her suicide in this context is perhaps at odds with the literary tradition in that it is not the result of erotic passion but political despair. The suicide of female figures has a long literary tradition going back to Greek tragedy (Antigone, Deianira, Phaedra) as well as the Roman paradigms, Lucretia and Dido. In the epics of the Flavian period, Statius, Valerius Flaccus and Silius Italicus all offer up their own depiction of female characters who take their own lives. But unlike their literary sisters, whose suicides are an aspect of or the result of their gender, the Flavian epic heroines commit suicide despite their gender, a phenomenon that demands explanation.

Type
Research Article
Information
Ramus , Volume 38 , Issue 2 , 2009 , pp. 187 - 202
Copyright
Copyright © Aureal Publications 2009

References

1. This paper was first delivered at the Pacific Rim Roman Literature Seminar at University College London, July 2009. I would like to thank the participants of the seminar for the lively discussion and feedback as well as additional comments by Peter Davis and A.J. Boyle. The title was suggested by Robin Bond.

2. See Spaltenstein, François, Commentaire des Punica de Silius Italicus (livres 1 à 8) (Genève 1986), 172f.Google Scholar, for the connections between Tiburna and the furies.

3. Aen. 4.474–521.

4. Cf. Zissos, Andrew, Valerius Flaccus’ Argonautica Book 1 (Oxford 2008), xxxvGoogle Scholar: ‘They [Aeson and Alcimede] perform rites to facilitate the suicide, corresponding to Dido’s magical rites.’ See Hill, Timothy D., Ambitiosa Mors: Suicide and Self in Roman Thought and Literature (New York 2004), 118Google Scholar, for identifying Dido’s ritual as a necromancy.

5. Alcimede brings offerings to Tartarean Jupiter and the Stygian shades (Tartareo turn sacra loui Stygiisque…manibus, Arg. 1.730f.) just as Dido completes the rites to Stygian Jove (sacra loui Stygio, Aen. 4.638) before her suicide.

6. sacerdos at Arg. 1.755 and Aen. 4.483, but she is Massylian in the Aeneid (gentis Massylae, Aen. 4.483) and Thessalian at Arg. 1.737 and 780. The Thessalian priestess is often identified as Alcimede herself. Cf. Zissos (n.4 above), 384, and Kleywegt, A.J., Valerius Flaccus Argonautica Book 1: A Commentary (Leiden 2005), 429Google Scholar. For a full discussion of the ritual see Sylvie Franchet D’Espèrey, ‘Une étrange descente aux enfers: le suicide d’Éson et Alcimédé (Valerius Flaccus, Arg. I 730–851)’, in Porte, D. and Neraudau, J.-P. (eds.), Hommages a Henri Le Bonniec: Res Carae (Brussels 1988), 193–97Google Scholar.

7. Cf. Aen. 4.663–65. If this weren’t obvious enough, the words arma uiri which introduce Tiburna’s suicide must be an explicit reference to the opening line of the Aeneid.

8. Statius’ use of regina would also evoke Dido in Aeneid 4.

9. See Dietrich, Jessica, ‘Rewriting Dido: Flavian Response to Aeneid 4’, Prudentia 36 (2004), 1–30Google Scholar, for full discussion of Argia as a Dido figure in the Thebaid.

10. See Gillis, Daniel, ‘A Marriage at Carthage’, in Eros and Death in the Aeneid (Rome 1983), 37–52Google Scholar, and Keith, A.M., Engendering Rome: Women in Latin Epic (Cambridge 2000), 115CrossRefGoogle Scholar, for the erotic nature of Dido’s death.

11. See Monti, Richard, The Dido Episode and the Aeneid: Roman Social and Political Values in the Epic (Leiden 1981Google Scholar) for a political interpretation of the Dido episode.

12. Hill (n.4 above), 111.

13. Cf. Hill (n.4 above), 113: ‘Dido’s social standing and her fidelity to Sychaeus should be viewed as inextricably bound to each other, so that it is impossible for her to assert her place amongst the Tyrians without proving also her faithfulness to her husband.’

14. Cf. Keith (n.10 above), 130: ‘The death of a beautiful woman repeatedly serves as the catalyst in Latin epic for the epic hero’s assertion of political agency.’ For full discussion see her chapter ‘Over her Dead Body’, but Keith does not distinguish suicide from other types of violent death.

15. Joplin, P.K., ‘Ritual Work on Human Flesh: Livy’s Lucretia and the Rape of the Body Politic’, Helios 17 (1990), 56Google Scholar.

16. Newlands, Carole, Playing with Time: Ovid and the Fasti (Ithaca 1995), 153Google Scholar.

17. Cf. Joshel, Sandra, ‘The Body Female and the Body Politic: Livy’s Lucretia and Verginia’, in A. Richlin (ed.), Pornography and Representation in Greece and Rome (Oxford 1991), 112–30Google Scholar, at 119, who defines Livy’s heroes as ‘men who act when women are made dead’.

18. Keith (n.10 above), 104: ‘Female death is pervasively sexualized in Latin epic’

19. Keith (n.10 above) does not include any of the suicides of women in the Flavian epics, treating only Valerius’ account of the death of Helle in any detail.

20. Grise, Yolanda, Le suicide dans la Rome antique (Paris 1982Google Scholar). Of the 19 pages accounting for suicides from the monarchy through to the reign of Commodus, seven are devoted to this period of 55 years (this may simply reflect the better documentation for this period, especially via Tacitus).

21. Griffin, Miriam, ‘Philosophy, Cato and Roman Suicide: I’, G&R 33 (1986), 69fGoogle Scholar.

22. Hill (n.4 above), 28, acknowledges the limited attention to female practitioners of suicide.

23. Griffin, Miriam, ‘Philosophy, Cato and Roman Suicide: II’, G&R 33 (1986), 200Google Scholar.

24. See both the article ‘Textual Strategies and Political Suicide in Flavian Epic’, in A J. Boyle (ed.), The Imperial Muse: Flavian Epicist to Claudian (Bendigo 1990), 21–45Google Scholar, as well as his monograph Acts of Silence: Civil War, Tyranny, and Suicide in the Flavian Epics (Hildesheim 1997Google Scholar).

25. at procul (‘but far away…’ Theb. 12.464)

26. ut saeuos narret uigiles Argia sorori (‘Argia tells her sister how cruel the watchmen were’, Theb. 12.804).

27. Tiberius’ attempts to take credit for not killing her are also cited by both historians.

28. Nero might be another example here who, as Suetonius records, needed the help of his freedman to deal the death blow (Nero 49).

29. For a discussion of this passage see Penwill, John L., ‘Expelling the Mind: Politics and Philosophy in Flavian Rome’, in A.J. Boyle and W.J. Dominik (eds.), Flavian Rome: Culture, Image, Text (Leiden & Boston 2003), 345–68Google Scholar, at 361f.

30. See McGuire’s discussion of Maeon (n.24 above ‘Textual Strategies’, 28–33). He does not, however, consider Argia’s suicide.

31. McGuire (n.24 above ‘Textual Strategies’), 32.

32. illi auide exceptum pateris hausere cruorem (‘they eagerly drain the blood received from the sacrificial dish’, Arg. 1.818).

33. Zissos (n.4 above), 412.

34. adstitit et nigro fumantia pocula tabo/contigit ipsa graui Furiarum maxima dextra (‘the greatest of the Furies stood nearby and touched the cup foaming with black poison with her weighty right hand’, Arg. 1.816f.). McGuire (n.24 above ‘Textual Strategies’), 26f.

35. Perutelli, Alessandro, ‘Pluralità di modelli e discontinuità narrative: l’episodio della morte di Esone in Valerio Flacco (1, 747 sgg.)’, MD 7 (1982), 129Google Scholar, sees both literary (Creusa) and historical (Seneca’s wife) models as appropriate to Alcimede: ‘I modelli che vengono qua a sovrapporsi, malgrado la loro diversa natura, non scatenano contraddizioni perché entrambi, la consorte troiana e quella piu attuale del perseguitato romano, caratterizzati da tratti eroici, che ben corrispondono alle piu opportune raffigurazione di Alcimede.’

36. Taylor, P.R., ‘Valerius’ Flavian Argonautica’, CQ 44 (1994), 212–35CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

37. Arria Major’s leading by example is a different kind of female suicide than that of the wife following her husband and thus I will not treat it here as it is not represented in the literary sources and, in fact, may be sui generis.

38. Nero iubet inhiberi mortem (‘Nero orders death to be prevented’, Tac. A. 15.64).

39. Tac.Ann. 3.13.

40. Lucan BC 8.651–62.

41. Likewise, Pelias’ threat is against a single parent: sunt hie etiam tua uulnera, praedo,/sunt lacrimae carusque parens (‘these then are your wounds, you brigand, and your tears—your dear parent’, Arg. 1.723f.).

42. Arg. 1.741–46.

43. McGuire (n.24 above ‘Textual Strategies’), 27f.

44. McGuire (n.24 above ‘Textual Strategies’), 28.

45. Livy AUC21.14.

46. Polybius 3.17.

47. McGuire (n.24 above ‘Textual Strategies’), 37–39.

48. Lucan SC 2.148–59.

49. Text and translation (somewhat modified): Perrin, B. (ed. and tr.), Plutarch Lives IX: Demetrius and Antony, Pyrrhus and Gaius Marius (London and Cambridge MA 1920), 536fGoogle Scholar.

50. Text and translation: Thackeray, H.St.J. (ed. and tr.), Josephus III: The Jewish War Books IV–VII (London and Cambridge MA 1928), 616fGoogle Scholar.

51. William Dominik, ‘Hannibal at the Gates: Programmatising Rome and Romanitas in Silius Italicus’ Punica 1 and 2’, in Boyle and Dominik (n.29 above), 490.

52. Cf. Dominik (n.51 above), 488. Vessey, David, ‘Silius Italicus on the Fall of Saguntum’, CP 69 (1974), 28–36Google Scholar, views the two appearances of Tiburna as a framing device for the episode.

53. Like Tisiphone in Punica 2, Iris assumes the likeness of a mortal woman, in this case Beroe (Aen. 5.617–20). Just as Iris/Beroe enters the crowd of women so Tisiphone/Tiburna breaks into the midst of the gathered citizens: mediam se matribus refert (Aen. 5.622) and medios irrumpit (Pun. 2.559). Cf. Spaltenstein (n.2 above), 163.

54. Aen. 5.636–38.

55. Pun. 2.575–77.

56. ignea sanguinea radiabant lumina flamma (‘its flaming eyes were shining with bloodred fire’, Pun. 2.586).

57. This is what she claimed after her arrest. Other valid interpretations are that she decided not to follow her husband or that she never intended to.

58. Robert Pape, ‘The Suicide Bomber’, News Hour with Jim Lehrer, November 14, 2005, accessed at: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/terrorism/july-dec05/bombers_ll–14.html.

59. Zedalis, Debra, Female Suicide Bombers (Carlisle PA 2004CrossRefGoogle Scholar), accessed at: http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/ssi/zedalis.pdf, 7.

60. Zedalis (n.59 above), 7.

61. Zedalis (n.59 above), 8.