Hum1020 1200 the roman republic & satire

Th R man
e o
Re u l c & S t re
p bi ai
Professor Will Adams
Valencia College
Spring 2012

Th R man Re u l c
e o p bi

Th Hst r o Earl R me
e i oy f y o
 From the founding of Rome in
c. 753 B.C.E. to c. 509 B.C.E.,
Rome was a monarchy, ruled by
kings.
 In 509 B.C.E., the Romans
expelled their Etruscan king
Tarquin and established the
Roman Republic.
 Having witnessed the problems of
monarchy on their own land, and
aristocracy and democracy
among the Greeks, the Romans
opted for a mixed form of
government, with 3 branches of
government.

e i oy f y o
 The Romans, who were already
fed up with their Etruscan
kings, were spurred to action
after a member of the royal
family raped a patrician matron
named Lucretia.
 The Roman people expelled their
kings, driving them from
Rome.
 Even the name of king (rex) had
become hateful, a fact that
becomes significant when the
emperors took control as (but
resisted the title of) king later.

e i oy f y o
 Following the last of the
kings, the Romans did
what they were always
good at: copying what they
saw around them and
adapting it into a form that
worked better.
 That form is what we call
the Roman Republic,
which endured for 5
centuries, beginning in the
year 509 B.C.E., according
to tradition.

Th Meanng o Re u l c
e i f p bi
 The word republic comes from the Latin words
for “thing” and “of the people”.
 The res publica or respublica is referred to “the
public property” or “the common weal”, as the
online Lewis and Short Latin dictionary
defines it, but it could also mean “the
administration”.
 Thus, the term “republic” as first employed as
a description of Roman government had less
baggage than it carries today.

Th Th e B
e re ranc e o
hs f
th R man Re u l c
e o p bi

C n l Th Frst B
o su s: e i ranch
 They formed the monarchical or
executive branch of Roman
government in the Roman
Republic.
 T magistrates called consuls
wo
carried on the functions of the
former kings, holding supreme
civil and military authority in
Republican Rome.
 However, unlike the kings, the
office of consul lasted for only one
year.
 At the end of their year in office,
the ex-consuls became senators for
life, unless ousted by the censors.

Powers o th C n l
f e o su s
 Consuls held imperium and had
the right to 12 lictors each.
 Each consul could veto the other.
 They led the army, served as
judges. represented Rome in
foreign affairs.
 Consuls presided over the comitia
centuriata.
 The 1-year term, veto, and co-
consulship were safeguards to
prevent one of the consuls from
wielding too much power.
 Emergency Contingency: In times
of war a single dictator could be
appointed for a 6-month term.

Senate: Th Sec n B
e o d ranch
 The Senate (senatus: “council of
elders”) was the advisory branch of
the Roman government, that early on
composed of about 300 citizens who
served for life.
 They were chosen by the kings, at
first, then by the consuls, and by the
end of the 4th century, by the
censors.
 The ranks of the Senate was drawn
from ex-consuls and other officers.
 Property requirements changed with
the era.
 At first senators were only patricians
but in time plebeians joined their
ranks.

Assemb y: Th Thrd B
l e i ranch
 Collectively, The Assembly
consisted of two distinct bodies:
 The Assembly of Centuries
(comitia centuriata), which was
composed of all members of the
army, elected consuls annually.
 The Assembly of Tribes (comitia
tributa), composed of all
citizens, approved or rejected
laws and decided issues of war
and peace.
 The Comitia Centuriata elected
the judicial magistrates known
as Praetors.

Th D fn i n o S t re
e e i it o f ai
 It is a literary work that ridicules its subject in
order to make a comment or criticism about it.

 Although satire is usually witty, and often very
funny, the purpose of satire is to criticize in order
to shame someone or something into reform.

 Satire usually has a definite target, which may be a
person or group of people, an idea or attitude, an
institution or a social practice.

Th Frst Typ o S t re
e i e f ai

 Formal
 In formal satire, the satiric voice
speaks, usually in the first person,
either directly to the reader or to a
character in the written work.
 There are two types of formal
satire: Horatian and Juvenalian.

H ra ian S t re
o t ai
 Horatian Satire,
named for the
Roman poet Horace,
is gentle, urbane,
and smiling in its
tone.
 It aims to correct an
attitude or behavior
through gentle and
sympathetic laughter
& criticism.

Juvenalian S t re
ai
 In contrast, the second
type of formal satire,
Juvenalian Satire, is
named for the Roman
poet Juvenal, and is
biting, bitter, & angry
in its tone.
 It points with contempt
and moral indignation
to the corruption and
evil of human beings
and institutions.

Juvenalian S t re
ai

Th Sec n Typ o S t re
e o d e f ai

 Indirect Satire:
 In indirect satire, the satire is expressed through
a narrative, and the characters or groups who are
the focus of the satire are ridiculed not by what
is said about them, but by what they themselves
say and do.
 Much of the great literary satire is indirect.
 In additionally, the majority of contemporary
humor has its roots in indirect satire.

Examp e o I drect S t re
ls f n i ai

 The Simpsons  Clueless
 Family Guy  Saturday Night Live
 South Park  MAD TV
 Brave New World  Naked Gun
 Great Expectations  The Truman Show
 Scary Movies 1, 2 & 3  Scrubs
 Chappelle’s Show  Huckleberry Finn

Qu st o s t C n i er
e i n o o sd
 When analyzing a work
of satire, it important to
ask one’s self the
following questions:
 What is the author’s
tone?
 What is the author’s
purpose?
 Is it effective?
 What is the dominant
satirical device used?

Fou Tec nqu s o S t re
r h i e f ai
1. Exaggeration
T enlarge, increase, or represent something beyond normal bounds
o
so that it becomes ridiculous and its faults can be seen.
2. Incongruity
T present things that are out of place or are absurd in relation to
o
their surroundings.
3. Reversal
T present the opposite of the normal order (e.g. the order of events
o
or hierarchical order).
4. Parody
T imitate the techniques and/or style of some person, place or
o
thing.

LET’S PRACT CE!
I
Identify the satire being utilized.

H ra ian o Juve
o t r nalian?

W i h o th F
hc f e ou Typ s?
r e

Th Har ard S lng Team’s “B ys
e v ai i o
Wl B G rl – Al F
i l e i s” l ou Tec nqu s!
r h i e

S tu a N g
a rd y i ht L ive – M d
o ern P l i
o it cal
S t re U i
ai sng Th e o th F
re f e ou Tec nqu s!
r h i e

Hum1020 1200 the roman republic & satire

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