Sunday, September 20, 2009

Catullus 83

With this poem, love continues to be more of an issue than an actual good thing. Catullus is spoken badly of by Lesbia while her husband is around, making him feel happy even though he is being thrown insults at. He thinks, however, that Lesbia's anger toward him is a good thing, and calls her husband a fool to think she means what she says. In general, everyone seems to be hurts from this strange love triangle. Lesbia may be having to hide her true feelings, the husband might be cheated on without knowing it, and Catullus is in love with someone who is unavailable.
What else is odd in this poem, is the fact that Catullus is happy that Lesbia shows such heated emotions for him, and thinks it's better for her to hate him rather than not knowing his existence. He takes this as a sign that she burns for him, which makes Catullus come off a creep once more. Still, the reader is unsure if Lesbia truly does have feelings, other than hate, for Catullus.

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