Juvenal--Misogynist or Misogamist?

Author(s): Susanna H. Braund

Source: The Journal of Roman Studies, Vol. 82 (1992), pp. 71-86
Published by: Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/301285
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 JUVENAL - MISOGYNIST OR MISOGAMIST?*
By SUSANNA H. BRAUND

Juvenal is charged with misogyny.The evidence brought against him is Satire 6.1
A secondarychargeis thatofunstructuredcomposition.2This paperwillattemptto show that
the case is unfounded.My contentionis thatthe poem is shaped by contemporary discourses
about marriage,in particularthetreatmentof marriagein rhetoric.The understandingofthe
poem's ideological groundingthus gained will provide a basis for exploringthe complex
interrelationship of author,speaker,addressee,and audience in the poem.
The role of intertextuality in Greek and Latin literatureis well established,especially
with referenceto those classical texts most obviously exhibitingself-consciousartistryor
'literariness'.Satire, despite its characteristicclaims to humility,realism,and ordinariness,3
exhibitsa high degree of literarinessand allusiveness,which frequentlymanifestsitselfas
parody.4Wherethisinvolvesotherliterarytextsit is relativelyeasyto detectand analyse.5But
intertextuality is not confinedto writtentexts.It was long ago recognizedby De Decker that
rhetoricexerted a profoundinfluenceupon Juvenal.6Although De Decker's observations
consistedpredominantly of small-scaleinstances,the same phenomenonis visibleon a larger
scale too. That is, as well as utilizingthe tropes and topoi of declamation, Juvenalwas
evidentlyaffectedby the patternsof certainkinds of rhetoricalspeech in the conceptionof
some of his satires. And, as with cases of literaryallusion in satire, so in the cases of the
interrelationship withrhetoric,thisintertextuality usuallymanifestsitselfas parody.A good
example is providedby Juvenal,Satire I3, which is a parodyof the rhetoricalset-piece,the
consolatio.In thispoem Juvenalofferscynicalconsolationfortheloss, notofa memberofthe
family,but ofa smallsum ofmoney.7The presentpaperattemptsto showthatSatire 6 is most
illuminatingly regardedas a poetic versionof a standardrhetoricalset-pieceon the themeof
whetheror nota man should marry.This developsin detailthesuggestivecommentof Cairns
that Satire 6 should be categorized as an example in poetry of a progymnasma,more

* I wish to expressmy thanksto the organizers and
participantsof the Women in Antiquityseminar in
Oxford,whoheardan earlyversionofthispaperin I990;
to Peter Wiseman and Jane Gardner for their many
helpfulcommentson an earlydraft;and to the Editorial
Committeefortheirconstructive suggestions.I alone am
responsibleforwhatis presentedhere.
1 For the charge of misogyny,see e.g. G. Highet,
Yuvenal the Satirist (I954), 103; K. M. Rogers, The
Troublesome Helpmate:A History ofMisogyny inLiterature
(I966), 4I. Criticsdo notagreeupon thethemeofSatire
6. Those who see it as a 'catalogueof women',include:
J. Ferguson,Yuvenal: The Satires (I979), i8S; M. R.
Lefkowitzand M. B. Fant, Women'sLifein Greeceand
Rome (I982), no. I57; J. E. Carr,'The viewofwomenin
Juvenal and Apuleius', CQ 58 (I982), 6i; W. S.
Anderson,Essays on Roman Satire (I982), 275; D. S.
Wiesen,'The verbalbasis forJuvenal'ssatiricvision',in
ANRWII.33.I (i989), 733. For thesatireas a dissuasion
frommarriage:Highet's chapter-heading (above), 9i:
'Advice to Those About to Marry'; L. I. Lindo, 'The
evolutionofJuvenal'slatersatires',CFPh69 (I974), 25; D.
Singleton,'Juvenal6. I-20 and some ancientattitudesto
the golden age', G&R I9 (I972), I5i-64, following H. A.
Mason, 'Is Juvenala classic?', in J. P. Sullivan (ed.),
CriticalEssays on Roman Literature2: Satire (i963),
I37. Both views in: M. Coffey,Roman Satire (I976), I27;
M. M. Winkler,ThePersonain ThreeSatiresofyuvenal
(1983), I47; J. Henderson, '. . . When satire writes
"Woman"',in S. H. Braund(ed.), Satire and Societyin
Ancient Rome (I989), 89-I25; idem, 'Satire writes
"woman": Gendersong',PCPhS n.s. 25 (I989), 68.
Neitherviewis followedbyE. Courtney, A Commentary
on theSatiresofYuvenal(I980), 252, whoseemstoregard
thepoemas a 'one-off'.
2 On the poem'sstructureno consensushas emerged,
as indicatedbyAnderson'scomment(op. cit. (n. I), 255
with 275 n. 2): 'Scholars have been divided in their
proposedsolutions:the bravehave assumeda coherent
organization;theprudenthaveabandonedwhatseemeda
thanklessand futileeffort, denyinganystructural unity.'
Disagreementabout the structureof the poem relatesto
disagreement aboutthethemeofthepoem,see n. i.
I For theclaimedordinariness ofsatire,see e.g. Hor.,
Sat. 1.4.38-42, Juv.I.79-80.
I On the relationship of satire,parody,and irony,see
L. Hutcheon,A TheoryofParody(I985), esp. 52-68. As
M. Fusillo observes('I1 testonel testo: la citazionenel
romanzogreco',MD 25 (I990), 27), thereis a riskof
reducingparodyto synonymity withintertextuality.
5 e.g. on therelationship betweenPetronius'Satynrca
and theOdyssey,see AverilCameron,'Mythand meaning
in Petronius:some moderncomparisons',Latomus 29
(1970), 400; A. Richlin,TheGardenofPniapus. Sexuality
andAggression inRomanHumor(I983), I92. On Horace,
Satires II.5 as parodyof the scene in which Odysseus
consultsTiresias, cf. N. Rudd, The Satires of Horace
(I966), 228. Horace,Satires 11.4 recallsthebackdropof
Platonicdialogues,in particular, thePhaedrus: see S. H.
Braund,BeyondAnger:A Studyofyuvenal'sThirdBook
ofSatires (I988), Iz44 and 247, n. 67. Juvenal'sSatire 3 is
illuminatedby Virgil'sfirstEclogue: see C. Witke,Latin
Satire (I970), I33-4. Satire4 reworksStatius'panegyrical
epic poem,De Bello Germanico,nowlost,on Domitian's
Germancampaign.Parodyof an epic topos,thestormat
sea, appearsinSatire I 2: see I. G. Scott,TheGrandStyle
in theSatiresofyuvenal(I 927), 83-8. For an analysisof
the'literariness' ofSatire 6, see Wiesen,op. cit. (n. i).
6 J. De Decker,JuvenalisDeclamans(I9I3).
7 M. P. 0. Morford, 'Juvenal'sthirteenthsatire',AJPh
94 (I973), 26-36; A. D. Pryor,'Juvenal's falseconsolation',
AUMLA i8 (I962), I67-80.

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72 SUSANNA H. BRAUND

specifically'an inflatedexampleofthethesis"Ought a man to marry?"'.8 Treggiarisharesthis

insightwithherobservationthat'the anti-marriage traditioncomes to fullflowerin Juvenal's
notorioussixth satire, which exploits the whole range of philosophicaland popular topoi
against women and marriage';9she does not elaborate further.This paper develops the
argumentthatthe poem maybe fruitfully regardedas a dissuasionfrommarriage,or a o6yo;
JnOTQEnTTXogYaov 10
In order to substantiatethis claim, the evidence, both internaland external,will be
marshalled. An examinationof the contentof the poem will demonstratethat Satire 6 is
neither a specimen of the catalogue of women nor an incoherentoutpouring of every
conceivable Roman misogynistprejudice, not least because Juvenal misses some obvious
tricksifthatwerethecase (Section I). Rather,thereis a preoccupationwithadultery(Section
II) and withpudicitia, chastity(Section III), which indicates a concern with marriagein
particularas opposed to women in general.There followsa considerationof the treatmentof
the themeof marriagein otherformsof contemporarydiscoursewithwhichJuvenaland his
audience were familiar,particularlythe rhetoricaltradition(Section iv). Withthe rhetorical
frameworkof the poem established,the implicationsof Juvenal'slocationof misogynyin an
unsympathetic speakerwill be considered(Section v).

An examinationof the contentof Satire 6 suggeststhat it is mistakento view it as a

catalogue of abominable women like the Vtoyo;yvvauxovwhich appears in Stobaeus (Ecl.
IV.22.7). There existedliteraryprecedentsofvaryingkindsforthis,ofcourse,mostobviously
thepoem (or fragment)of SemonidesofAmorgos,whichseemsto taketheformofa catalogue
withits listof negativeimagesofwomen (sow, vixen,bitch,earth,sea, donkey,ferret,mare,
monkey)followedby the sole positiveimage of woman, as a bee.1"Anotherkindof catalogue
available as a model was the Catalogue ofWomenattributedto Hesiod, evidentlya paratactic
sequence of episodes, each concerning a woman or women, her sexual partner(s) and
offspring, in a sequence withoutstructurewhichcould be continuedvirtuallyindefinitely
and
in whichtheepisodes could be arrangedin any order.
It seems evidentthatJuvenal'spoem does notbelongin thistraditionforseveralreasons.
Firstly,Satire 6 is not as organizedor systematicas mightbe expectedof a catalogue nor as
repetitiousor predictable in structure.The descriptionof female misconduct oscillates
betweenthe individualand the typical.This movementbetweenthe specificand the general
sustainsinterestthroughthevarietyofmodes ofpresentationbut indicatesthatthecatalogue,
epic or otherwise,is notJuvenal'smodel.
Further,ifJuvenalweresettingout to presenta catalogueofabominablewomen,or even
a misogynistictourde force, he mightbe expected to cast his net as wide as possible and
incorporatea trulybroad rangeofcharges.Yet comparisonofSatire 6 withearlierGreek and
Roman invectiveagainst women reveals that there are some topics prominentin earlier
literaturewhichJuvenalscarcelytouchesupon, or even whollyomits. For example, he omits
topics elaboratedin Semonides' poem. He does not criticizewomen forfilthiness,continual
eating,nagging,stupidity,changeability,stubbornessand lazinessor forstealing.Nor does he
utilizelengthyanimalanalogies:12 theanimalcomparisonsin thepoem are fewand verybrief.13
Moreover, the type of animal comparisons for the purpose of invectivewhich are most
8 F. Cairns,GenericComposition in Greekand Roman IV.22.I (bitch,bee, sow, and mare).
Poetry( 972), 75. The tritecomparisonwitha bereavedtigress-orba
13
9 S. Treggiari,RomanMarriage(I99I), 223. tigride(270); thewomanaddressedas a mostsavageviper,
10 cf. Stobaeus in Ecl. IV.22 n-Q'L ydouov('concerning saeuissimauipera (641); Messalinain thebrothelcalling
marriage'), item 2 OTL obx dyaOov to yaetlv ('that herselfLycisca (I23, an allusion,via the Greekwordfor
marriageis not good'). Thus R. Schuetze,J7uvenalis wolf, to lupa, a prostitute);and gannit (64), a word
Ethicus(1905), 35: 'noster amicum monet ut matrimonio typicallyused to describe a dog's whimper,see OLD
desistat'.Courtney,op. cit. (n. I), 252, raisesthisas a gannio i. I exclude'raraauis in terrisnigroquesimillima
possibility,but then pulls back: 'no firmlinkscan be cycno' (i65): the expressionis proverbial(A. Otto,Die
forgedwiththerhetorical tradition as itsurvives'. Sprichworter und sprichwortlicher RedensartenderRomer
1'For a feminist readingofSemonides,see N. Loraux, (I 890), auis 2), used by Seneca in a similarcontext,'si
Les enfantsd'Athene(1 98 I), 95-I I 7. bona fueritet suauis uxor, quae tamen rara auis est'
12 e.g. Semonides,passim; Hesiod, Theogony594 (Jerome, Adv. Iouin. I.47 = Sen. fr.56).
(women as drones); Phocylides quoted in Stobaeus

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 JUVENAL - MISOGYNIST OR MISOGAMIST? 73
commonin Latin literature,namelythoseconcerningparticularpartsof a woman's body, are
entirelyabsentfromSatire 6.14
Anothertopicwhichwe mighthave expectedto receiveexpansivetreatmentin Satire 6 is
the allegation that women indulge in drink, a topic which is elaborated often and at
considerablelengthin Aristophanes15 and in storiesabout earlyRome recordedby the elder
Pliny,ValeriusMaximus, and Gellius.16 Given thatCato is said to have viewedwine-drinking
as an offenceas seriousas adultery,17 itseemssurprising,and significant
forour understanding
ofthe poem's theme,thatthistopic receivesno extendedtreatmentin Satire 6. In fact,in the
entirepoem the topic appears only once in generalterms(30I-5, linkedwithLuxuria) and
twicein specificcontexts,whereitis fleetingand incidentalto othermoremajorthemes:firstly
in the travestyof the Bona Dea rites(3I5) wheredrinkingis simplyone minorcomponentin
the Dionysiac prelude to sexual activity,18secondlyin the graphicdescriptionof the boorish
womanwho keeps herdinner-guests waiting,thensuddenlydrinksso muchthatshe vomitsit
all up again (425-32). The factthatJuvenalneglectsthe condemnationofwomen's drinking
evinced in comedy and moralistsindicatesthathis presentationof femalemisconducthas a
different focus.
A furthertypicalallegationof misogynisticliteratureis thatby marryinga man makes
himselfa slave to his wife. This appears in both Greek and Latin sources (e.g. Sen., Contr.
I.6.7) and is, of course, a themeadopted in Latin love elegy,wherethe poet-loverfrequently
speaks of the 'slavery of love', seruitiumamoris.19Again, although the topic seems one
potentiallyfruitfulforthe satirist,Juvenalgives it scant attention.In the entirepoem the
themeappears in onlytwo passingallusions- 'now insertinghis stupid head in the noose of
marriage'(stultamaritaliiamporrigitora capistro,43) and 'she rules'(regnat,I49) - and one
longersection,11.208-24, heraldedby 'the yoke' (iugum,208) and closed by mentionof 'her
dominion' (haec regna, 224).
Moreover,two particulartypesof woman foundin Roman literatureare notablyabsent
fromSatire 6: the witch (as exemplifiedin Horace's Canidia and Lucan's Erichtho) and the
prostituteor courtesan(the meretrixwho featuresregularlyin comedy and occasionallyin
elegy,the hostessoftheCopa in theAppendixVergilianaand theprostituteswho occur in the
epigrams of Martial)."2 Juvenal'somission of such women, who obviously presentsatiric
opportunities,is clearlysignificant.Men do not marrywitchesor prostitutes.

II

These factors,then,indicatethatSatire 6 does notbelongto thegenreofcatalogueor all-

embracingmisogynisticrant.Such a poem would look verydifferent and would also perhaps
tirethe audience ifthe sole device of structurewere the paratacticlist. A poem of thislength
needs themoredefinitedirectionwhichderivesfroma narrowerand morespecifictheme.The
natureof this theme is indicatedby the poem's preoccupationwith marriageand adultery,
which is announced in the second word, Pudicitia.21 Pudicitia stands prominentlyat the

14
e.g. comparinga woman'sbreaststo a mare'steats,
Horace,Epode 8.7-8. On invectiveagainstwomenwhich
uses animal comparisons,see A. Richlin, 'Invective
againstwomen in Roman Satire',ArethusaI7 (i984),
70-I and esp. Martial 3.93, using comparisonswith
animalsand insectsin an attackon an old woman.
15 e.g. Ar., Lysis. I95-208, Thesmo.556-7, 733-62,
Eccl.43-5,I 32-43, III2-24.
16 Pliny,NH xIv.89-go, for examples of traditional
disapprovalofdrinking bywomen,cf. ValeriusMaximus
VI.3.9. Livy 1.57.9 for Lucretia as the epitome of
abstemiousness.Pliny (loc. cit.) and Gellius X.23.I-3
record Cato's view that it was male kinsmen'swish to
check whetheror not a woman had indulgedin secret
drinking thatcausedthemto kissclosefemalerelativeson
thelips. Cf. too Plut.,Mor. 265b on theius osculi.
17 GelliusX.23.3; cf.ibid.4-5; Richlin,op. cit. (n. I4),
78 n. io.
18 On women'sconsumption ofwine,see G. Wissowa,
Religion und Kultus (2nd edn, I97i), 2I7; 0. de
Cazanove,'Exesto: L'incapacit6sacrificielle des femmesa
Rome (a proposde PlutarqueQuaest.Rom.85)', Phoenix
4I (i987), I59-6i. In theBonaDea riteswearetoldthat
thewine-bowlwas referred to as a honey-pot and thewine
as milk,Plut., Mor. 268d-e, cf. 20, Macr., Sat. .I2.25.
I am grateful to NicholasPurcellforthisobservation.
19 On seruitium amoris,see F. 0. Copley,'Seruitium
Amoris the Roman Elegists',TAPhA68 (947), 285-
in
P.
3oo, amplifiedby Murgatroyd, 'SeruitiumAmorisand
theRomanelegists',Latomus40 (i98i), 589-6o6.
20 See P. Howell,A Commentary on Book One of the
EpigramsofMartial(I980), onMart.1.34.7 forreferences.
21 Similarlyin Satire 5 amicitia is announcedas the
centraltopicat 1. 14: bothpoemsallegethedisappearance
and destructionof theircentralconcept.On the promi-
nenceofthethemeofamicitiain Juvenal,see R. Seager,
'Amicitiain Tacitus and Juvenal',AJJAH 2 (I977), 40-50
and R. A. LaFleur, 'Amicitiaand the unityof Juvenal's
FirstBook',IllinoisClassical Studies4 (I 979), I 58-77.

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74 SUSANNA H. BRAUND

beginningand againin themiddleofSatire 6. For theRomans,theconceptofpudicitia meant

sexual purity; that is, it implied not only virginityfor the young unmarriedgirl but also
chastitywithinmarriageon the part of the wife,as is shown by the frequentoccurrenceof
pudicitia in epitaphs.22It is not thereforesurprisingthatin this satirepudicus, pudor, and
pudicitia are importantwords.23
The whole openingsectionof the poem confirmsthatthe themeis marriageand wives.
Lines I-I 3 presenta sketchof marriageand familylife in the Saturnian Age: the family
sharinga singlecave withtheiranimals. Leaving on one side the ironictone ofthispassage,24
theimplicationseemsto be thatat thebeginningoftimechastitywas assured,possiblybecause
therewas no privacyforanyoneto perpetratedeception.This too is thepointofthecontrastof
Stone Age woman withCynthiaand Lesbia (7-8): the latterare mentionedin orderto evoke
thegenreoflove elegywhichcelebrates,encourages,and sometimesdeploresinfidelity.25
The preoccupationwithPudicitiacontinuesin 11.14-20, Juvenal'sversionofthemythof
the departureof the virgingoddess in disgust at human behaviour found in Hesiod and
Aratus.26His versionis thatthegoddess Pudicitiaremainedon earthin theOlympianAge, but
onlyuntilJupiter'sadolescence,presumablyan allusionto thecommencement of his 'romances'
withmortalwomen. At thatpoint,Astraeaand Pudicitialeftmortalsto theirown devices. He
goes on to allegethatpeople have been committingadulteryeversincethe SilverAge, whereas
all othercrimesarrivedlater,in the Iron Age (21-4); hereJuvenaladapts the mythofthe ages
of metal,foundin Hesiod and Aratus,to his theme.27Adulterypredatesall othercrimes.28
The speakernow asks his addressee Postumus incredulouslyif he is reallyplanningto
marryand sarcasticallyimpugns his sanity (25-37) .29 He offersas Postumus' defensive
responsean appeal to Ursidius'example (38-40):
sed placetVrsidiolexlulia,tolleredulcem
cogitatheredem, cariturus turture
magno
mullorumque iubisetcaptatore macello.
Ursidiussupports theJulianlaw; he intendstobringup
a darlingheir,thoughhethereby forfeitsthebeardedmullets
andfattened doves- all baitfromthelegacy-hunting market.30
Postumus' supposed nalvetyprovokesan indignantoutburstfromthe speaker (41-7) to the
effectthat,ifUrsidius marries,anythingcan happen, because Ursidius is the mostnotorious
adultererin town. It is ridiculous that the adultererseeks a chaste wife (antiquis ... de
moribus,45, referringback to the Golden Age) when he has been so busyseducingthewomen
of Rome.31The re-construction of Ursidius as the infamousLatinus of the adulterymime,
evidentlya favouriteplot in this popular typeof entertainment,32conveysthe improbability
and absurdityofthisscenario.

22 See R. Lattimore,Themes in Greek and Latin esset,neu latro,neu quis adulter'('Thereaftertheybegan

Epitaphs(1942), 295-6; cf.Virg.,Georg.2.524, 'casta
pudicitiamseruatdomus',partofthepraiseand idealiza-
tion of countrylife,see R. F. Thomas, VirgilGeorgics
(I988), ad loc.; cf.Hor., Od. III.5.4I; Liv. III.45.6; Sen.,
Ag. iio; forthe inverse,cf. Sall. B.C. I3.3, 'mulieres
pudicitiamin propatulohabere', on the decadence of
modernmorals;and thecurseutteredby Ovid, Ibis 349-
50, 'nec tibicontingatmatronapudicior'.Forpudicitiaas
mulierispropnha uirtus,see Jerome'squotationofSeneca,
adv.Iovin.I.49.
23 e.g. 6. I93, sernopudicus; I 37,pudicam; 49, capitis
matronapudici;pudorat 252 and 357; cf. 287, castas.
24 Wellshownby Singleton, op. cit. (n. i).
25 Juvenal evokes Propertius 11.32, complaining
initiallyabout Cynthia'ssuspectedinfidelities but then
acceptingthe fact that Roman girls long ago gave up
pudicitia. Propertius'poem also namesLesbia (45) and
refersto the SaturnianAge (52); see Mason, op. cit.
to avoidwar,tobuildtowns,and topass lawsmakingitan
offenceforanypersonto engagein theft,armedrobbery,
or adultery').
29 Lucilius providesa satiricprecedent on themadness
ofmarrying: 'qua propterdeliroetcupidiofficium fungor
liberum'(646W) ('wherefore do I go mad and do theduty
ofa maneagerforchildren').
30 The translationofJuvenalis Niall Rudd's (I992). On
theJulianlaw see below,Sectioniv. The meat-market is
portrayed as takingtheplaceofthehumanlegacy-hunters
who featurein Romansatire- mostobviouslyin Hor.,
Sat. II.5 and Juv.,Satire I2; also Juv.5.98, I0.202.
31 cf. Sen., Ep. 94.26, 'scis improbumesse qui ab
uxore pudicitiam exigit, ipse alienarum corruptor
uxorum'('you knowthathe who demandschastityfrom
his wife but is himselfthe seducer of others'wives is
unreasonable').
32 See J. C. McKeown, 'Augustanelegy and mime',

(n. i), I36-7. PCPhS n.s. 25 (I979), 7I-84. On the dangersallegedly

26 See Hesiod, WD I97-20I and Aratus96-I36; cf. incurredby adultererscaughtin theact, see A. Richlin,
Ovid.,Met.I .I49-50. 'Approachesto thesourceson adulteryat Rome',in H. P.
27See Hesiod, WD I06-20I and Aratus96-I36. Foley (ed.), Reflections of Womenin Antiquity(I98I),
28cf. Hor., Sat. 1.3.I04-6: 'abhinc absisterebello, 394-
oppida coeperuntmunireet ponere leges, ne quis fur

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 JUVENAL - MISOGYNIST OR MISOGAMIST? 75
The speakercontinueshis bluntaffirmation thatthereare no chastewomen in Rome by
suggestingthatPostumusshould makea thank-offering to Juno,thegoddessofmarriage,ifhe
can finda chaste wife (47-9). In one breathhe (ironically)invitesPostumus to preparehis
house forthewedding(5 I-2), in thenexthe warnsthatwomenlikeHiberinaare not'satisfied
witha singleman' (contenta ... uno, 54), i.e. uniuira, thequalityso muchvaluedby the
Romans and a concept 'strictlyRoman'.33He bolsters his argumentby saying that it is
inadvisableto relyupon a countrygirl'sreputationforchastityuntilher conduct in town is
observed,slylyaddingthateveryoneknowswhatgoes on in thecountry,a further referenceto
the adulterousliaisons of mythattributedto Jupiterand Mars. This section is crucial for
understandingthe poem: here the speakerstatesbluntlythe utterimprobabilityof findinga
chastewife,a statementwhichthe restofthe poem is designedto 'prove'.
The first'proof' of his assertioncomes immediately,in the speaker's directappeal to
Postumusto use his own eyes. In two 'innocent'questions (60-2) he asks Postumusifhe can
see a woman who matchesup to his prayersin the arcades or in the theatres,both places
frequentedby women. The implicationis thatthisis impossible.He proceedsto illustratehis
warningwiththescenarioofan aristocratcalled Lentulus decoratinghis house to celebratethe
birthof a child (78-9), a son who resemblesa gladiator.This horrificscenariouses the social
extremesof Roman societyto 'prove'thespeaker'sviewthatno womenare chaste.34
The opening of the poem, then,establishesthe specificconcernwith adulterouswives
ratherthanwithwickedwomenin general.This is underscoredbytheexplicitreappearanceof
Pudicitiasome 300 lineslater,in a past-presentcontrastwhichrecallstheopeningofthepoem.
Now (306-I3) her cult is old (ueterem,308) and long obsolete.35Instead of the contrast
between the Golden Age and presenttimes, the contrasthere is between the days of the
Republic when Hannibal was at the city-gates(286-305) and moderntimes,36when wives
enjoysexual frolicstogetheron theirway home: theytaketurns'riding'one another37 and then
urinate against the statue of Pudicitia, with the consequence that in the morningtheir
husbands treadin puddles of theirwives' urine. The women's attitudeto Pudicitiaindicates
graphicallytheirviewson marriageand fidelity.
These two passages whichfeaturePudicitiaplay an importantrole in thestructureofthe
poem. The themeof Pudicitia initiatesa prologue (I-24) which refersto the Golden Age to
marka decline in morality.A second prologue (286-300) features
thealtarofPudicitiaand
refersto thedaysofrepublicanchastity,againto condemnthedeclinein morals.Accordingly,
the poem reaches a climax (634-6I) in anothercomparisonwhich marksa decline fromthe
wicked wives of tragedy to modern wicked wives. The poem encompasses the flight,
obsolescence,and disappearanceof Pudicitia.

III

The concernwithwives,especiallyadulterousones, is further

borneout by an examination
of the poem's content.38This shows that the vast majorityof topics eitherexplicitlytreat
adulteryor adapt othermisogynistictopoi to incorporateadultery.39
Most obvious are the explicit examples of wives' infidelityto their husbands.
(i) Lines 60-75, women in theatres.Womengive way to theirsexual urgesand are portrayed
treatingactors as female fans treat modern performers,fondling mementoes, such as

3 On the univira, see S. B. Pomeroy,Goddesses, TheMoraland PoliticalTraditionofRome(I967), I7-I9.

Whores,
Wives,and Slaves (I97), i6i; Lattimore,op. 37 For 'in ... uices equitant'of the sexual act, here
cit. (n. 22), 296 n. 25I and G. Williams,'Some aspectsof between women: J. N. Adams, The Latin Sexual
Romanmarriageceremoniesand ideals',JRS 48 (I958), Vocabulary(I982), i66.
23-4. Certainritualswerereservedto uniuirae:J.Gage, 38 For thelegalframework, see J. F. Gardner,Women
Matronalia (I963), 59-60, I20-2. Cf. n. 74 below. in RomanLaw and Society(i 986), 77-8.
3 On the Romans'horror of adulterybetweenwomen 39 Not surprisingly,the words for husband (uir,
ofhighstatusand menoflowerstatus,see Treggiari,op. maritus) and for adulterer/adulteress (adulter and
cit. (n. 9), 308 and cf.n. 85 below. For an example,Plin., moechuslmoecha)occur frequentlyin the poem: uir
Ep. VI-3I-4-6. fifteentimes;marituseighteentimes;adulterfivetimes;
3 Thus LivyX.23. moechusfivetimesout of a totalof eleven instancesin
36 Juvenal hereincorporates theclassicRomanexplana- Juvenal'spoemsand moechaonce froma totaloftwicein
tionofthedeclineinmorals,cf.Sall., B.C. I0; D. C. Earl, Juvenal'spoems.

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76 SUSANNA H. BRAUND

the underwear,of theiridols (70); it is alleged thattheywillinglysleep withthe actors (73).

(2) Lines 82-I I3, theextendedexampleofa senator'swife,Eppia, who elopes withherlover,a
gladiatornamed Sergius. Particularemphasisis placed on thefactthatEppia is a bad wife,who
neglectshusband,children,family,fatherland,and reputation.(3) Lines II 5-35, theemperor
Claudius' wife,Messalina. She was supposedlyso over-sexedthatshe workedin a brothelby
nightand was not satisfiedeven then. This is a reworkingof the themeofwomen'svoracious
sexual appetite, a theme common in ancient literatureabout women, both serious (e.g.
Aristotle,Gen. An. I.20 728a) and comic (e.g. Aristophanes,Lysis. 124-35). Juvenaldraws
attentionto the act of adulteryhere not only by the startlingoxymoronmeretrixAugusta
('whore-empress',i i8) but also by the descriptionof Messalina returningto her husband's
pulvinar (I32).4O Significantly,Messalina makes her way to the brothel surreptitiously,
wearinga hood, cucullus; besides beingpartofthe lubriciousflavourfavouredin such stories
of membersof the imperialhousehold indulgingin the low life,41the cucullus seems to be
especiallyassociatedwithadulteryin thepoems ofJuvenal.42(4) Lines 279-85, thewifecaught
in the armsof a slave or a knight.The scene of confrontation is presentedin livelydialogue.
(5) Lines 3I4-45, the perversionof the Bona Dea rites. This exclusivelyfemale ritual is
presentedas a frenziedand drunkenorgy, leading to a climax in which the women will
summon anythingmale - even a donkey - to satisfytheir sexual appetite (329-34).
(6) The 'Oxford' fragment.These lines present many objections to keeping a cinaedus
(a passive homosexual) on the household staff,43 of which the crowningand surprising
allegationis thatit is impossibleto trustthesecinaedi ('haud tamenillisemperhabenda fides',
0 20I ) ,44 foran adulterermaylurkundertheguise ofa cinaedus. Paradoxically,thesofterhe
looks,themoreathletiche willbe in bed. This is thecontextofthefamousJuvenaliantag,'quis
custodietipsos custodes?'(0 3 I-2), 'who is to guardtheguardsthemselves?'(7) Lines 366-78,
adulterywitheunuchs. One of theirattractionsis thatno abortionsare needed (368), a fact
which clearlyshows thatthe women are thoughtto have sexual relationswiththe eunuchs.
(8) Lines 379-97, women fallformusicians. These theytreatlike pop-stars(like the actors
earlier, 11. 60-75). Adulterycan be assumed. (9) A particularlyimportanttopic which
presupposesadulteryis the allegationthatwomen producespuriouschildren,45 whichoccurs
prominently nearthestartand theend ofthepoem. Lines 76-8i depicta gladiator'schildborn
into the house of an aristocratand 11.592-609 suppose the birth of a black child into a
respectable household. Given that the primarypurpose of Roman marriagewas for the
procreationofheir(s) forthehusband (e.g. 38-9, tollere... heredem;6oo, decolorheres),46the
thwartingofthispurposethroughthedeceptionofadulteryis probablytheparamountoffence
againstthe institution.
Many moresectionsofthepoem introducethethemeofadulterywhereitis notobvious or
intrinsicto the theme announced. This extensionof the theme of adulteryoffersfurther
supportto the thesisthatthe poem is an argumentagainstmarriageon the groundsof likely
infidelityby thewife. (io) Lines I36-4I, therichwife. In the brieftreatmentofthisstandard
topic, instead of complaintsabout the rich wife rulingher husband in termsfamiliarfrom
earlierliterature,47 the criticism-is
thatshe has boughtthe freedomto communicateblatantly
with her lover(s). (ii) Lines 200-23, a list of the tormentsof marriage.Here, the adultery
themereappearswiththeassertionthatthehusbandwillbe obligedby hiswifeto writeintohis
will as heirsmorethanone ofthe rivalsforhis wife'saffections(2I8). (I 2) Lines 23I-4I, the

4 puluinar denotedthe bed of the emperor,as quasi- 45 adulterladulterium was derivedby Romansfromad
divine being, OLD puluinar b, e.g. Suet., Dom. I3.I, + alter: e.g. Papinian,D. XLVIII.5.6.i 'proprieadulterium
Sen., Dial. xI.i6.4. in nuptacommittitur, propterpartumex alteroconceptum
41 e.g. Suet.,Ner. 26.
compositonomine'('strictly speakingadultery is committed
42
cf. 6.330, 8.145 nocturnus adulter disguised with a marriedwoman, the name being derivedfrom
Santonico... cucullo. childrenconceivedbyanother'),cf.R. Maltby,ALexicon
43 cf. 14.30 wherethecinaedi ofthehouseholdabetthe ofAncient LatinEtymologies ( i 99 I ), S.V.
lady'sadulterybycarrying messages. 46 cf.e.g. Plaut.,Miles Gl. 703-15.
The wordingrecalls2.8, 'frontisnulla fides'.In his 47 See Hor., Od. III.24.I9-20; Eur., Phaethon158-9,
descriptionof the disguisedadulterer(O 21-2), Juvenal withthecommentary ofJ. Diggle; Arist.,NE 8.i i6iai;
reworksseveral details fromSatire 2.93-8, a passage Mart.VIII. I2. The uxordotatawas a stockcharacter-type
which portrayspassive homosexualsand effeminates in Roman comedy,R. L. Hunter,The New Comedyof
stagingtheirownBona Dea rites,e.g.fuligineas eyemake- Greece and Rome (i985), 90-2, E. Schuhmann,'Der
Up 0 21, cf. 2.93-5; reticulatus0 22, cf. 2.96; notethe Type deruxordotatain denKomodiendes Plautus',Phil.
incidenceofyellowfabricsin both(croceis,galbina). 121 (1977), 45-65-

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 JUVENAL - MISOGYNIST OR MISOGAMIST? 77
mother-in-law topos(as prevalentin the ancientworld as it is in moderncomedy).48 Among
the complaintsis thatthe mother-in-law teachesherdaughterhow to conductan affairwitha
lover, herselfdeceivingthe guards or bribingthem to allow her daughter'sillicitliaison or
simulating illness so that her daughter can visit her, for the purposes of adultery.49
(I3) Lines 268-85, quarrels in bed. This too incorporatesthe topic of adultery.The wife's
cause of complaintis hypocritical:she bewails her husband's affairswith boys and with an
inventedmistress(272) whenall thetimein herdesk she has lettersfromherlover. (I4) Lines
350-65, poor women (or, at least, relativelypoor).50The example, Ogulnia, who hiresall the
necessaryentouragefora visitto thegames, yetlavishesthe remainsof herfamilyfortuneon
presentsfor the athletesshe favours,clearly carries an implicationof adultery,given the
obvious analogywiththeactorsearlier(60-75).
(i5) Lines 398-4I2, the 'gossip' or 'busy-body'. This woman encroaches on a male
preserveby chattingwithherhusband'sfriends(and in herhusband'spresencetoo,praesente
marito (400), to his greaterembarrassment).Prominentamonghertopicsofconversationare
illicitliaisons,fought-over lovers,and thecause and circumstancesofthewidow's pregnancy.
Again, a generalcomplaintagainstwomen is adapted to the specificthemeof adultery;many
other,non-adulteroustopicscould have been attributedto the'gossip'. (i6) Lines 4I3-33, the
wifewho is vicioustowardsany lowlyneighbourswho inadvertently disturbherslumbersyet
inconsiderateherselfin hereveningvisitto thebaths. Althoughthereis nothingexplicitabout
adulteryin this section,the descriptionof the woman's aliptes (anointeror masseur) at the
baths is suggestive.(I7) Lines 434-56, the intellectualwoman ('worse still',grauior). This
typeofwifeallegedlyneverstops lecturingpeople and therebyinvadesanothermale preserve
(explicit at 445-7; cf. the case of the 'gossip' above). Especially significantis the choice of
topic: Juvenalhas her forgiveDido: 'perituraeignoscitElissae' (435). Virgil's Dido was a
womanofthehigheststatuswho could be and was regardedas havinghad an illicitrelationship
whichinvolvedherbreakinghervow offidelityto herhusband Sychaeus: hence the powerof
her storyas a moral exemplumforthe Augustan audience of the poem.51In Satire 6 the
intellectualwoman's sympathyfor Dido may be intendedto reveal somethingof her own
moralsand seemsto be an (indirect)introductionofthe adulterythemeintothissection.
(i8) Lines 457-73, the beautificationof women with jewelleryand cosmetics. In this
stocktheme,52 itis allegedthatfemaleshamelessnessdoes notknowwhereto stop and extends
to the public displayof richjewels, accusationsredolentof sumptuarylegislationsuch as the
Oppian laws forbiddingor limitingthe displayofwealthby women.53More importantforthe
presentenquiryis thechargethatthewoman laboursat home to improveherappearance,for
the benefitnot of her husband but of her lovers(464-6). In this way the standardtopic of
cosmeticsis adapted to thethemeofinfidelity.(i 9) Lines 474-5 I I, a descriptionofthetypical
patternof the woman's day. The unfaithfulwifeis picturedgettingreadyforan assignation
withherlover55and beingthoroughlyviciouswiththeslave who is dressingherhair(487-93),
itselfanothertopos.56 The timeand attentionlavishedon hercoiffure- a council (consilium,
407) is held to discussit57- is contrastedwithherlackofconcernforherhusbandor thecost.

48 Donatus says that Terence departs from usual
practicein presentingon stagea mother-in-law who is a
noblecharacter(ad HecyramI98 and 774).
49 1: 'simulataegritudinem socrus,ut habeatfacultatem
ad se filiaueniendicausa adulterii'('the mother-in-law
feignsillness,so thatherdaughterhas an opportunity of
visitingher forthe purposeof adultery');cf. Ov., Am.
II.2.2i and Mart.XI.7.7, bothof visits a
of friend.
50 I suggestthatthe followingsequenceof sectionsbe
adopted: cinaedi (Oxfordfragment), eunuchs(366-78),
Ogulnia (o-6S), singers(379-7): the Ogulniasection
introducesdiscussionof singersby itsmentionof public
entertainments.Contrast the OCT, which has the
sequence Ogulnia (35o-65), cinaedi (Oxfordfragment),
eunuchs (366-78), singers (379-97); contrast too
Martyn'stext (J. R. C. Martyn,D. IVNI IVVENALIS
SATVRAE (i987)), wherethesequenceis cinaedi(Oxford
fragment), Ogulnia (35o-65), eunuchs(366-78), singers
(379-7). Martynand I agree,however,in placingthe
Oxfordfragment after345 and on the excisionof 346-8
(following Ribbeck and Clausen) as a doublet of
0 30-2.
"' On thisaspectofDido, see Williams,op. cit. (n. 33),
23-4.
52 For cosmeticsas a standardtopic,cf.Ov., Rem.Am.
35 i-6, Medic. Fac., Lucian, E(wrE;TE,38-41.
53 cf. Liv. xxxiv.i-8, Val. Max. IX.I.3, Tac., Ann.
III.34, Orosius IV.20.14, Zonaras IX.I7.I; G. Rotondi,
Leges publicae populi Romani (1912, repr. I966), 254,
P. Culham,'The Lex Oppia', Latomus41 (1982), 786-93
and idem,'Again,whatmeaninglies in colour!',ZPE 64
(I986), 235-45-
54 cf. Lucil. 534-5W, 'cum tecum es, quiduis satis est;
uisuri alieni sint homines, spiram pallas redimicula
promit' ('when she is with you, anything will do; should
othermenbe comingto see her,she bringsout herchin-
ribbons, her mantles, her headbands').
ss Indicatedby the location,the templeof Isis (489);
cf.Sat. 9.22-5, notemoechus25.
56 cf. Mart. 2.66, Ov., Am. I.I4.i6, A.A. 3.239.
57The languagehere recallsDomitian'sconsiliumin
Satire 4: sententia,498, cf. 4.136; censebunt,500, cf.
censes, 4.130; 'tamquam famae discrimenagatur aut
animae'(soo-x), cf.'tamquam.. .'4.147-8.

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78 SUSANNA H. BRAUND

(20) Lines 5II-9I, the superstitiouswoman. Even this sectionincludes illicitliaisons.

The priestofCybele (ingenssemiuir,5 I 2-I 3) pardonsthewomanwho has notabstainedfrom
(illicit) sex58during a particularholy period (535-4I). Among the other agents of the
supernaturalconsultedby the wifeare the easterndivinerwho promisesher a loveror a rich
man's legacy(548-9: withan invitationto thinkthatthe legacyis forservicesrendered?)and
the astrologerswhomshe asks about herhusband'sdeath,about hermother,sister,uncle and
- the climaxto the list- about her lover(565-8). (2I) The finalsectionofthe poem alleges
adulteryindirectly:thehusbandis cynicallyurgedto givehis wifetheabortifacient she wants,
because if she goes ahead withthe pregnancy,he will not prove to be the fatherof her child
(599-600); thatthechild is mentionedas the husband'sheir(heres,6oo-i) revivesthe earlier
topic ofthe husband'swill (2I8).
This detailed examinationof the poem shows that the vast majorityof topics are
intrinsically relevantto thethemeofadulteryor are adaptedto become so.59 This suggeststhat
thereare verystronginternalgroundsforviewingSatire 6 as a dissuasion frommarriage,a
X0yog6MOTQ8tTUX0g ya'oR, chieflybecause ofwomen'salleged infidelity.

IV

We turn now fromthe internalevidence of the poem itselfto a considerationof the

externalevidenceofrhetoric.The palpable influenceoftherhetoricaltraditionupon Juvenal's
poems togetherwithJuvenal'sprobable identitywiththefacundus Iuuenalis mentionedby
Martial' alone suggestthatitis profitableto lookin thisdirection.But itis possibleto go much
further.Cairnsjustifieshisview (above, n. 8) thatSatire 6 shouldbe categorizedas an example
in poetryofaprogymnasmaon thebasis that'because theywerechildhoodexercises,they[sc.
progymnasmata]can be considered as the minimumformalrhetoricalequipment of any
literateperson fromthe Hellenisticperiod on'.61This is borne out by the ancientevidence:
according to the treatiseof 'Pseudo-Dionysius' (possibly third/fourth centuryA.D.), the
subject of the desirabilityof marriagewas set as an elementaryexercisein Oeou;writingmore
oftenthan any othersubject.62Hence Juvenal'saudience was in a position immediatelyto
identifythe poem as growingout of and indeed thoroughlyengaged with the rhetorical
tradition.
The ideologicalnexus surroundingmarriageand adulteryin the rhetoricaltextsmay be
gauged froma broad evidentialbase. The titlesand themesof the speeches preservedby the
Elder Seneca in his Controuersiaeand Suasoriae show thatwives and adulterywere standard
topics of declamation.63Valerius Maximus devotesa sectionof his handbookofexempla for
oratorsto pudicitia (6. i). Material in the earlybooks of Livy fallsinto a similarexemplary
in particular
category, thestoriesofLucretia(i.S7-9) and Verginia(III.44-9), despitetheir
markedpoliticalslant./ Later, amongtheMinorDeclamations attributedto Quintilianis one
58 The expression 'uiolato... cadurco'(the sex act has 63
e.g. the titleof Sen., Contr.6.6; adultera uenefica
'profanedthecoverlet'537) seemsto implyadultery. ('the adulteresswho was a poisoner'); in Suas. 2.2I a
" Onlya fewtopicsinthepoemarenotexplicitly linked controuersia is mentioned'about thewomanwho argued
withadultery:thebeautifulwifeso expertat spendingher beforematronsthatchildrenshouldnotbe rearedand is
husband's money (142-60); the proud wife (I6I-83, thereforeaccused of harmingthe state'; the outlineof
though'intactioromni .. . Sabina' I63-4 introducesthe Contr.2.7, 'A manwitha beautifulwifewentoffabroad.A
themeof chastity:the Sabine womenwere examplesof foreigntradermoved intothe woman'sneighbourhood.
pudicitia,cf. Juv. 10.297-9); thewomanwho uses lewd He threetimesmade herpropositions ofa sexualnature,
speech (i 84-j9); womenwho enterthe law-courts offering sums of money.She said no. The traderdied,
(242-5, unlessthechargeon whichwomenaredefendants leavingherall hiswealthinhiswill,towhichhe addedthe
in courtis adultery). clause: "I foundherchaste."She tookthe bequest. The
60 R. Syme,RomanPapers iII (ed. A. R. Birley,1984), husband returned and accused her of adultery on
1134- suspicion.'See De Decker,op. cit. (n. 6), 23-9 forsome
ol Cairns,op. cit. (n. 8), 75; cf. D. L. Clark,Rhetoric detailed congruencesbetween the Controversiaeand
in Greco-RomanEducation (I9S7), i77ff. and D. A. Satire 6.
Russell,'Rhetorsat thewedding',PCPhS n.s. 25 (I979), 64 On pudicitia in ValeriusMaximusand Livy, see E.
io6 on progymnasmata; the latter discusses the Fantham,'Stuprum:public attitudesand penaltiesfor
epithalamium specifically. sexual offencesin RepublicanRome', Echos du Monde
62 [Dion. Hal.] Ars26I (translated inD. A. Russelland Classique n.s. IO (I99I), 273-82. On Livy's political
N. G. Wilson(eds), MenanderRhetor(i 98 I), Appendix engagement,see Treggiari,op. cit. (n. 9), 212, Richlin,
362-8I); cf. Russelland Wilsonad Men. Rhet.400.32ff. op. cit. (n. 32), 383, and on the value of Lucretiaas an
forsomeotherreferences. exemplum,see Richlin,op. cit. (n. I4), 68.

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 JUVENAL - MISOGYNIST OR MISOGAMIST? 79
entitled'the pregnantadulteress',praegnans adultera (277), again testifying to the concern
with chastity.But of paramountimportanceis the evidence of Theon's progymnasmata65
(second centuryA.D.) and of Quintilianin his InstitutioOratoria (only a couple of decades
earlierthan Juvenal). Aelius Theon cites as examples of a O&?m;: o0oV ci yactrT?ov,a
nr8onroiiTnov, ci Omo0 dWL,'if one should marry,if one should have children,if thereare
gods' (I2.242); he lists i yaC[qrTr?ov 'if one should marry',as one of the practical (caE
3z9cLXTLX() as opposed to theoretical(aE 0?OwQqTLxca) typesof O&st; (I2.244) and later he
distinguishessimple (ditkaf) and compound (auvvEEuy,u?vaL) types with the examples,
'Should one marry?' (El ya,[qt?ov) and 'Should a king marry?' (Et Ia3dL?X Ya[Eqtov)
respectively(I2.253) .66 At InstitutioOratoria 11.4.24-5, Quintiliangives a list of the theses
(generalor abstractquestions) whichhave affinities withor belong in the class of deliberative
oratory,includingwhethertownor countrylifeis preferable,whetherthelawyeror thesoldier
deservesthe greatestpraise,whetherone should marry(ducendane uxor?) and whetherone
should seek political office.It is significantthat all these topics receive attentionfromthe
writersof Roman satire,townand countrymostobviouslyin Horace, Satires ii.6 and Juvenal
3,67 the lifestyle
of the soldierand the lawyerat the openingof Horace SatiresI. I (11.4-I 2),68
politicalofficein Horace, Persius,and Juvenal(e.g. Hor., Sat. i.6 and ii.6, Ep. 1.7, Pers.,Sat.
4, Juv. I0.56-I 3), and marriagein Juvenal'ssixthsatire.
Quintilianprovidesfurtherilluminatingevidence. At InstitutioOratoria 11.4.22 he lists
as his firstexample of 'commonplaces'(communesloci) thepracticeof denouncingthevice of
adultery,again showingtheprominentconcernwithmarriageand infidelity. And at III.5.8 he
distinguishesindefinitefromdefinitequestionswiththe example,'Should a man marry?',an
uxor ducenda?, and 'Should Cato marry?' an Catoni ducenda? This languageis reflectedin
Satire 6 mostcloselyat 20I-2 wherethewords ducendi nulla uideturcausa ('thereseems to
be no reasonformarrying')betraytherhetoricalthesiswhichformsthebackboneofthepoem.
Furthermore,Satire 6 is evidentlypresentedas a persuasionby the speakerto his addressee
Postumus and in that respect its thesis resembles the definitetype of question, 'Should
Postumusmarry?',an Postumoducenda? On thebasis oftheprominenceand treatmentofthe
themesof marriageand adulteryin the rhetoricaltradition,then,the poem gains coherence
whenviewed as a variationon a standardthemeof rhetoric.69
It maybe possible to go stillfurtherand on the basis of a comparisonbetweenSatire 6,
especially its opening, and Menander Rhetor's treatise tEQ9L tLOaXkcct[oto suggest that
Satire6 presentsan adaptationorinversion oftheepithalamium.70 MenanderRhetorrecommends
thatwhendeliveringan epithalamiumtheorator'sfirstpropositionshouldbe thatmarriageis a
good thing,otT xakov 6 ya6tog(40I.I); clearlythe precise inverseof this statementmight
serve as a titleto Satire 6. Menander then recommends(40I) that the oratorbegin at the
beginningof time, with the creationof Marriage immediatelyafterChaos, and move on to
mentionZeus and Prometheusand thenlinkmarriagewiththemarksofcivilization- sailing,
farming,philosophy,law, and government.Then the oratorshould proceed to deliver an
encomiumon thosemarrying, praisingthebrideand bridegroomfortheirorigins,talents,and
beauty (403-4). Then, in the prescriptionfor the xaTcEUvaGTLX6g, 'the bedroom speech',
deliveredas an encouragementto enterthe marriagechamber,Menander urgesthe oratorto
uttera prayerthatthebride and herhusband producechildrenwhichresemblethem(407).
Juvenaladapts these points, and in the same sequence. For the god of Marriage, he
substitutesthe goddess Pudicitia (1. i), picturingPudicitia on earth in earliesttimes (the
SaturnianAge), 'when earthwas youngand skywas new' ('orbe nouo caeloque recenti',i i).
He alludestothestoryofPrometheus(who produced'menformedofmud','compositiueluto'I3)
65
On theprogymnasmataof Theon, see Russell and thesoldier'slifewiththelawyer'slife.
Wilson,op. cit. (n. 62), xxv-xxvii. 69 SimilarlyCairns, op. cit. (n. 8), 38-49 categorizes
66 cf. SulpiciusVictor,Inst. Or. 3, Hermogenes, Prog. Satire 3 as an 'inverse'syntaktikon (the farewellof a
i i; and Aphthonius (latefourth/early fifth
century),Prog. departingtraveller);withinthis frameworkthe poem
13 whodiscussesthedesirability ofmarriageas a themefor deliversa dissuasionfromcitylife,cf. Braund,op. cit.
rhetoric. (n. 67), 23-8.
67 For other,shorter, passages on the themeof town 70 For the use of MenanderRhetorto illuminatethe
and countryin Romansatire,see S. H. Braund,'Cityand genresof rhetoricat earlierperiods,see Cairns,op. cit.
countryin Romansatire',in S. H. Braund(ed.), Satire (n. 8), 34-75, cf. I. M. LeM. DuQuesnay, 'Vergil'sFirst
and SocietyinAncientRome( I989), 43-7. Eclogue',in F. Cairns(ed.), PapersoftheLiverpoolLatin
68 One might surmise that the theme of Juvenal's SeminarIII (i98i), 53ff.
incompletesixteenthsatirewas similarly a comparisonof

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8o SUSANNA H. BRAUND

and mentionsJupiter,not in praise of his unions with women and nymphs,as Menander
suggests,but to suggestthatPudicitiaremainedon earthonlyuntilJupiterbegan to enjoya sex
lifeof illicitliaisons (I5-I6). Instead of seeing Marriageas a causal forcein civilization,he
viewsadultery(whichpresupposestheexistenceofmarriage)as theearliestofthemanycrimes
hu-manscommit (2I-4, e.g. anticum). Juvenalgoes on to invertthe requirementsof the
epithalamiumby heaping criticisminsteadof praise on the wifeand husband, payingmore
attentionto thewife,as an oratorwould do in an epithalamium.
Referenceto Menander in facthelps account forthe two paragraphsearlyin the poem
whichseem to offerequal criticismofboth husband and wife,namely11.I36-4i and I42-60.
Moreover,the women in thesetwo sectionsmighton the face of it seem to be ideal wives, in
Menander'sterms,thefirstbeingrichand thesecond beautiful.Juvenalexplodesthemythby
revealingthesordid'truth'.From thebedroomspeechJuvenalborrowsthemotifoftheprayer
thata man's childrenshould resemblehim- notonlyin characterbut in looks,to offerproof
of paternity.71 This pointappears earlyin the poem (76-8i) and again towardsthe end (592-
609), but in invertedform,as he imaginesobviouslyspuriouschildrenbeing presentedto the
addressee.72Finally, we mightnote thatMenander urges the use of mythologicalexamples
(408.30-409.8). Juvenalinvertsthis too, offeringnot the positive examples suggested by
Menander but images of mythologicalwives with negativeassociations,particularlyat the
close of the poem: Medea and Procne (643-4), the Danaids, Eriphyle,and Clytemnestra
(655-6). This analysissuggeststhatJuvenalwas familiarwiththestandardsequence oftopics
prescribedfor the occasion of the epithalamiumand adapts or invertstheni for his satiric
purposes. Members of his audience would have been alive to thisadaptationof the rhetorical
trainingin whichmanyofthemhad shared.
To tracethe interrelationship ofJuvenal'spoem withrhetoricis notto reduceSatire 6 to
thestatusofa game of'recognizethetopos'. An understandingofthetreatmentofmarriagein
rhetoricinformsthetreatmentofmarriagein poetryand vice versa,withno subordinationof
one to theother.Nor is thereanysuggestionthattherhetoricor poetryinhabita plane inferior
to social'reality'.Both,likeotherformsofdiscourse,are engagedintheconstructionofimages
of 'reality'.73 These imagesare of course ideologicallyloaded in orderto fulfiltheirpersuasive
purposesand theythusarticulatecertaindesiresand anxieties.Rhetoric,likepoetry,not only
reflectstheconcernsoftheelitebut itselfbecomes an intrinsicconstituentoftheexperienceof
the Roman intelligentsia.All these formsof discourse, poetry,rhetoric,philosophy,and
legislation,are channelsthroughwhichviews of Roman moralityare constituted,rehearsed,
reinforced,and transmitted.
The same interrelationshipholds good for other forms of discourse on wives and
marriage,includingtheepitaphswhichcontainencomiaofwivesbytheirhusbands,ofwhicha
classic example is the so-calledLaudatio Turnae,74and the writingsby philosopherssuch as
Aristotle,Theophrastus,Epicurus, Seneca, and Plutarch.7sAn issue ofparticularinterestwas
whetherit was a good thingor not fora philosopherto marry,el 4ur6&oV T4 4+tX0o0o4EV
y6,uog,raised, for example, by Musonius Rufus (p. 74.I5), which seems to be a limited
applicationoftheindefiniterhetoricalthesis,'Should a man marry?',in Quintilianand similar

71
cf.Hesiod, WD 235 withM. L. West,Hesiod. Works
and Days (1978), ad loc.; Cat. 6i.221-5, Hor., Od.
IV.5.23,Mar.VI.27.3-4, Chariton ll.11.2, andinepitaphs
EG 243b and CE 387.8-I I cited by Lattimore,op. cit.
Mart.VI.39'ingrabatis
(n. 22), 276-7; contrast tegetibusque
conceptimaternaproduntcapitibussuis furta'('creatures
conceived on truckle-bedsand mats betray by their
featurestheirmother'sadulteries',11.4-5). A fragment of
Seneca praisesthepudica as not spoilingher ancestors'
blood byclandestineoffspring, Jeromeadv. Iovin. I.49).
72 The inversion is mostobvious at 597-8 wherethe
an
huisbandis urgedto administer abortion-inducing drug
to his wife,to preventhim frombeingpresentedwitha
childwhodoes notresemblehim.
73 See in generalP. L. Bergerand T. Luckmann,The
Social Constructionof Reality (i967) and on Roman
antiquity M. Foucault,TheHistory ofSexuality3TheCare
of theSelf (trans.R. Hurley, i988) and P. Veyne'The
RomanEmpire',in P. Ariesand G. Duby (eds),AHistory
ofPrivateLifeI (trans.A. Goldhammer,I 987), 5-234.
74 cf.also Lattimore,op. cit. (n. 22), 295-7; Libanius,
Decl. 26.9 (6 p. 5I6 Foerster) on the praises of a
prospective wife.NoteJuvenal'sreference here(6.230) to
funerary monuments,'titulores dignasepulchri'('a feat
whichshouldbe carvedon hertombstone').
75 Important materialis preservedthroughthecopious
quotationsand referencesin Jerome'streatiseAduersus
Iouinianum1.41-9; see Schuetze,op. cit. (n. I0), 35-44,
also Epicurus fr. I9 Usener. Foucault, op. cit. (n. 73),
I45ff., for the pronouncementson marriageof the
philosophicalschools. Seneca's De Matnimoniopresum-
ablysupportedmarriage;itsthemesand arguments were
probablyinvertedby Juvenalin Satire 6 (on his likely
acquaintancewithotherworksof Seneca e.g. De Ira, see
Anderson,op. cit. (n. I), 293-36I, esp. 315, 341). Many
pointsin theya,lAxa aaYYE'XjaTa addressedtothebride
and groomby Plutarch(Moralia 138a-146a) appear in
Juvenal'spoem in invertedform,as allegationsagainst
women.

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 JUVENAL - MISOGYNIST OR MISOGAMIST? 8i
to Theon's enquiry,'Should a kingmarry?',both notedabove. WhereasMusonius supported
marriage,Theophrastus,in contrast,attackedit as unsuitablefora philosopher.Accordingly,
thereare a numberofparallelsbetweenJuvenaland Theophrastus(as reportedby Jerome).76
WhetherJuvenalknew the workof Theophrastus directlyor indirectlyis immaterial;he is
clearlyusing some elementsfromthe philosophicaltraditionto bolsterhis argumentagainst
marriage.The evidence runs counterto Courtney'sconclusion that 'the attemptto study
Juvenal'spoem in the lightof a literarytraditionis unprofitable';77 on the contrary,Juvenal
appears to be thoroughlyimmersedin all formsof contemporarydiscourseon the themeof
marriage.
The legislationabout marriageand adulteryconstitutesanotherelementin theideological
nexus. The condemnationofadulteryin Satire 6 reproducesa concernwhichcan be traced(or
projected)back to thebeginningofthe Republic in thelaw on adulteryallegedlyinstitutedby
Romulus78and situatedin thesecond centuryB.c. in thesterndeclarationabout thehusband's
rightto killhis wifeattributedto Cato by Gellius and thus evidentlyin currencyin Juvenal's
time.79The visionand condemnationofubiquitousadulteryin contemporary Rome strikesthe
tone of an old-fashionedCatonian moralist.80
We can go further.The referenceto the Augustan legislationearlyin the poem (38)81
evokes the problematicsof the unprecedentedintervention of the stateinto privatemorality
underlinedby Edwards.82Since traditionally a woman'sconductwithinthehomewas a matter
forherfamily,in particularherfatherand herhusband,83thelegislationmayreflecta situation
in which privatemoralitywas deemed insufficiently self-regulating; whetheror not thiswas
so, the laws representedthe emperor'sexertionof powerover the privatelives ofindividuals.
The provisionsofthelegislationincludetwoareasofparticularrelevancetoSatire 6. Firstly,it
incorporatesthe predictabledouble standardforwomenand formen84whichis articulatedat
the opening of the poem where the most notoriousof adulterersis depicted seekinga pure
woman whom he can marry(38-46). Secondly, it reflectsthe horrorof alliances between
womenoftheeliteand menoflowerstatuswhichrecursthroughoutthepoem.85In thisrespect
this and other legislation reveals a concern during the early Principate to maintain or
strengthen The motiveswereeconomicas
thedistinctionsoftheexistingsocial stratification.86
well as socio-political.As Wallace-Hadrillargues, one of the functionsof marriage,at least
among the wealthyclasses, was 'to act as a vehicle for the transmissionof propertyfrom
generationto generation';87 thishelps explainAugustus'encouragementofthefamilythrough
legislationwhichimposed penaltiesupon the unmarriedand childless.88These ideas seem to
correspondcloselywiththeemphasiswhichemergesfroma studyofSatire 6 upon the proper
conduct and functionof marriage,namely,the husband's controlover the wife, with the
purposeof providinggenuineheirs.
Similarconcernsmayhave motivatedDomitian's re-enforcement ofAugustus'legislation
on marriageand adultery,reportedforexampleby Martialin a clusterofpoems at theopening

76 ConvenientlylistedbyCourtney,op. cit.(n. I), 26I;
cf. J. van Wageningen,'Seneca et luvenalis',Mnemosyne
45 (I9I7), 4I7-29.
7Courtney,op. cit. (n. I), 252.
Dion. Hal. 11.25.6, Plut.,Rom.22.3.
79 GelliusX.23.4-5.
cf. Juv. 2.40, 'tertiuse caelo ceciditCato', 'a third
80
Cato has droppedfromthesky'; 3.3 I4 whereUmbricius
speaks wistfully of the days when Rome experiencedso
littlecrimethatitwas 'satisfiedwitha singleprison'('uno
contentam carcere');5. I o8-I 2 wherethespeakerlongsfor
theordinary courtesyofpatron-client relationships which
(allegedly) pertainedin the days of Senaca, Piso, and
Cotta. On the old moralitypresented here see n. I I2
below.
81 Lex lulia de adulteriis coercendis(I8 B.c.) and Lex
Papia Poppaea (A.D. 9). For fulldiscussionsee Gardner,
op. cit. (n. 38), I27-3I, Treggiari,op. cit. (n. 9), 277-98
and Edwards(see n. 82).
82 C. Edwards in ch. I of herforthcoming book, The
Politics of Immoralityin AncientRome (Cambridge),
discusses the Augustan legislation,in particularits
functionas symbolicdiscourseand itsambivalence.I am
most gratefulto Catharine Edwards for making her
manuscriptavailable to me. Cf. also Richlin,op. cit.
(n. 32), 38I and nowFantham,op. cit. (n. 64), 267-91, an
examination ofattitudesto adultery.
83 On patnia potestas, see Gardner,op. cit. (n. 38),
5-II and on marriagecum manu and sine manu, see
A. Watson, The Law of Persons in the Later Roman
Republic(I967), IO-27 and Gardner,I I-I4.
m Treggiari,op. cit. (n. 9), 299-309; cf. Simone de
Beauvoir,TheSecondSex (trans.H. M. Parshley,I988),
22I-2.
85 cf. n. 34 above. Cf. Richlin,op. cit. (n. 32), 385 on
theextraopprobriumin suchcases.
8 B. Levick,'The Senatus Consultum fromLarinum',
JRS 73 (I983), I 4 connectslegislationon marriageand
adulterywiththaton public performance and infamia,
perceiving'a nexusofmeasuresin theearlyPrincipateto
...strengthenthe existingsocial structureand keep its
stratadistinct.. . and to demonstrateacceptablecanonsof
behaviour'.
87 A. Wallace-Hadrill, 'Family and inheritancein the
Augustan marriage-laws',PCPhS n.s. 27 (I98I), 59;
cf. P. Veyne,'La familleet l'amoura Rome',Annales 33
(1978), 39-40.
88 cf. Gardner,op. cit. (n. 38), 77-8.

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82 SUSANNA H. BRAUND

ofhis sixthbook ofepigrams.89 But Domitian had a reputationforcommittingadulteryamong

other outrages (e.g. Suet., Dom. I.3) and is memorablycharacterizedby Juvenal as 'an
adultererstainedby a union worthyof the tragicstage' ('tragicopollutusadulterconcubitu',
2.29-30). Given thisand otherattacksbyJuvenalupon Domitian,primarilyin thesecond and
fourthSatires, it seems at least plausible that Juvenal'sevocationof the legislationagainst
adulteryin a settingin which adulteryevidentlyabounds may be targetedat Domitian's
hypocrisyand Martial's adulation of Domitian. The evidence of coins with the legend
PVDICITIA mintedearlyin Hadrian's reign90suggeststhatpudicitia was a live issue at the
timewhenJuvenalwas writing.91 Since itwas commonpracticeforan emperorto advertisehis
throughdenigrationof a predecessorwho could be chargedwiththe
(positive) self-definition
opposite,92 it seems likelythatJuvenalin Satire 6 both reflectsand in turnhelps to shape
currentideologywith his directand indirectattacksupon Domitian.93The prominenceof
Pudicitia in Satire 6 and the evocationof the Augustan/Domitianic legislationcohereswith
contemporaryconcerns. At the same time, the poem borrowsfromand contributesto the
debate in rhetoricaland philosophicaldiscourseabout marriage.

So far I have attemptedto show that Satire 6 is a satiricalreworkingof a standard

rhetoricalset-pieceon thethemeofwhetheror nota man shouldmarry,intowhichJuvenalhas
incorporatedboth stockrhetoricalmodels and themesof the encomiasticand philosophical
traditions,which reflectRoman concernswith the purpose and managementof marriage.I
now wish to consider the contributionmade by the poem to that debate by means of an
examinationof the characterof the speakerand his interrelationship with his addressee and
withthe audience, and therebyreturnto the issue ofmisogynyin thepoem.
The basic preliminaryis that'the speaker'is a creationof the authorJuvenaland not a
mouthpieceforhis own personalcrusade againstRoman wives. The conceptofthepersona is
invokedin scholarshipon satire,essentiallya dramaticform,wherein studiesof narrativethe
impliedauthorand impliedaudience are keyconcepts.94Again, referenceto the exercisesin
declamationwhichmembersoftheRoman eliteexperiencedis helpful.The oratorwas trained
masksor moods accordingto the needs of the occasion, ranging
to be able to adopt different
fromindignationto pathos.95It is not, then,surprisingto findthatthe Roman satirists,like
Roman orators,were capable of creatinga varietyof characters.The varietyof personae
available is manifestedparticularlyin the satiricalworksof Horace and Juvenal.96
Juvenalhas createda characterwho is evidentlyan extrememisogynist.The extremity of
this characteris indicated by his own explicit statementsand by other elements of self-
revelation,includinghis exaggeratedclaimsand his angryvocabularyand toneofvoice. More
oblique indicationsresidein his expressionofmale fantasiesand anxietiesin the poem.

89 See Mart. 6.2, 6.4, 'censormaxime... plus debet (I990), esp. I79-O. Hardie in an unpublishedpaper
tibi Roma, quod pudica est' ('greatestof censors... yet which he has generouslyshown me mountsa similar
moreRomeowesyouin thatshe is chaste'),6.7. argumentfora Hadrianicback-dropto Satire 3; ifhe is
See BMCRE p. 355, nos 91I, 9I2, 9I3, p. 537 right,thishas important implicationsforSatire 6, given
nos I877 and I878, p.540, no. I899. thatSatire 3 is ofearlierorcontemporary date; cf. Syme,
91R. Syme, Tacitus(1958), 500, convincingly argues op. cit. (n. 9I).
thatJuvenal'spoems werewrittenduringtheyearsA.D. 94 On persona theoryAnderson'sworkis central,op.
II 5-I 30 and laterreiterates,op. cit. (n. 6o), II 25 n. 37, cit. (n. i), esp. 3-IO; foran excellentrestatement ofthis
that'thereare no validreasonsforsupposingthatJuvenal approach,see the forthcoming studyof Horace by K.
hadpublished
anything
before
I I 7'. Freudenberg(Princeton).On narrative, see J.J.Winkler,
92 See E. S. Ramage,'Juvenaland the establishment: Auctorand Actor:A NarratologicalReadingofApuleius'
denigrationof predecessorsin the 'Satires', in ANRW GoldenAss(I985).
11.33.I (I989), 640-707. For the role playedby satirein 95The rangeoftonesavailablearesetoutinforexample
articulatingparadigmaticimperialideology,see S. H. Rhet. ad. Herenn. 111.23-7 and thetechniqueofcharacter
Braund, 'Paradigms of power: Roman emperors in delineation(notatio) and appropriatedialogue (senno-
Romansatire',in K. Cameron(ed.), HumourandHistory cinatio) at Iv.63-5.
(forthcoming). 9 See Braund, op. cit. (n. 5), I97-8. In the case of
93 On the Hadrianic context behind criticism of Juvenal,thereis a broadhomogeneity withinBooksi and
Domitian in Satire 7, see A. Hardie, 'Juvenaland the ii (i.e. Satires i-6), wherethepersona is essentially
an
conditionof letters:the Seventh Satire', in F. Cairns indignantcharacter,while the later books develop an
(ed.), PapersoftheLeeds International LatinSeminarVI increasingly ironic,detachedand cynicalpersona.

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 JUVENAL - MISOGYNIST OR MISOGAMIST? 83
A veryimportantstatementwhichthespeakermakesrelativelyearlyin thepoem is thathe
cannotstandeven the perfectwoman (i62-83). Crucial is the followingpassage:
sitformonsa,decens,diues,fecunda,uetustos
porticibusdisponatauosintactior omni
crinibuseffusisbellumdirimente Sabina,
raraauisinterrisnigroquesimillima cycno:
quisferetuxoremcuiconstant omnia?(I62-6)
Supposesheis beautiful, graceful,
wealthy, andalso
fertile,
hasancientancestors dotting herhallway;supposesheis purer
thananySabinewithstreaming hairwhostoppeda war
a rarebird,as strangetotheearthas a blackswan;
whocouldendurea wifewhowassucha paragon?
This explicitstatementis crucial forour understandingof the characterof the speaker. His
objection indicatesthat he will never be satisfied.Even in a paragon he can finda fault,if
nothingelse, pride:
malo,
maloVenustinam quamte,Cornelia,mater
Gracchorum, si cummagnisuirtutibusadfers
grandesupercilium etnumerasindotetriumphos. (i66-9)
Better,
better,I say,a commonslutthanyou,Cornelia,
mother oftheGracchi,ifyoucombinewithyourmassivevirtues
a disdainfulexpression,andcountyourtriumphs as partofyourdowry.
The example is chosen to suggest (but not assert) that the perfectwoman is unbearably
proud.97In thiswayJuvenalmakesthespeakerrevealhimselfas biased. Comingso earlyin the
poem, thisstatementprovidesan importantorientation:thisspeakeris a misogynist.
This passage also contains an importantlinguisticsign of the speaker's character: his
intolerance ('quis feret ... ?', 'who could endure ... ?', i66). This feature reappears
significantlyin the finaleto the poem, at 65I, 'illam ego non tulerim. . .' ('I cannotabide the
woman.. .'). The many signs of rage in Satire 6 contributeto the same impression,as
Anderson has demonstratedwith referenceto Book i of the Satires.98 For example, the
speaker's firstdirect address to Postumus (2I-37) is marked by an outburst of amazed
questions, which are oftena mark of indignatio ('... dedisti?' 'have you given ... ?', 27;
..ducis?s"are you taking... ?', 28; and'ferrepotes ... ?"can youendure. . . ?', 30-2) and by
vocabularywhich belongs to the language of indignatio; this continuesthroughthe entire
poem.
As well as the linguisticsigns of anger, the massive, epic, scale of the poem99and its
apparentlack of structure,an effectachievedby asyndetonand the sudden shiftoftopicfrom
section to section, contributeto the characterizationof the speaker as a single-minded
obsessive. For example, at I84-99 he appears to announce a seriesof minorfaultsin women
which irritatetheirhusbands ('quaedam parua quidem, sed non tolerandamaritis',I84), yet
onlyone faultis elaborated.Again, at 474-5 he appears to promisea descriptionofthetypical
patternof a woman's day withthe words, 'it is worththe troubleto studyin detailwhat such
women do to put in the day' ('est pretium curae penitus cognoscere toto quid faciant
agitentquedie'), but gets no furtherthan the woman's vicious punishmentof the household
slavesin themorning:thecrueltythemeapparently distractshimfromhisavowedprogramme.'0?
These broken promises are not signs of Juvenal'sflawedcompositionbut elementsin the
characterizationof the speaker. Someone calm and collected and rational- a philosopher

97 'If' implieswhere'since'wouldassert;evidentlythe 99Satire 6 is by farthelongestsatirein extantRoman

speaker does not dare utter such an assertion (cf.
Courtney,op. cit. (n. I), ad 6.i66); neverthelessthe
conditionis tackedon at theend so thatin Taciteanmode
it reverberateslongest. quotiens 'whenever'at I8o is
similar;cf.Wiesen,op. cit. (n. 5), 726.
98 Anderson,op. cit. (n. I), 278-84: angryrhetorical
questions and the theme of 'enduring'are two classic
marksofindignatio.
versesatire:itis nearly700 lineslong(66i + 34 linesinthe
Oxfordfragment)and occupies the whole of Juvenal's
secondbookon itsown.
100Juvenaluses the same technique of the broken
programmeat Sat. I. I27, conspicuouslynotfollowedby
an accountofthedailyround.

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84 SUSANNA H. BRAUND

expoundinghis systemof beliefs,forexample- would be able to make such a statementand

thenfulfilit; but this angry,raging,fumingmisogynistis much more likelyto be distracted
fromhis avowed intent.
Hyperbole is anothercharacteristicof the obsessive misogynist.For example, in his
dissuasion frommarriagethe speakerfrequentlyrages against domineeringwives, thereby
suppressingthe frequentsituationof Roman brides on theirfirstmarriage,when theywere
oftenveryyoung- marriagewas permittedfromthe age of twelveforgirls10- and leftthe
paternalhome and moved intothehusband's home. On bothcounts,thismusthave rendered
theyoungbrideverymuch a strangerand potentiallyveryisolated. The domineeringwifeis,
in partat least, a fictionmusteredas an elementof the speaker's'proof'. His hyperboleis not
reliablereportagebut one ofhis strategiesof persuasion.
The reliabilityof his descriptionof the women-onlyBona Dea ritesis also flawed.This
episode is evidentlyto be read as theproductofa misogynist'sluridimaginationin itsblend of
women's thrillingand threateningbehaviour.Adoptinga moralizingstance to condemn the
productof his own fantasy,the speakerregretsthatold Roman rites(titusueteres,335; the
emphasis on antiquitysounds Catonian), and especially public rites (publica ... sacra,
335-6), are not freefromsuch corruption,and finishesthe sectionwitha then-nowcontrast
betweentheold dayswhenrespectforreligionexistedand nowwhena Clodius can be foundat
everyaltarviolatingthe rites(342-5), a generalizationfromthe infamousincidentof 62 B.C.
when Clodius infiltrated the Bona Dea ritesin Caesar's house.
Juvenal,it seems, presentsto us a characterwho deliversan indignantdissuasion from
marriage, a poetic treatmentof a rhetoricalOE'Lg, in which he appropriatestraditional
Roman moralityin order to condemn contemporarywomen. How persuasiveis he? Some
weaknessesin his presentationhave alreadybeen indicated: his hyperbole,his unreliability,
his incoherentrage, his universalizationof femalefaults. The finaleto the poem (627-6i)
displaysmostfullyJuvenal'sundercuttingofhis misogynist.Solelyon thelinguisticlevel,this
passage exhibitsa dense concentrationof the characteristics of ragewhichin such abundance
emphasize the dominance of passion over reason.102The speaker's inconsistencyreinforces
this impression. He makes sweeping claims about women poisoning their stepchildren
(627-33) and by way of proofadduces Pontia, who boasted of killingher own children.He
then introducesGreek tragedyas an image of fictionality (634-7) to contrastwith his con-
temporaryallegations,but proceeds to use his citationof Pontia, a modern Medea/Procne
figure,to guaranteethetruthofthemurderessesoftragedy.Then he uses thecontrastbetween
tragicand modernwomento damn thelatterstillfurtherforactingout ofnotpassion (such as
anger,ira, 647, rabies, 648) but greed (conputat,65i). 103 The inconsistencyof his argument
betraysa man desperatelyseekingto make a case. Worse still,his attackon women forbeing
calm and calculatingcoheresillwiththebulkofhis condemnationin whichhe typicallyattacks
women for their lack of self-control,both physicallyand emotionally,particularlyin the
spheresof lustand anger.This contradictionis crystallizedin 11.649-52, wherethe epic-style
simile"04which likenswomen who are carriedaway by emotionto a fallingrock (64950) is
followedby the condemnationof the woman who 'coolly commitsa hideous crime' ('scelus
ingens sana facit',651-2). Yet it is evident that the only person out of controlhere is the
speakerhimself.He proceeds,via an updated and invertedversionofthe mythologicaltale of
Alcestis,to a hyperbolicalclimaxreminiscentofthe pictureof lifein Rome in Book i withhis
assertionthateveryday, everywhere,on everystreet,one meets modernequivalentsof the
women of mythology who allegedlymurderedtheirhusbands (655-6):
occurrentmultaetibiBelidesatqueEriphylae
mane,Clytemestram nullusnonuicushabebit.
Everymorning youmeetEriphyles indozens,andalso
daughters ofDanaus; everystreethasa Clytemnestra.
101 L. F. Raditsa, 'Augustan legislationconcerning tragedyin theircold-bloodedness,see J. C. Bramble,
marriage,procreation, love affairsand adultery',ANRW Persius and the ProgrammaticSatire (i974), i65 and
11.13 (I980), 317; Gardner, op. cit. (n.38), 38-4I; W. S. Smith, 'Heroic models for the sordid present:
Treggiari,op. cit. (n. 9), 398-403. For an exampleofthe Juvenal's viewoftragedy',inANRWii.33.I (i989), 8i 1-23.
age0fap,see Quint.IO 6 pr. 5. in Homer (Hector:
104 The similehas epic antecedents
Discussed in Braund,op. cit. (n. 5), 3-6. Iliad XIII. 136-46) and Virgil(Turnus: Aen. xii.684ff.);
103 On the speaker'sassertionthat satirecan replace here,however,themovementdoes notcometo a halt.
tragedybecausemodernwivesexceedthewickedwivesof

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 JUVENAL - MISOGYNIST OR MISOGAMIST?

This hyperboleoffendscommonsense.105To believehis pictureof Rome - a Rome peopled

by Clytemnestrasand other husband-murderers of tragedy- would be akin to derivinga
pictureof lifein contemporary Britainfromsatiricalentertainments such as SpittingImage.
Moreover,thespeaker'shighmoralstanceis undercutby his apparentfailureto persuade
Postumus to refrainfrommarriage.This emergesfromfollowingthe addressee's changing
situation.106At thestartofthe poem, the addressee,the bachelorPostumus,is contemplating
marriageand searchingfora suitablewife.The speakerwarnshim againstit, on the grounds
thatthereis no chaste woman left,because adulteryhas been so rifeforso long (thanksto
playboyslike Ursidius,moechorumnotissimus,42). As partof his argument,he presentstwo
long,named examplesofunchastewives,Eppia and Messalina. Two puzzled questionsabout
marriageswhichare apparentlyhappyare thenattributedto Postumus;107 he has his illusions
shattered.First: ifall women are so dreadful,whydoes Caesennia's husband call heroptima
(I36)? The answer (I37-4I) is, because she is veryrich (her dowryof a million sesterces
amounted to the senatorialcensus). The second question is: why is Sertoriusblazing with
passion forhis wifeBibula (I42)? The answer (I43-60), because she is pretty.The speaker
predictsthat as soon as she loses her looks, she will be divorced. But until then, she has
everything she wants. Then Postumus,havinghad two seeminglyhappymarriagesexplained
on highlycynicaland disillusioninggrounds,is givena final,despairingquestion(i6i): does no
womanthenseemacceptable?The speaker'sansweris negative(I62-83), as we haveseen above.
The speaker'sfailureto persuade Postumusis indicatedby his marriage(markedby the
descriptionofthewedding-feast and presents,200-5) and bythespeaker'slistofthetorments
that marriagewill bring for Postumus if he is attached to his wife (uxorius, 2o6). These
tormentschartthemultitudinousformsofhumiliationthatPostumusexperiencesas husband,
culminatingthusin thefinalsection:hiswiferefusesto bear hischildren;she killshischildren;
she killshim. That is whythepoem endswhereitdoes: withthewifepoisoningherhusbandor
attackinghim with an axe. That is what has happened or will happen to Postumus. So the
poem has a loose storylinewhich provides an underlyingstructure,108 chartingPostumus'
'progress'frombachelorhoodthroughmarriageto death at the hands of his wife,a 'progress'
whichin a finepiece ofring-composition is portrayedas madnessat itsstart(the self-inflicted
madness in choosingto marry,markedby caligantes ... fenestrae,3I, 'vertiginoustop-floor
windows') and at its end (the madness induced by drugs administeredby the wife,animo
caligo, 6I3, 'darknessof mind'). This storyconfirmsthatthe poem is not a broadside against
womenin generalbut a specificargumentagainstmarrying.It also indicatesthe failureofthe
speaker's rhetoric:instead of persuading Postumus to remain unmarried,he narrateshis
declineintomarriageand his fallbecause of marriage.

VI

I have attemptedto demonstratethatSatire 6 is best understoodnotas a generaldiatribe

a XoyogdMOTQocnTXig y64oV, informed
againstwomenbutas a dissuasionfrommarriage, by
contemporary rhetoricand deliveredby a misogamist.This misogamistis also a misogynist,a
kindofRoman AlfGarnett,createdfortheaudience'sentertainment. The funlies in hisuse of
the ammunitionof traditionalRoman moralitynot to support but to subvertthe morality
encoded in the legislationon marriage.That is, whereasthe prominenceof Pudicitia and the

105
On the failureto allow for hyperboleby those
seekingto use satireas sourcematerialforRomansocial
history,see Braund, op. cit. (n. 67), esp. I-2, 26 with
nn. 6-8.
106 The analogyproposedby 0. Weinreich, Romische
Satiren (I 949), LXI-II and pickedup by Coffey,op. cit.
(n. I), 246 n. 63 and Winkler,op. cit. (n. i), I48 withthe
sequence of scenes on Trajan's Column is helpful,not
onlyin drawingattentionto the paratacticsequence but
also in suggesting an underlyingprinciplein theordering
of those scenes. In what follows,I adapt the theory
suggestedby W. S. Smith Jr., 'Husband vs. wife in
Juvenal'ssixthSatire',CW73 (I98o), 323-32.
107
LI. I33-5, a praeteritio, do notfithereand seem to
belong between626 and 627, where they pick up the
mentionof poison used to befuddlethe husband and
transferthe topic to step-children.See Highet,op. cit.
(n. I), 267: 'I33-5 are obviouslymisplacedand must
follow626'. Read nimiaforminimo,withMartyn,op. cit.
(n. go).
10 cf. on the structure of Satire
S, M. Morford,
'Juvenal'sFifthSatire',AJP98 ( 977), 2 I 9-45, esp. 23 3-7
and 245, in whichthetwo menusfollowthesequenceof
dishesatacena; Smith,op. cit. (n. io6), 323-4also draws
thisbroadanalogy,althoughthe detailedcomparisonof
commonelementsis notconvincing.

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86 SUSANNA H. BRAUND

past-presentcontrastsmighthave led us to expectthespeakerto advocatemarriageas partofa

restorationoftraditionalmorality,he confoundsus by acknowledgingtheubiquityofadultery
and deliveringa dissuasionfrommarriage.Yet thisdissuasionis flawedby his personalityand
his evidentfailureto convincehis addressee.
Does this then amount to an oblique exhortationto marriageby Juvenal?Nothing so
positiveor explicit. It is characteristicof satireto explore an issue in apparentlyblack-and-
white termsthroughan extremistcharacterand to undercutthat characterwithouttaking
sides.109In thisway the authorof satirehas it both ways. He uses his extremistcharacterto
deliver an invectiveagainst an individual or group of victims,be theywomen, foreigners,
homosexuals, social climbers, or nouveaux riches - generally 'out-groups' or the ex-
powerful10- and at the same time rendersthe extremistthe victimof his own more subtle
typeof attack.Here in Satire 6, Juvenal'sspeakerposes as a Catonianmoralistbut is reduced
fromhis loftypositionby the attackupon his hubristichypocrisy.

UniversityofExeter

109 Other examples of such characters include
Damasippus in Horace, Satires II.3, whose sudden
ferventmissionaryzeal for Stoicism sits ill with his
previouslife-style;Catius in Satires II.4 who inappro-
priatelyelevatesgourmandiseto thelevelof philosophy;
and Naevolus of Juvenal'sninthSatire who complains
angrilyabouthisex-patron butappearsto haveearnedthe
bad treatment whichhe has received.
110 On the satireof out-groups,see Richlin,op. cit.
(n. I4), 67.

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