Trial exams!

The trial exams at my school are well under way (good luck girls!), so I thought I'd put up a couple of HSC style questions for my year 12s to have a go at, in case they've run out of things to do (not likely).

Lucretiam sedentem maestam in cubiculo inveniunt. Adventu suorum lacrimae obortae, quaerentique viro "Satin salve?" "Minime" inquit; "quid enim salvi est mulieri amissa pudicitia? Vestigia viri alieni, Collatine, in lecto sunt tuo; ceterum corpus est tantum violatum, animus insons; mors testis erit. Sed date dexteras fidemque haud impune adultero fore. Sex. est Tarquinius qui hostis pro hospite priore nocte vi armatus mihi sibique, si vos viri estis, pestiferum hinc abstulit gaudium." Dant ordine omnes fidem; consolantur aegram animi avertendo noxam ab coacta in auctorem delicti: mentem peccare, non corpus, et unde consilium afuerit culpam abesse. "Vos" inquit "videritis quid illi debeatur: ego me etsi peccato absolvo, supplicio non libero; nec ulla deinde impudica Lucretiae exemplo vivet." Cultrum, quem sub veste abditum habebat, eum in corde defigit, prolapsaque in volnus moribunda cecidit. Conclamat vir paterque.


How does Livy create a sense of drama in this passage?

How does the character of Lucretia function as a moral exemplar?



in medio ramos annosaque bracchia pandit
ulmus opaca, ingens, quam sedem Somnia vulgo
vana tenere ferunt, foliisque sub omnibus haerent.
multaque praeterea variarum monstra ferarum,
Centauri in foribus stabulant Scyllaeque biformes
et centumgeminus Briareus ac belua Lernae
horrendum stridens, flammisque armata Chimaera,
Gorgones Harpyiaeque et forma tricorporis umbrae.
corripit hic subita trepidus formidine ferrum
Aeneas strictamque aciem venientibus offert,
et ni docta comes tenuis sine corpore vitas
admoneat volitare cava sub imagine formae,
inruat et frustra ferro diverberet umbras.

"siste gradum teque aspectu ne subtrahe nostro.
quem fugis? extremum fato quod te adloquor hoc est."
talibus Aeneas ardentem et torva tuentem
lenibat dictis animum lacrimasque ciebat.
illa solo fixos oculos aversa tenebat
nec magis incepto vultum sermone movetur
quam si dura silex aut stet Marpesia cautes.
tandem corripuit sese atque inimica refugit
in nemus umbriferum, coniunx ubi pristinus illi
respondet curis aequatque Sychaeus amorem.
nec minus Aeneas casu percussus iniquo
prosequitur lacrimis longe et miseratur euntem.


How does Virgil create atmosphere in these lines?

What do these two passages reveal to us about the character of Aeneas?


Post an answer, if you're brave enough.

fabulae

My year 8 class are currently reading some of Phaedrus' fables. Here are a few that we've been looking at. See if you can complete the translations.

Ovis, canis et lupus
Solent mendaces luere poenas malefici.
Calumniator ab ove cum peteret canis,
quem commendasse panem se contenderet,
lupus, citatus testis, non unum modo
deberi dixit, verum adfirmavit decem.
Ovis, damnata falso testimonio,
quod non debebat, solvit. Post paucos dies
ovis iacentem in fovea conspexit lupum.
‘Haec’ inquit ‘merces fraudis a superis datur’.

________ are accustomed to pay the penalties for their crimes. When the perjurious ________ asked the sheep to return to him the loaf of bread, which he had lent her, a ________, having been summoned as a ________, said that he was owed not only ________, but claimed that it was ________. The ________, condemned by this ________ testimony, paid back that which she did not owe. After a few ________, the ________ saw the ________ lying dead in a ditch. ‘This reward’ she said ‘is given to tricksters by the gods’.

Leo senex, aper, taurus et asinus
Quicumque amisit dignitatem pristinam,
ignavis etiam iocus est in casu gravi.
Defectus annis et desertus viribus
leo cum iaceret spiritum extremum trahens,
aper fulmineis spumans venit dentibus,
et vindicavit ictu veterem iniuriam.
Infestis taurus mox confodit cornibus
hostile corpus. Asinus, ut vidit ferum
impune laedi, calcibus frontem extudit.
At leo exspirans 'Fortis indigne tuli
mihi insultare: sed te, Naturae dedecus,
quod ferre certe cogor bis videor mori'.

Whoever has lost his original ________ becomes a ________ and a ________, when in serious misfortune. When a ________, failing in ________ and ________ by his strength, was lying, drawing his final ________, a boar, foaming at the mouth, with his teeth shining, ________ and repaid an old ________ with a blow. Soon a troublesome ________ pierced his hostile ________ with his horns. A donkey, when he saw the beast suffering without retaliating, struck him on the forehead with his hooves. But, as he died, the ________ said “I bore it bravely when the brave insulted me: but because I am forced to bear it from you too, Nature’s shame, I seem to die twice.”

For more of Phaedrus' fables and translations click here.

Queen Bee or Wannabe?

Here is a guest post from my wonderful year 9 class.

Ambitious queen? Extravagant flirt? Inspirational role-model? Treacherous temptress? Tragic Hero?

Cleopatra, one of the most powerful women in Roman history, was a controversial figure in her own time, and after more than 2000 years her true character remains an enigma. Last term an elite team of historical researchers (the year nine Latin class) spent a week delving into the mysterious past of Egypt’s most famous queen to see what we could discover. As part of our research we examined:

• original Latin and Greek sources, such as Plutarch, Horace, Cassius Dio and Lucan
• coins, pictures and statues from Cleopatra’s own time
• the theories of modern day historians

After much investigation and lengthy debate, we decided that whatever else Cleopatra might have been, even after 2000 years she remains a memorable example of female leadership. She was powerful, ambitious and knew how to make the most of her abilities. She was fiercely intelligent and was able to manipulate two of the most powerful Roman men at that time – Julius Caesar and Marc Antony – to get what she wanted. She was also terribly proud, and is said to have committed suicide rather than face humiliation at the hands of the Romans.

However our class was divided as to whether Cleopatra is a good role model for the well-rounded young women of today. Some admired her drive and determination to achieve her goals. Others felt that the means she used to obtain power were dishonest, and that in manipulating those around her she sacrificed her integrity. We also found that Cleopatra shares many qualities with modern day celebrities such as Nikki Webster, Princess Mary, Paris Hilton, Angelina Jolie, Jude Law and Queen Elizabeth II.

To investigate the mystery of Cleopatra further, click here

miser Catulle

My year 10 class are currently working on a Catullus assignment, so I've put together a list of some websites which have some helpful information.

Start at this site where you can read a bit about what we know of Catullus' life. There's also some information on themes to look out for when you are reading Catullus' poetry. The site makes the comment that most of what we know about Catullus' character and personality comes from his poems themselves. How does this website imagine his personality? How is that true from the poems you have read so far? The site also offers you the Latin text and translations in just about any language you could want. You can also read comments and discussions about the poems, or post your own if you're feeling brave.

Wikipedia has a bunch of information about Catullus, and some brief comments on poem 85.

Here you can find Catullus' love poems set out in chronological order, with a brief description of the circumstances in which they are thought to have been written, and here you can find some notes on tricky bits of translation.

For something a bit different you can visit this site, where you can listen to the poems being read aloud. There is also some background information to the poems.

If you find any other sites you think are helpful, you can write them in a comment below.

Not dead, just sleeping

I found an interesting article during the holidays. Finland (which has always struck me as an odd place) is running the European Union for the next six months, and has decided to publish weekly news bulletins in Latin. Why? I'm not quite sure, but it sounds fun to me. Here's what Dr Pitkaranta (who translates these bulletins into Latin) said: "Latin is not dead- it is still very much in use in different forms across the world today... Italians, French and Spaniards all speak a new form of Latin. I hope EU documents are soon translated into Latin which is such a clear language." The Finns have actually been broadcasting the news in Latin for over 15 years, which is a bit odd as the Finnish language itself is not a descendant of Latin. But as Dr Gibson (a Latin professor from England) said in the same article "perhaps the Finns realise Latin still provides a common linguistic and cultural heritage to Europe." You can subscribe to the news bulletins by going to this website.