PtE Adjectives

From reading thus far into Pliny the Younger's letter describing his uncle, it seems as though Pliny the Elder was very scholarly, impulsive, and caring.
Pliny the Elder's scholarliness is without doubt, considering his endeavors into natural science and other academic fields. Exhibiting this trait is an excerpt from Pliny the Younger's letter in lines 24 and 25, talking about the cloud, "Magnum propiusque noscendum, ut eruditissimo viro, visum". Pliny the Elder realized, due to his scholarly capability, that such a massive and unusual thing was definitely worthy to be looked at closer. He was very studious, so much that he ran straight into danger in order to gain new knowledge.
This, however, gave way to him being impulsive. Yes he was scholarly and being so wanted to study this strange occurrence, but it is very irrational to literally drive into the face of peril without thinking about it. At once, after seeing this cloud, with no second guessing, "Iubet Liburnicam aptari" (line 26). This is a very impulsive thing to do. Yes this gigantic cloud may be worthy of studying but at the same time nothing good can come of a massively widespread cloud that seems to overtake the island itself. Deciding to go in his boat at the first sight of this cloud is extremely impulsive.
Lastly, Pliny the Elder seems very caring. On top of wanting to go into danger for scholarly purposes, he also does it to save his friends. What started as a mission for scholarly advancement turned into a rescue mission, "Vertit ille consilium et quod studioso animo incohaverat obit maximo" (line 31). And on top of this, when death seems the only option, he puts aside any fear he may have in order to secure the minds of his friends that he's trying to save, "...lotus accubat, cenat aut hilaris aut, quod est aeque magnum, similis hilari" (lines 50 to 51). He ate happily either because he himself was happy or in order to have the others around him be happy.
For these reasons, Pliny the Elder is scholarly, impulsive, and caring. He is scholarly and caring due to his goals for heading to Stabiae, and impulsive for making such a rash decision at the very beginning.

The Letter of Pliny's Intent (on Christians)

Pliny goes into such detail about the trials of the Christians and how he has dealt with them that it is almost impossible for this not to be aimed at 'leading the doubts' and 'instructing the ignorance' of the Roman people. He deliberately lays down every aspect of how to punish a Christian almost as if to make the Roman people treat them just as he has. He seems to want the Christians to be dealt with rather leniently, "dImittendOs esse putAvI" (line 22), unless of course they have no desire to repent. If they do, however, he wants them to be forgiven, "Ex quO facile est opInAri quae turba hominum, EmendArI possit, sI sit paenitentiae locus" (line 48-49). Pliny sees Christianity spreading and realizes the way to 'fix' it isn't by killing off all of them but by making them repent. It is clear he knows he won't be able to stop it by killing them, but he does think it is possible to correct it...
Pliny seems to believe the Christians are not a bad people. He says their rituals are "prOmiscuum tamen et innoxium" (line 34), so he must not hate them. If you hadn't had any direct contact with the Christians and had only read Pliny's letter, you wouldn't think Christians are that bad and would get the impression that Pliny isn't scared of them either. I think Pliny is trying to lessen the fear Romans have for Christians and make Romans realize they can't just go and kill all the Christians because that won't work. Pliny is trying to make the Romans feel how he feels so that this may be corrected, not worsened. Pliny is very smart.

Apuleius: Allegory of soul and desire

Apuleius’ Cupid and Psyche may be read as an allegorical tale of the union between Soul and Desire, producing Pleasure. This happens literally and metaphorically. Cupid and Psyche, the manifestations of desire and the soul, actually do get married and give birth to a child named Pleasure. This isn’t all that happens, however. This story really stands for when the soul (that thing which makes human beings alive and able to feel emotions) receives their true desire (whatever really makes them happy), true pleasure is felt. Pleasure is that feeling of joy or bliss that can only be accomplished when one has attained their genuine desire. Psyche, the human soul, goes through much toil and trouble to get her lover. Cupid goes through many pains in the heavens to receive his lover. Both, after hard and diligent work, legitimately and eternally get their true pleasure when they’re given their daughter, Pleasure. According to Epicurean philosophy, true hedonis (pleasure) can only be reached through the leveling out of pleasure and pain, with pleasure outweighing pain.

Psyche does go through many a misfortune to achieve her maximum happiness, voluptas. She goes through much anxiety dreading being taken away by some monster, falls in love but again goes into terrible anxiety thinking her lover is a beast, tries to kill herself but fails, is sent on three crazy and impossible missions by Venus in order to be able to see Cupid, and finally is almost left to die after opening Proserpina’s box. Psyche goes through the pain and the trouble so that she may be with her lover. After many dangers and being on the verge of death, she does get her voluptas, her baby named Pleasure, the summit of happiness in Epicurean philosophy.

Cupid does the same. He knows what destruction will come if Psyche is convinced by her sisters to look upon his face and is tortured by the anxiety but relents and allows Psyche to see them, is deeply hurt to wake up to Psyche looking upon his face and kissing him (meaning she sees him, clearly), is forced to leave her, comes to save her, then goes on trial in the heavens in order to marry her. After this trouble and pursuit of happiness, though, she is made immortal, they are married, and given voluptas, their daughter Pleasure, that peak of Epicurean philosophy most sought after.

Therefore, Apuleius’ Cupid and Psyche is an allegorical tale of the soul marrying desire and receiving voluptas. As in Epicurean philosophy, true pleasure is reached through constant trying and effort, and that is exactly what Cupid and Psyche do. In the end, as Epicurean philosophy would permit after such hard work, they birth their daughter Pleasure, and so reach their true happiness; they experience true hedonis and voluptas. Once the soul gets their desire, according to Epicurean philosophy, true happiness and 'pleasure' is experienced. It's all about balancing pleasure and pain, as Epicurean philosophy says. You can't constantly have temporary pleasures without putting the effort in to have some pain, because that's not true happiness; but at the same time going through so much pain and torture without any pleasure isn't happines either. You have to have balance, like Cupid and Psyche, and then you can get your hedonis, that true Voluptas.

The Sisters' Punishment: Just?

I most certainly feel that the punishment Psyche's sisters received for their evil plan is just. The sisters, even though they themselves had happy lives and had no need to be jealous, destroyed her life when she was finally happy. First, they were happily married: "duae maiores sorores regibus desponsae iam beatas nuptias habent," (Chapter 2, pg. 15, lines 4-5). Not only were they married while Psyche was alone, they were happiliy married! The sisters got to be married and happy, but Psyche, who was left alone for a very long time, when she finally finds love, doesn't deserve it? No. Clearly, any jealousy they felt for Psyche was ill-founded, and it is in no way justified.
Next, what they did was deliberate. They planned it from the beginning and guided Psyche into the trap. Perhaps if they had truly been scared for Psyche's life and told her to kill the monster, they wouldn't have deserved such a fate. But they had planned it, and they were not scared for Pysche's life. It was pure jealousy. In translation, from Chapter 4, the sisters say "We'll teach her that we're not her slaves but her elder sisters. So for the present let's return to our husbands and our poor mediocre houses; and then after thoroughly digesting the situation let's return equipped to lessen her pride." There's no arguing it, the sisters intended to bring Psyche down, they flat out say it! There's no room for discretion, their intent is undeniable.
On top of this, after Psyche had been left by Cupid, they were ridiculously quick to forget about her problems and try to marry Cupid for themselves. In translation, from Chapter 9, "No sooner had Psyche finished speaking than the other, pricked-on by ravening rash lust and rankling jealousy, rushed out..and then taking ship she proceeded with all speed to the crag as of old." Psyche had barely finished speaking and she ran off! The same with the other one, "Psyche gave her the same misunderstanding; and the womanm lured by the hope of supplanting her sisterm dashed off to the crag and fell into the same death." Neither sister had the slightest drop of sympathy, let alone any emotion other than jealousy and greed. Therefore, both deserved the horrible death they got.
The sisters had no reason to be jealous, planned the evil plan with deliberate intent, and afterwards, didn't even show or feel any pity for poor Psyche. For these reasons, coupled with their undeniable evil, their punishment is just. If anything, they should have been tortured, and the only way their punishment isn't just is because it wasn't as harsh as it should have been.

Cupid and Psyche - fear

Consistently throughout Apuleius' Cupid and Psyche we have seen many clauses of fear. Whether it be fearing the gods or fearing something bad will happen, Apuleius has used quite a bit of fear clauses.

The first instance of fear is in Chapter two, line eight. Psyche's father, "iram superum metuEns", goes to Apollo's oracle to find out what's going on with his daughter and to figure out how to get her a husband. He was afraid that the gods' anger may be causing her loneliness, which would be a good guess in that time, so he went to figure it out. Another instance of someone being afraid is in Chapter three, lines 23 to 24. After Psyche is at the palace and has finished her food and bath, she is "virginitati suae metuens" when she goes to bed and hears another voice approaching. She is afraid she is going to lose her virginity, because some masculine thing is coming. Yet again, in Chapter seven, line 16, more fear is demonstrated. Once her sisters have terrified poor Psyche into thinking the love of her life got her pregnant to eat her baby then plans on eating her, "Psyche misella rapitur verborum tam tristium formidine". She is so scared of what they've said to her, she actually believes them. Again, in line 19, she flat out says this: "...ego valde timeo ne verum sit quod dicitis". She's tremendously scared that her husband is a serpent monster, because of her evil sisters. Once again in Chapter seven, line thirty-three, there is fear. This time, Psyche's sisters leave "metuEns ne quid mali ipsae acciperent". They leave fearing something bad may happen. Then the last instance of fear so far, in Chapter eight line 8, when Psyche has seen her husband is actually love himself, she is afraid: "...Psyche tanto aspectu perterrita residit". She was so scared of his 'divine face' she actually fell backwards.

With these instances of fear in Apuleius, a definition of the opposite of fear can be deduced. There is fear of the anger of the gods, fear for one's virginity, fear for horrible things people tell you, and fear for future unknown bad things. In fearing the gods' anger, the opposite of fear would be accepting the gods' will. You either are afraid of it, hence you don't want it; or the opposite, you deal with it and take it. In fearing for your virginity, I suppose the opposite would be welcoming the loss of it. Again, you're only afraid because it is going to be taken. If you welcome it, you're not afraid of it. When it comes to fearing the validity of things that are too awful to believe, the opposite, yet again, would be accepting the truth in order to not be afraid. You're either scared of it and deny it; or you welcome it and accept it. Then lastly, fearing whether something bad may happen in the future, the opposite would be welcoming the unknown. Being scared for it you reject it; the opposite of this would be welcoming it.

Therefore, the opposite of fear is acceptance. You either deny something because you're afraid or accept it hence doing the opposite of fearing it.

Cupid and Psyche chp. 1-3

Once upon a time there was a king and a queen who lived in some city. They had three beautiful daughters, the youngest possessing exceptional beauty. One day, the mother of all beauty grew jealous, and sought to ruin the beautiful girl's life. In a surprising turn of events, the girl ends up being happy and is entertained and taken care of by 'animated' things (the voices). On top of this, she is happy with her sweet husband.

Every detail just listed is very characteristic of classic fairy tales. First, there is some "rex et regina" in "quidam civitate" (line 1/ Chapter one). As most fairy tales do, Apuleius' story starts off very vague, as to make it so this could be happening anywhere, in any kingdom. Next, the king and queen have "tres filias pulcherrimas" (line 1/ Chapter one). In addition, one in particular, the youngest daughter, has remarkable beauty. In fact, she is so beautiful that human characteristics can't even describe her (lines 3 to 5). Further exemplifying itself as the classical fairy tale, Venus takes the position as the 'evil step mother' (lines 19 to 28/ Chapter one) and wishes to cause the girl harm. In Sleeping Beauty and even Shrek, the story is about the king and the queen's daughter. Also, the princess in all of these stories has too much beauty, and so was envied by some 'evil step mother' or equivalent role. Especially relating to Sleeping Beauty, some magical being is jealous and puts a curse on her. In this adaptation of Apuleius' story, the same basic thing happens, Venus takes it upon herself to ensure Psyche will not be happy with a decent husband (lines 27 to 28/ Chapter one). Moving to a more positive element of a classic fairy tale, the invisible voices help Psyche and make sure she's taken care of (lines 15 to 21/ Chapter three). This is seen in such fairy tales as Beauty and the Beast and also, less romantically, The Brave Little Toaster. The inanimate objects in Belle's scenario, or in Psyche's case the invisible voices, feed them and give them aid in every possible way. Lastly, as common in pretty much every fairy tale, the beautiful princess is happily in love with a sweet husband. Psyche is visited by her unknown husband every night, and considering she thought she was going to be alone or die, she is happy with her life (lines 24 to 26 and line 28/ Chapter three). Whether it be Cinderella, or The Little Mermaid, or probably any Disney movie, the princess has her prince.

When translating and reading this story, the parallels to other fairy tales are constant. Cupid and Psyche definitely set the fairy tale standard and can be considered the first fairy tale. Almost every detail of the story is a classical fairy tale characteristic.

Cupid and Psyche Chapter Two Q#4

4.) Describe Psyche's funeral-marriage. How is the sadness of the occasion underlined?

Psyche's funeral marriage is very dismal. First of all, it's intended for her to be taken away by some "vipereum malum" (line 14), which is not the most pleasant thing. There are also many more authorial choices setting the sad and gloomy atmosphere of her funeral marriage. Her mother and father "lamentantur dies plurimos" (line 16), putting the foundation down for the reader's sympathy for them. In addition, the torch that was supposed to light the way in the happy marriage procession "atro cinere marcescit", another very dismal and literally dark effect. On top of this, nobody is happily singing during the procession but the marriage hymn finishes in "lugubris ululatus", which more pity emerges from. And, personally, the most upsetting and flat out depressing part of this chapter that most definitely underlines the sadness of her funeral marriage, Psyche wipes her tears with her own veil! "puella nuptura deterget lacrimas ipso suo flammeo" (line 20). Also, Psyche does not get ready for a marriage but she attends to "exsequias suas". Being called a funeral marriage, it is to be expected that it will not be a very happy occasion. Apuleius definitely gets the point across that this is sad: there is crying, everybody is described as "miser" or "misella" or any other synonym for sad, and poor Psyche has to wiper her tears with her veil while preparing for her last rites, not even a marriage.