Analyse and discuss the themes of Catullus' Carmen 51.

Written in Sapphic metre, Poem 51 by Catullus is a close, but not slavish translation of Sappho 31. Through a close analysis of the poem, the ways in which Catullus liberates himself from the confining chains of literal translation will be explored, and more importantly, to what effect in this essay. Emboldened by Miller’s theory of dialogism in lyric poetry, I will begin to unpack the primary and secondary dialogisms found in poem 51 as it navigates the contemporary Roman world of fragile masculinity, reversal of gender roles and social anxiety at the political state. As in Poem 11, the only other poem written in Sapphic metre, Catullus appropriates the feminine homoerotic desire of Sappho to convey a heterosexualised complex anguish in the male poetic voice. Catullus in Poem 51 exploits the associations of Sappho’s reputation- one of sexual impropriety and degeneracy- to implicitly challenge contemporary Roman attitudes towards masculinity, desire and the importance- or lack thereof- of the elite endeavour. However, the aim of this criticism is not to diminish the poetic mastery exhibited by Catullus by undervaluing the theme of love and desire, which still stands prominently in the Lesbia series of poems; rather, I aim to explore Poem 51 in the framework of love elegiac poetry with Sapphic influence by delving further into the social context of the time to comment on the intrinsic links between power and sex, masculinity and performance.Whilst the first line of Catullus 51 is deemed to be a near perfect translation of Sappho 31, there is a distinct difference in the emphasis placed on the voyeur. Whereas Sappho’s focus begins on the catalogue of symptoms incited by seeing her beloved with another man and then later turns to self-exhortation in the final stanza, Catullus places more emphasis on the other man with the emphatic repetition of “ille” and “qui”. Quinn's commentary argues that whereas Sappho uses the man merely “as a peg on which to hang the theme of envy until the true theme (self-analysis) can be developed … Catullus hopes to supplant him and succeed to his unique happiness.” Whilst this may be the case, I would also argue that this is the first instance in which we see Catullus’ portrayal (and criticism) of Roman masculinity. Lesbia at this point seems to be rather insignificant, merely a “dulce ridentem” object of desire, referred to as the ambiguous “te” in line 3 and only named as “Lesbia” in line 7. Her purpose is to cause competition between the two men, to set them against each other as rivals in love but also, in society. Wray’s post-modernist theory of masculinity in the Roman world was that it was based purely off appearance and performance, fuelled by the need for status and reputation; in this sense, the focus of a Roman vir, was not on being a ‘good man’, but rather being good at being a man. Therefore, the most captivating dynamic in the first stanza of 51 is not that of the Catullan poetic voice and Lesbia but between the male rival and the speaker, ‘Catullus’.