56 pages • 1 hour read
Petronius, Transl. Piero Chiara, Transl. P.G. WalshThe Satyricon
Fiction | Novel/Book in Verse | Adult | Published in 60A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Shipwreck
Once the conflict aboard the ship has finally been resolved, a fierce storm breaks out, with “the sea bristl[ing] threateningly, and storm-clouds gather[ing] from every side” (105), and the ship ends up being wrecked. The shipwreck symbolizes the uncontrollable nature of fate, and the futility of having illusions of agency. Ironically, Encolpius and Giton feared for their life during the conflict aboard, but it ends up being the during storm that they face the most severe danger. Encolpius refers to “the treachery of the sea” (107), personifying this natural event and linking it to theme of betrayal. Even when it seemed like things had improved for Encolpius and Giton, they were never actually secure because they were only one storm away from potential death. The shipwreck gives Encolpius the opportunity to reflect on the broader dangers of life, noting that “it is not just the seas which keep such brittle faith with mortal men” (108). The shipwreck comes to symbolize the uncertainty and potential danger that surrounds every endeavor, and highlights “how uncertain is man’s floating destiny!” (108). The mention of destiny as “floating” puns on both instability and the powerful threat of the sea.
The Art Gallery
Moping around after losing Ascyltus and Giton, Encolpius “walked into an art gallery, which had an astonishing range of pictures” (71). The art gallery is where Encolpius meets Eumolpus, and this setting symbolizes learning and sophistication, but also deception. By this point in the narrative, Encolpius is tired of the crude and self-serving individuals he has encountered thus far, and he is ready to make a new kind of friend. Encolpius immediately recognizes Eumolpus as “a man of letters” (71), and this connection suggests that the art gallery is symbolically a place where more learned and sophisticated individuals could encounter one another. This symbolism is expanded on when Encolpius quickly asks Eumolpus to share his views on “the reason for our present decadence in which the noblest arts had died off” (75). Even though they barely know each other, Encolpius is interested in Eumolpus’s opinions, and assumes that they will be able to have a thoughtful and intellectual conversation together.
The symbolism of the art gallery is complex because the paintings hanging there are deliberately contrived representations that capture and record a certain version of a story. While elegant and inspiring, they are not inherently honest representations. For example, Encolpius looks at the subjects represented in the paintings, many of which depict scenes of gods and mythological figures falling in love with mortals, and exclaims, “So even the gods are pricked by love” (71). However, Encolpius misses the point that these relationships often had dynamics of unequal power and sometimes even a lack of consent. Encolpius never seems to catch on to the reality that his relationship with Giton is inherently unequal; he positions it instead as another example of a tragic love story. The symbolism of art as deception is furthered when Eumolpus immediately tells a story of how he seduced a young boy through trickery and deceit. This story foreshadows how Eumolpus will later be sexually interested in Giton and hints that much like the paintings, Eumolpus’s appearance and claims to be virtuous are not necessarily the whole story.
Forehead Markings
Aboard the ship, when Encolpius and Giton are frantically trying to find a way to disguise themselves, they end up agreeing to have their foreheads marked up to look as though they have been branded or tattooed. These marks are intended to help Encolpius and Giton pass as slaves, due to emblazoning them with “the familiar mark tattooed on runaway slaves” (92) so that they can hopefully go unrecognized by Lichas and Tryphaena. The forehead markings symbolize the fluid and complex role of slavery in Roman society. While Roman slavery was a brutal institution that led to human beings being treated as objects, it was not a complete binary between agency and powerlessness, nor was it necessarily a permanent or inescapable condition. Trimalchio’s presence as a freedman in the text highlights that individuals can move out of slavery into freedom, and the scene on the ship is one of several examples in which a free individual poses as a slave (in Croton, Encolpius will also pretend to be Eumolpus’s slave). While Encolpius freely chooses to pose as a slave for his own gain, these acts highlight the porous boundary separating slavery and freedom in Roman society. Once suspicions arise about the identity of Encolpius and Giton, the marks are washed off, symbolically revealing that slavery never actually changes someone’s humanity. It is a culturally imposed legal status, but as Trimalchio points out during his dinner, “slaves too are men” (59). Underneath the legal status of slavery, individuals like Trimalchio and presumably Giton continue to have personalities, desires, and ambitions.
