Phaedrus: The Fabulist Legend

1. Phaedrus: The Fabulist Legend By: The Senex (Drew, Jack, Dave, and John)

2. Early Life • Born in 15 B.C. near Pydna, Macedonia • Became a slave of the emperor as a young boy and eventually became a freedman under Augustus • Lived during the Empire, specifically under Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, and Claudius.

3. Poetic Works/Style • Wrote mostly fables • 5 books composed of revised tales by Aesop, who was probably his biggest influence. • Wrote in iambic trimeter and all in Latin, despite the Greek origins of Aesop’s works. • Verses scattered with anecdotes of daily life, history, and mythology.

4. Morals • Each of Phaedrus’ fables contained a moral message at the end of the story that the reader could interpret in any way. • Could also be interpreted the way he wanted • For example, the story of the Wolf and the Sheep is characteristic of his style because it is a fable with a meaning to take away at the end.

5. Connections with Martial • Phaedrus was often mentioned by Martial, who imitated some of his verses • In one poem Martial states, “an aemulator improbi iocos Phaedri?” • In this instance Martial is questioning if this person emulates the naughty jokes of Phaedrus, showing that Martial had him in mind when writing.

6. The Fox Gets the Raven’s Cheese Qui se laudari gaudet verbis subdolis, Fere dat poenas turpi paenitentia. Cum de fenestra corvus raptum caseum Comesse vellet, celsa residens arbore, hunc vidit vulpes deinde sic coepit loqui: “O qui tuarum, corve, pennarum est nitor! Quantum decoris corpore et vultu geris! Si vocem haberes, nulla prior ales foret.” At ille stultus, dum vult vocem ostendere, Emisit ore caseum, quem celeriter Dolosa vulpes avidis rapuit dentibus.

7. The Fox gets the Raven’s Cheese He who rejoices to be praised by deceitful words themselves, generally give punishment by ugly repentance. When the raven wished to eat up the cheese having snatched up from the windows, sitting in the high tree, the fox saw this one; then he began to say this: “Oh how great is the beauty of your feathers, crow!” How much grace do you carry in your body and face! If you had a voice, there would be no better bird.” But that foolish one, while he wished to show his voice, drops the cheese from his mouth, which the crafty fox seized quickly with greedy teeth.

8. Parts of Speech • Laudari: present passive infinitive • part of indirect statement • Raptum: perfect passive particable • modifies “caseum”

9. Parts of Speech (cont.) • Vellet: imperfect subjunctive • indirect command • Residens: present active practicable • subject is the crow • Si vocem haberes: imperfect subjunctive • conditional sentence

10. Themes • Do not be gullible • Do not be too affected by flattery • Do no trust strangers

11. Artistic Interpretation of the Fox and the Cheese

12. The Sperm Whale and the Giant Squid There once was a sperm whale Who thought he would never fail. He fought a giant squid, And inked he did. All the little fishes in the town, Got caught in the ink and fell down, But the sperm whale and the squid did not care. What their fighting did, they could not repair.

13. The Other Person’s Faults and our Own Peras imposuit Iuppiter nobis duas: propriis repletam vitiis post tergum dedit, alienis ante pectus suspendit gravem. Hac re videre nostra mala non possumus; alii simul delinquunt, censores sumus.

14. The Other Person’s Faults and our Own Jupiter put on us two wallets One wallet having been filled with our faults he placed behind our back, He hung another heavy with our faults belonging to another in front of our chest. We are not able to see our faults in this thing. As soon as we commit a crime, we are the judges.

15. Parts of Speech • Alliteration – alienis ante • The a’s are longer and sound a bit lower and darker when read, showing the seriousness and importance of the situation. • Anaphora – peras…peram • Peras is only written once, but it is implied throughout the rest of the story. This is done to emphasize the symbol of the wallet, which holds all of our faults (according to Phaedrus)

16. Parts of Speech (continued) • Synchesis – propriis repletam vitiis tergum • (A) (B) (A) (B) • This synchesis shows the connectedness between the wallet behind the back and all the faults of humans. Used once again to emphasize the symbol of the wallet.

17. Themes • Don’t be hypocritical • Don’t judge others