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Conclusion

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 May 2011

Tim Whitmarsh
Tim Whitmarsh
Affiliation:
Corpus Christi College, Oxford
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Summary

Thereafter introduce the point that marriage is essential for us, humans as we are: for it is the salvation of the family; everything that is good springs from marriage. Then proceed to describe the facial appearance of those who are coming together in marriage. In this part, you will speak of their family and upbringing, their physical beauty and their youth; what fortune has supplied them with, and what their own efforts have. Mention that they themselves were enthusiastic to unite in marriage, and also what their relatives think of the marriage, as well as people outside the marriage, and even the entire citizen body. Say that the marriage is captivating everyone, and that the marriage seems like a holiday, a new moon party, or a public festival for the city.

This passage, which comes from an anonymous Art of rhetoric from the imperial period, formulates advice for the student who wishes to give an epithalamium, a speech celebrating a marriage that has taken place. It is striking how much it also resembles a recipe for the romance. Marriage is to be presented as indispensable (anagkaios) to human life, the foundation of familial and social existence. The egregious beauty of the couple should be stressed, as well as their ancestry and their virtue. Most strikingly of all, it should be claimed that the couple's desire for marriage is matched by that of ‘the entire citizen body’ (polis autē dēmosiai).

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Narrative and Identity in the Ancient Greek Novel
Returning Romance
 , pp. 253 - 260
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2011

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  • Conclusion
  • Tim Whitmarsh, Corpus Christi College, Oxford
  • Book: Narrative and Identity in the Ancient Greek Novel
  • Online publication: 03 May 2011
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511975332.009
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  • Conclusion
  • Tim Whitmarsh, Corpus Christi College, Oxford
  • Book: Narrative and Identity in the Ancient Greek Novel
  • Online publication: 03 May 2011
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511975332.009
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Conclusion
  • Tim Whitmarsh, Corpus Christi College, Oxford
  • Book: Narrative and Identity in the Ancient Greek Novel
  • Online publication: 03 May 2011
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511975332.009
Available formats
×