Pater Familias
Jose Wells
Prof. Van Der Meer
LIT 102 Introduction to Classical Literature
2/27/14
Pater Familias
In Roman society, the authority of the pater familias was an important aspect of everyday life, especially during the 160’s BC in Rome Carthage, which is the time period Publius Terentius Afer lived in, who hailed from Carthage. Author of the comedy The Brothers, Terence criticizes the Roman institution of the pater familias in The Brothers” by using social dichotomies such as father and son, rural area and urban area, and conservative and liberal lifestyles to compare how total submission is ineffective. Terence writes about two fathers who raise their son the way they think is the proper way, hoping their son’s apostrophe??? grow up the way the father’s apostrophe??? want them to be. Micio, father of Aeschinus, lives in the city, living a liberal lifestyle.1 His brother Demea, father of Ctesipho, lives the opposite lifestyle, residing on a farm, living conservatively and simple.2 Micio explains that his love for his son is genuine, he is realistic as to the mischievous acts young males get into, and overlooks them hoping in return his son will not keep secrets from him.3 Micio continues to say that a son who lies to his father, will lie to the world; so he would rather raise his son by “inspiring respect and showing generosity than by means of fear.”4
Pater familias is having the sole legal capacity in respect of the entire family in private legal matters, but he also the “private right to punish his dependents, especially the sons, daughters and slaves can be put into a spectrum where the extremes range from very loose control of family members to very tight control.”5 This idea of the son to go off and do whatever he wants, such as raping a girl, while his father is understanding and cleaning up his messes, is considered the loose end of the spectrumthe opposite of our definition for pater familias. [“is considered” - by whom? Are you referring to
Prof. Van Der Meer
LIT 102 Introduction to Classical Literature
2/27/14
Pater Familias
In Roman society, the authority of the pater familias was an important aspect of everyday life, especially during the 160’s BC in Rome Carthage, which is the time period Publius Terentius Afer lived in, who hailed from Carthage. Author of the comedy The Brothers, Terence criticizes the Roman institution of the pater familias in The Brothers” by using social dichotomies such as father and son, rural area and urban area, and conservative and liberal lifestyles to compare how total submission is ineffective. Terence writes about two fathers who raise their son the way they think is the proper way, hoping their son’s apostrophe??? grow up the way the father’s apostrophe??? want them to be. Micio, father of Aeschinus, lives in the city, living a liberal lifestyle.1 His brother Demea, father of Ctesipho, lives the opposite lifestyle, residing on a farm, living conservatively and simple.2 Micio explains that his love for his son is genuine, he is realistic as to the mischievous acts young males get into, and overlooks them hoping in return his son will not keep secrets from him.3 Micio continues to say that a son who lies to his father, will lie to the world; so he would rather raise his son by “inspiring respect and showing generosity than by means of fear.”4
Pater familias is having the sole legal capacity in respect of the entire family in private legal matters, but he also the “private right to punish his dependents, especially the sons, daughters and slaves can be put into a spectrum where the extremes range from very loose control of family members to very tight control.”5 This idea of the son to go off and do whatever he wants, such as raping a girl, while his father is understanding and cleaning up his messes, is considered the loose end of the spectrumthe opposite of our definition for pater familias. [“is considered” - by whom? Are you referring to