Sexuality Love And Power In Ancient Rome Analysis

Sexuality, Love, and Power in Ancient Rome In Ancient Rome, there were certain periods of time where sexuality itself was not embraced very fondly because of the influences of multiple factors such as the Etruscan culture. Fantham herself explains this in chapter ten how although Rome became increasingly Hellenized during the last century of the Republic, it was still a land where individuals did not believe entirely in sexual pleasure and the concept of love. They believed that sex was a function and act that was meant to procreate and increase the population. Until later where a new pattern arose in female behavior which opposed the established view of sex and love. In the televised drama Rome, one can compare this new model through the
It is obvious that Atia was in love with Antony because she stated that she could perhaps love him. She is an example of this desire that Fantham explains that women began to have, however, it is not the celebration of love and marriage that is explained in chapter ten. Although it is not exactly what is stated to be characteristics of this model, it is a mixture of the model as well as previous beliefs of love and sex. Antony’s laughter towards the silliness of the love that Atia was professing is an example of previous beliefs. Although Atia does have the satisfaction of indulging in this fantasy, in the end she is still slapped physically and emotionally in the face. This rejection she received was not only a rejection, but a representation that in the end, Antony was still in charge. The reason why Antony was still in charge was because in the end, she was the one offering, and he had the power from the beginning of accepting or rejecting her. He was still the one who had the power, because if it were completely like the poems of this new behavior of love, Atia would be the one choosing-not Antony. Previous beliefs of sexuality were explained by McGinn’s book, “Prostitution, Sexuality, and the Law in Ancient Rome”, where he explains how a woman disgraced through conviction under law as a prostitute had that label everywhere she went through the toga- a symbol and badge of shame (p.339). Nonetheless, women’s sexuality and the actions she took could quickly escalate to harsh consequences if she did not follow society’s norms and this new model was one that was very different. In the end, it was an interesting example of the complexity that can come with this, as the scene had aspects of heterosexual love, as well as previous beliefs related to