gender

virtus

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Terms in this set (9)

masculine quality

- courage, self- sacrifice, excellence
- men are the perfect beings
- examples: Lucretia (sacrifices herself for the good of Rome), man who just lost his right hand, man who defended the bridge into Rome by himself, man who dove into pit in the forum on his horse, lady who led the hostage women back to Rome

tribas

a slur, women having sex with women

- unnatural sexual role, women in a position of power is bad
- gender slippage
- self-masculinized behaviors
- women taking on a masculine role are shown to grow a penis
- negative view of a hemaphrodite

eunuch

men forcibly castrated before puberty to preserve immaturity

- male presenting intersex person, men deliberately castrate themselves
- sometimes religious reasons, punishment for adultery
- galli= eunuch priests
- eunuch slaves= seen as a status symbol, expensive to buy, emphasize their beauty, expected to provide sexual services

elegy

roman love poetry

- girls describes as: intelligent, educated, qualities that are not praised, people are typically suspicious of a well-educated woman
- presentation of love, obsession, affairs
- tubulent love affair ends badly

pudicitia

virtue expected of married women

- sexual fidelity, modest behavior, self-control, sense of shame
- active quality that should be publicized
- expressed by: weaving, dressing modestly, not flirting, devoted to husbands
- example: Lucretia (stays at home weaving, commits suicide when she knows her husband violated norms)

cinaedus

slur, man who actively seeks out penetration by another man

- suggests effeminacy, men who don't display normal sexual violence
- characteristics: physical softness, effeminacy in appearance and movement, love of luxury, sway of hips, higher voice
- Roman worried that this man might hide by pretending to be a real man

matron

citizen married woman

- qualities: sexual propriety, modesty, obedience to their husband, fertility, bravery, hard worker, mother, pudicitia
- young girls wear a tunic, older women (married) wear a dress on top of their tunic and a veil (more clothing)
- example: Lucretia

paterfamilias

oldest male head of household

- has financial power over all family members
- has legal right of life/death of his children and grandchildren (right rarely exercised)
- complete power over family properties
- approve/disprove marriages of his children

fascinum

physical representation of a divine phallus

- male force
- used for protection against evils
- "good luck" penis
- amulets, rings, hanging in their homes, lamps, carvings, paintings, wind chimes, temples, carved into walls/concrete
- simple representation, winged, feel/tail of a lion, combined with fist
- praise of masculinity, male perfection
- matrons: not supposed to look at them, poses an inconvenience because they are everywhere