DiscussionQuestionsFeb12-Feb16
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Discussion Questions Week Five: What Is the Relationship Between Virtue and Success? February 12-February16, 2024
HIST 101 1. The Roman historian Livy’s “The Rape of Lucretia” recounts a famous story that supposedly happened in Rome’s early history. What expectations do we see here for the virtue and conduct of Roman women? Does Lucretia seem to have higher standards for that virtue than her husband and father do? In the story “The Rape of Lucretia”, the ideal women is portrayed as Tarquinius Conlatinus’s wife, Lucretia. In the story, there are men drinking at Sextus Tarquinius’s house, and they praised their wives. Each man thinking that his wife was better than the other. So, to settle their debate, they went to each of their houses to see what their wives were doing. Every wife, except for Lucretia, was with their friends “preparing to have a night of fun”. Lucretia was working on her spinning, even into the late hours of the night. All of the men were impressed by her “chaste honor” and left it at
that. Except for Sextus Tarquinius, who several days later, raped Lucretia. After he left, Lucretia called for her husband and told him to come home, because a very bad thing had happened. She tells her husband who had raped her and then commits suicide. Lucretia's actions suggest that she holds herself to a higher standard of virtue. Her decision to take her own life after the rape, despite being a victim, highlights the extreme importance placed on female chastity and the severe consequences for failing to uphold it. The last few lines emphasizes these characteristics, “I will absolve myself of blame, and I will not free myself from punishment. No
woman shall use Lucretia as her example in dishonor." Then she took up a knife which she had hidden beneath her robe, and plunged it into her heart,
collapsing from her wound;..” Ancient Rome was built around honor and women were held to an exceptionally high standard in this regard. Lucretia was not at fault for being raped, yet she still feels as if she needs to be punished. 2. “The Rape of Lucretia” is also a political story about the overthrow of Rome’s monarchy. What is the exact
connection between Sextus Tarquinius’ crime, the men’s reaction to it, and that overthrow? I don’t mean that they decide to overthrow the monarchy because of it
. Instead, how do we get from Point A (
a king’s son committed a terrible crime
) to Point B (
Rome must abolish its monarchy forever
)? Lucretia is supposed to symbolize Rome, full of honor and virtue, and Sextus Tarquinius represents all the crime and negative aspects associated
with Rome. Lucretia’s fate is the symbol of the moral decay and tyranny associated with the Tarquin kings. The Roman nobility, led by figures like Lucius Junius Brutus, rallied the people against the monarchy, emphasizing the need for freedom and the elimination of tyranny. Hence, ridding Rome of monarchy and establishing a republic. 3. “Roman Republic: Checks and Balances” is a modern table that compares
the American system of government to the system of the Roman Republic (
not
the Roman Empire). What do you think are the most important similarities and differences between the two? Surprisingly, the table shown in “Roman Republic: Checks and Balances” shows more similarities than I thought would be present. Most notably, I saw that there is a separation of powers. Both the American system and the Roman Republic incorporated the idea of dividing governmental powers in different branches. In the United States, the three branches are the executive, legislative, and judicial, while in the Roman Republic, there was a
division between magistrates, the Senate, and tribune assemblies. We did have a few differences, though; especially in how their versions of the executive the magistrate, and the judicial, the tribune assemblies, were set up. In the Roman Republic, executive authority was often divided among two consuls who held limited terms, while in the United States, there is a single president with a four-year term. The Roman Republic had a less structured judicial system compared to the one we have in the United States. While Rome had magistrates with judicial functions, the U.S. has a separate and independent judiciary with appointed judges serving for life.
4. Can you identify any possible weaknesses in the political organization of the Roman Republic, as that table describes it? The checks and balances in place don’t seem to achieve the desired “balance” as effectively as they should, leading to many opportunities for corruption and bribery. For example, the members of the senate were the elite, the richest men in Rome. If you have an abundance of money, you have an abundance of money to spend to influence others. Also, the Roman Republic had two consuls serving at the same time, which could lead to conflicts and disagreements. While I understand this was designed to prevent abuses of power, this dual executive system could face challenges in achieving effective decision-making.
5. Cornelius Nepos’ “Hannibal” is about a general from Carthage in North Africa. He was not
then a Roman, but instead one of Rome’s greatest enemies during the Second Punic War. According to Cornelius Nepos, was Hannibal admirable? What qualities of his stand out? Does Cornelius Nepos seem to think that Hannibal had a successful life, or not?
In general, Cornelius Nepos presents Hannibal as an admirable and formidable figure. He speaks well of him, even comparing his bravery to those of the Romans, “it must be admitted that Hannibal excelled all other commanders in skill as much as the Roman people are superior to all nations in bravery.” He also speaks on his preservation as a general. In chapter 4, Cornelius Nepo writes of Hannibal’s eye troubles, but he still fights and ambushes Gaius Flaminius with his army at Trasumenus and remains victorious. In chapter 5, Cornelius speaks of how good of a general Hannibal was, “Therefore it will suffice to add this one fact, to show how great a man he was: so long as he was in Italy, no one was a match for him in the field, and after the battle of Cannae no one encamped face to face with him on open ground.”. The qualities that stand out in Hannibal, according to Nepos, include his military leadership, resourcefulness, and determination. Hannibal's ability to inspire loyalty among his troops and maintain their morale in challenging situations is also emphasized. Despite the outcome of the Second Punic War, I think Cornelius Nepos thought Hannibal had a successful life. He admired Hannibal for his military achievements and leadership qualities, portraying him as a formidable and skilled commander. The successful military campaigns, particularly the victory at Cannae is evidence of Hannibal's brilliance.
6. Polybius’ “Battle of Cannae” is about one of the greatest military disasters in Roman history, which took place during the Second Punic War. (Note that Hannibal appears in this source, too.) As you saw in “Roman Republic: Checks and Balances,” two “Consuls” were elected yearly, who governed together with the Senate. Both Consuls for that year, Aemilius and Terentius, were present at Cannae. Why was Aemilius so convinced that the Romans were going to win, when he gave his pre-battle speech to the troops? If Aemilius was so confident, then why did the Romans lose so badly? T
h
e Battle of Cannae unfolded in a way that led to a devastating defeat for the Romans and can be attributed to any number of reasons. One of the reasons for their downfall was probably due to Aemilius’ speech – they were
overconfident in their army, and if I were Aemilius, I probably would be to. To start, the Romans held a numerical advantage over the Carthaginian forces. The Roman army was larger, and Aemilius likely believed that the sheer size of their forces would overwhelm Hannibal's army. Also, the Romans had experienced significant military successes in the past, and their
army was accustomed to winning battles. Aemilius may have drawn confidence from the Romans' historical track record of military victories. Also, he mentioned that the Roman’s were fighting for themselves, “But men who, like you, are fighting not for others, but themselves---for country, wives, and children..”. He says this because Hannibal’s army is full of different people from different cultures and different places. Despite
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Aemilius confidence, the Battle of Cannae turned into a disaster for the Romans due to Hannibal's exceptional tactics and the Roman commanders' underestimation of their opponent. The discipline and morale of Hannibal's troops greatly differed compared to the confusion and panic that spread among the Roman forces during the battle. The Carthaginian forces maintained their composure and coordination.
7. A core belief of the Romans was that if they honored their ancestors and traditions, paid proper respect to their gods, and were upright and virtuous people, then their state and society would achieve greatness. (This does not
mean that all Romans always behaved virtuously.) What do you think of this
equation between virtue and success?
I believe that bad things happen to good people, so I don’t fully believe that if you remain virtuous you will be successful. While I understand the philosophy that virtue leads to success, I don't entirely agree with it. But, I do believe
that facing challenges doesn't justify adopting a negative or unethical worldview. I think hard work is the key determinant of success, and while virtue and honor are valuable qualities, they don't singularly define success. I don't think that success is dependent on honoring ancestors and traditions. I feel like acknowledging what they accomplished and how they did it is good, but it shouldn’t dictate your approach to life. Understanding their experiences builds the foundation of how you determine your own success.