VIRILIDADE E VIOLÊNCIA: A RELAÇÃO DE PODER PRESENTE NOS CARMINA CATULLI XVI E XXI

Abstract

This article aims, in general terms, to present a discussion on the concepts of gender, masculinity, power relations and violence present in the lyrics of Catullus, one of the famous names in the literary canon of ancient Rome. In addition, the object of this research will be the carmina XVI and XXI, which deal with the themes discussed here. In addition, we propose to show, through the literary text, how Roman society was structured in relation to the concept of virility, which entailed a relationship of power in the face of the passive position to which women, slaves and young people were subjected. To this end, this study establishes points of intersection with the theories of Butler (2017) and Foucault (2014), which aim to discuss the concepts of gender and how it is maintained in social behavior. Furthermore, Puccini-Delbey (2017) and Williams (1999) will provide support for how this ancient society viewed virility and how it was applied in the social corpus. In addition, we also seek to discuss how power relations, derived from hegemonic masculinity, dictate rules and corroborate the construction of a collective status permeated by physical and symbolic violence, as postulated by Bourdieu (2012). Finally, this study is divided into two sections: the first refers to a brief introduction to the concepts of gender and masculinity, but also to the concept of violence linked to Roman virility; the second brings the analysis of the XVI and XXI carmina under the aegis of the behaviors of masculinity.