Do you press me strenuously to desert my mistress? Why donÊt you suffer me to spend lifeÊs remainder In ever more accustomed slavery?
(1.4.1-4) Here Propertius is evidently overreacting to BassusÊ advice – he accuses him of forcing, ( cogis ) 14 him to abandon Cynthia. There is in fact little to suggest that Bassus has done so, and it is more likely that Propertius is simply overreacting to BassusÊ recommendations of other women. 15 Like Werther, he is incredibly resolute in his stance as the servus amoris in the servitium amoris 16 , the subordinate to the demands of his lover, even though this leads to frequent exaggerations and lack of a cohesive argument to support his case. Such actions only exemplify the nature of Âtormented loveÊ – such is the grasp of the woman on her lover, that he loses all sense of moderation and reason, and begins to respond dramatically to sensible suggestions. The final sequence of GoetheÊs novella captures Werther on the brink of death. He has taken WilhelmÊs advice and fled Wahlheim, only to succumb to his passions and return, where he quickly arranges his suicide. The topic of suicide had been brought up only faintly throughout the course of the novel, perhaps most notably in a letter dated Â16 MarchÊ, during which Werther contemplates his return to Wahlheim:
ich möchte mir eine Ader öffnen, die mir die ewige Freiheit schaffte. I am tempted to open a vein and so find my eternal freedom.
In an undated letter close to Christmas Day 1772, however, Werther writes his final letter to Lotte. It is clear that Werther believes in his meeting Lotte in heaven, and he is certain (he writes ÂIch träume nichtÊ, ÂIÊm not dreamingÊ) that God will not only forgive them, but allow them to live a life together:
Wir warden sein! Wir warden uns wiedersehen! ThereÊll be a life for us! And we shall see each other again!
For Werther, the torment has reached its apex –even death is now better than the current situation, and he comforts himself with the belief, that he shall spend eternity with Lotte after his suicide. This is most ironic, however, for he fails to realize in this moment of delusion, that it is exactly his relationship with Lotte that has brought him to the brink of death. In a similarly bold fashion, Propertius explores the idea of love after death in 1.19. He fears neither the funeral pyre, nor the shades of the Underworld, and at first glance seems to be following WertherÊs reasoning – that love is paramount and shall triumph any ordeal, including death. However, despite his brave assertions, Propertius slowly realizes the absurdity of his actions. At first it can be scarcely noticed, yet his negative language gives his real feelings away 17 – his first three assertions about love after death begin with negatives ( non – nec – ne – non ). Although he claims that in the Underworld, Âquarum nulla tua fuerit mihi, Cynthia, forma gratiorÊ, Âno otherÊs form shall please me more than yoursÊ, Propertius concludes with the following:
Quare, dum licet, inter nos laetemur amantes: Non satis est ullo tempore longus amor. Then, while we can, let us, the lovers, rejoice,
14 By allowing himself to be forced, Propertius would have been seen as submissive; such a trait which would have been seen negatively in the eyes of the Romans. Slaves, rather than Roman citizens were ÂforcedÊ. 15 See Lyne (1996) ad Prop 1.5.1-4. 16 C. Butler (p291); N. Croally and R. Hyde (2011). 17
128
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker