Sulpicia

About Legacy

The Augustan Period, also known as the Golden Age, was a time when Roman literature rose to literary prominence. This new age was inspired and encouraged by the rise of Augustus, who took authoritarian rule of Rome after assuming his position as Caesar’s heir and Emperor of Rome. Caesar’s legacy was plagued with war because of his ability to wield an immense amount of power that was unattainable by his predecessors.¹ After Augustus (at 19) assumed Caesar’s position, Roman culture evolved extensively, encouraging the development of the arts. Under his rule, many young poets flourished, such as Horace, Ovid, and Virgil, who are and were standout poets. Unfortunately, women did not receive the same amount of critical acclaim as their male counterparts and were largely ignored. Sulpicia is one of the few female poets from this era whose work has survived. Despite its survival, her work has been translated incorrectly, ridiculously criticized, and, unfortunately, separated from other male poets whose work was able to leave a legacy. The barriers that affected the legacy of her work influenced the way women were perceived through poetry. Patriarchy has negatively impacted the legacy of Sulpicia’s poetry. Fortunately, the work of contemporary classicists and scholars has revitalized and emphasized the importance of her work.

Sulpicia was the daughter of Servius Sulpicius Rufus and Valeria, the sister of M. Valerius Messalla Corvinus, who was somewhat of a legal guardian for Sulpicia. Her uncle, Messalla was a patron of literature for the famous elegiac poets Propertius, Tibullus, and Ovid:

And so it was; for Messalla, the friend of Tibullus and Ovid, held somewhat aloof from the empire. He was a gifted man in every way, a patriot, yet trusted and employed by the emperor, whom, however he never flattered. His house was a resort of poets and scholars, and that it was free the love story of his niece, Sulpicia, plainly proves—herself a poetess whose love elegies for Cerinthus have come down to us.²

Sulpicia’s ancient aristocratic upbringing influenced her desire to write elegiac poetry. The content of the elegiac poet has been described as “counter-cultural”³ because of the way they went against traditional societal norms, specifically, the role of women in relationships. Women were supposed to be submissive, and men “remained remarkably faithful to the spirit, if not the letter, of earlier laws reducing women to chattel status.”⁴ This form of poetry went against this ideal by positioning women in the role of the confident and empowered man against their more subservient partner, who constantly forgave their infidelities. As an elegiac poet herself, Sulpicia did not stray from this tradition. Her poems relay her relations with a young man she refers to as Cerinthus.