| Abstract [eng] |
The paper deals with the peculiarities of the epigrams of Martial. Marcus Valerius Martial is a Roman poet of the 1st century, whose oeuvre consists entirely of epigrams. Deciding to be a professional epigram writer, Martial needs to excuse such a frivolous practice, for the epigram always stood in the lowest place even between the comic genres. Epigrams were always regarded as a play, game (παιγνία), not worthy of being the main occupation of any freeman, but having very strict rules of metre, size, matter and style. Inter alia the epigrammatic verses are notorious for verbal freedom. Greek philosopher Aristotle, the most important founding figure in Western philosophy, also known as an author of the first extant work of literary criticism, relates tragic and comic genres with religion, beliefs and rites. According to Aristotle, comedy emerged from the phallus’ songs sung during the comos – agricultural feast. Martial attributes the obscenity of the epigram to the freedom and misrule of the most popular Roman feast Saturnalia, celebrated at the end of December. Almost all of his books were published just before Saturnalia, as a potential present, some of them were created during the feast and described the settings and atmosphere of it, otherwise they are full of potation, jesting, obscenity and nasty remarks. |
