The Dinner of Trimalchio and Fellini Satyricon PDF

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The Dinner of Trimalchio and Fellini Satyricon...

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“The Dinner of Trimalchio” and Fellini Satyricon “Trimalchio’s house is a microcosm of the world of Petronius, a world where death serves merely as a constant reminder to live each moment to the fullest.” *** “What need be asked is why Fellini so misrepresented Petronius, why, in fact, he took a work that sang carpe diem [pluck the day] and made a film that croaked memento mori [remember death]…His Trimalchio is not in love with life, he is in terror of death.” Erich Segal, “Arbitrary Satyricon: Petronius & Film,” Diacritics 1:1 (Autumn 1971): 54-57, at https://www.jstor.org/stable/464561?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents. Accessed 09.29.2018. (1) What in “The Dinner” most confused/baffled you? Was there anything that seemed familiar? Why? (2) What in Fellini Satyricon most confused/baffled you? Was there anything that seemed familiar? Why? (3) Are the characters in “The Dinner of Trimalchio” really “in love with life?” Why/why not? (4) Is Fellini Satyricon really “in terror of death?” Why/why not? (5) Did, and if so how, did both the story and the film depict the use and abuse of power?

“The Dinner of Trimalchio” and Fellini Satyricon both have elements that are familiar as well as elements that are quite confusing and baffling. “The Dinner” highlights the concept of “old wealth” versus “new wealth” which is present in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Due to the fact that Trimalchio used to be a slave himself and only made a fortune for himself during his own lifetime, he joined the group of “nouveau riche,” similar to Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby. Because Trimalchio did not come from a wealthy, powerful family, in a manner it almost seems like he felt the need to “prove” that he should be respected by hosting an extravagant dinner and boasting about his riches. Thus, a tendency of the wealthy to desire for others to know how

wealthy they are can be seen. When Trimalchio made his grand entrance, “for fear all of his finery would not be displayed, he bared his right arm, adorned with a golden arm-band and an ivory circlet” (Chapter 32). It is clear that Trimalchio wanted everyone to see his adornments to remind them of his importance. However, many of the elements of “The Dinner” were quite confusing. In particular, despite current expectations of the wealthy to be composed and dignified, Trimalchio acts in a manner that is incredibly vulgar. For instance, “Trimalchio snapped his fingers” to signal the eunuch, who subsequently came over and “held the chamber-pot for him” to “relieve his bladder” (Chapter 28). Immediately after this, “he called for water to wash his hands, barely moistened his fingers, and dried them upon a boy’s head” (Chapter 28). This action is incredibly disrespectful and Trimalchio’s actions undoubtedly create an uncomfortable tension among those present in the room. Because Trimalchio wanted to continue to play the ball game and did not want to walk to the bathroom, he decided to go through the elaborate effort of relieving himself in a gold pot. Trimalchio’s logic and lack of courtesy are quite appalling. In Fellini Satyricon, very few elements appeared familiar, in large part because Fellini intentionally took away many familiar elements of Roman culture. Instead of using Roman architecture, which is familiar to many due to the fact that it is the major architectural style of Washington D.C., Fellini created a setting that drew from elements of science fiction to introduce the reality of the distance between ancient culture and culture today. One scene that was especially jarring was the scene where Eumolpus

died and promised to give his possessions to anyone willing to eat his corpse. It is a disgusting idea to imagine people eating Eumolpus’ dead body, but this image illustrates the power of greed. While Eumolpus intended to ensure that the people would respect him after his death because they were going to benefit from his death, the reality was that the people cared little about Eumolpus’ death. In the end, one can see that greed is more powerful than even lust. The characters in “The Dinner of Trimalchio” , while they are outwardly seen to be “in love with life,” are not always as pleased with their lives as this statement seems to indicate. This is not to say though that the theme of carpe diem is not present. When a slave brought a silver skeleton into the room, Trimalchio exclaimed, “Poor man is nothing in the scheme of things And Orcus grips us and to Hades flings Our bones! This skeleton before us here is as important as we ever were! Let's live then while we may and life is dear" (Chapter 34). As strange as Trimalchio’s deduction may seem, one cannot contest that Trimalchio and the other characters consistently emphasize living in the present. However, this does not mean that they are constantly experiencing joy. While Trimalchio is technically no longer a slave, he is just as much of a slave as his own slaves because he is a slave to his luxuries, wealth, and desires. More important to note though is the fact that Trimalchio, in general, lacks depth as a character. Trimalchio and the other characters are essentially only plot devices to convey the message about decadence. Thus, a character which is not truly developed cannot be seen to be “in love with life.” In

Fellini Satyricon, the idea that the characters are “in terror of death” is somewhat supported. In the Satyricon, an overall obsession with the idea of death seems to reflect an innate fear of death. When Trimalchio insists on acting out his own funeral, he is attempting to control something that is by nature uncontrollable. However, a certain reverence for death can also be seen. For example, the image of a widow starving herself as she mourns over the corpse of her dead husband shows the view that an immense pity for someone who has died is expected to shape one’s life afterward. Both “The Dinner of Trimalchio” and Fellini Satyricon clearly portray the use and abuse of power. In “The Dinner of Trimalchio,” the lives of the slaves are clearly dependent upon the whims of the individuals who own them. One slave may perform an action and be praised for it, while another slave may perform the exact same action and be killed for it. In the society portrayed in “The Dinner,” slaves are indispensable because the wealthy elite simply do not want to do certain tasks necessary for life, such as preparing food and cleaning clothes. A tablet on display on a door declared that “NO SLAVE TO LEAVE THE PREMISES WITHOUT PERMISSION FROM THE MASTER. PENALTY ONE HUNDRED LASHES” (Chapter 28). This statement reveals the fact that the wealthy elite do not view slaves as human. Even if a slave survives one hundred lashes with a whip, the severity of that punishment and the depth of the wounds inflicted could lead to subsequent infection and death. In Fellini Satyricon, a domination-submission theme is evident in the argument between Encolpio and Ascilto in

the dividing up of “property,” their boy-lover Gitone. Although they decide to let Gitone choose the person he prefers, Gitone did not really have any other option but to obey. However, it is interesting to note that Encolpio, who supposedly has more power over Gitone, feels betrayed when Gitone chooses Ascilto over him, indicating that the power dynamic is perhaps not as one-sided as it initially appears....